Anthropic’s Claude Certified Architect Exam (CCA-F): CLAUDE.md

Anthropic has introduced the Claude Certified Architect Exam (CCA-F), which tests knowledge of CLAUDE.md configuration files. The exam reveals that CLAUDE.md files function as additive context rather than an override chain, and the assumption that "the most specific file wins" is a common pitfall. The exam covers a three-level hierarchy, imports, path-scoped rules, and headless CI invocations.

Member-only story Anthropic’s Claude Certified Architect Exam CCA-F : CLAUDE.md Is a Precedence Puzzle, Not a README, Domain 3. IV CCA-F Part 4: The Claude Code configuration domain swings harder between CCA-F forms than any other. Here is the one mental model that keeps it from costing you the pass line, plus the five scenarios Your config quietly fights itself, and you only notice when Claude ignores a rule you swear you wrote. Learn what actually overrides what, and your CLAUDE.md stops being a guessing game. In this article:You will learn why CLAUDE.md files are additive context rather than an override chain, and why “the most specific file wins” is the single most expensive assumption you can carry into Domain 3 of the CCA-F. We walk through the five tested surfaces: the three-level hierarchy, imports, skills with context: fork, path-scoped .claude/rules, and headless CI invocations. By the end you can spot the invented flag, relocate a misplaced rule, and choose a skill over a longer CLAUDE.md without second-guessing. Your refund agent’s tools finally tell the truth. So why is it still ignoring the team’s “always run the linter before committing” rule? You open the repo and find the rule sitting…