# Keep your CLAUDE.md under 40 lines so Claude Code actually follows it

> Source: <https://dev.to/vildandenai/keep-your-claudemd-under-40-lines-so-claude-code-actually-follows-it-2hhf>
> Published: 2026-10-20 01:10:34+00:00

Most `CLAUDE.md` files I see grow into a wiki: architecture notes, style essays, a changelog, three pasted READMEs. Then people wonder why the agent ignores the one rule that mattered.

`CLAUDE.md` is loaded into context at the start of a session, so every line competes with your actual task. Short, concrete house rules beat long explanations.

```
# House rules

## Before you edit
- Read the file and its tests before changing it.
- Ask before adding a new dependency.

## Commands
- Test: `npm test`
- Lint: `npm run lint -- --fix`
- Never run: `git push --force`, `rm -rf`, database migrations.

## Done means
- Tests and lint pass locally.
- You list the files you changed and why, in one line each.

## Style
- Match the surrounding code. No drive-by refactors.
```

That is the whole file. Each line is something you could check in a diff.

`npm test`" is better than a paragraph about the test philosophy.` settings.json`. `CLAUDE.md` is guidance; hooks are guarantees.`docs/architecture.md` and let the agent read it when needed instead of loading it every session.
Check the memory docs for your installed Claude Code version; how nested and user-level files are loaded can change between releases.

I ship this short house-rules file together with the allow-list and the safety hooks in [Vildanden Agent Config](https://justly-mia-429.rehost.page/). The free sample is enough to try the pattern today.