# Health

> Run when Claude feels off, ignores rules, or hooks/MCP need auditing.

- Skill: `kevinzai/health` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add kevinzai/health`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/kevinzai/health/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: AI & ML
- Author: KevinZai (https://skillmd.com/u/kevinzai)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/kevinzai/health

---


# Claude Code Configuration Health Audit

Audit the current project's Claude Code setup with the six-layer framework:
`CLAUDE.md → rules → skills → hooks → subagents → verifiers`

The goal is to find violations and identify the misaligned layer, calibrated to project complexity.

**Output language:** Check in order: (1) CLAUDE.md `## Communication` rule (global takes precedence over local); (2) language of the user's recent conversation messages; (3) default English. Apply the detected language to all output including progress lines, the report, and the stop-condition question.

**IMPORTANT:** Before the first tool call, output a progress block in the output language:

```
Step 1/3: Collecting configuration data
  · CLAUDE.md (global + local) · rules/ · settings.local.json · hooks
  · MCP servers · skills inventory + security scan
  · conversation history (up to 3 recent sessions)
```

## Step 0: Assess project tier

Pick tier:

| Tier | Signal | What's expected |
|------|--------|-----------------|
| **Simple** | <500 project files, 1 contributor, no CI | CLAUDE.md only; 0–1 skills; no rules/; hooks optional |
| **Standard** | 500–5K project files, small team or CI present | CLAUDE.md + 1–2 rules files; 2–4 skills; basic hooks |
| **Complex** | >5K project files, multi-contributor, multi-language, active CI | Full six-layer setup required |

**Apply only the detected tier's requirements.**


## Step 1: Collect all data (single bash block)

Run one block to collect data.

```bash
P=$(pwd)
SETTINGS="$P/.claude/settings.local.json"

echo "=== TIER METRICS ==="
echo "project_files: $(git -C "$P" ls-files 2>/dev/null | wc -l || find "$P" -type f -not -path "*/.git/*" -not -path "*/node_modules/*" -not -path "*/dist/*" -not -path "*/build/*" | wc -l)"
echo "contributors: $(git -C "$P" log -n 500 --format='%ae' 2>/dev/null | sort -u | wc -l)"
echo "ci_workflows:  $(ls "$P/.github/workflows/"*.yml "$P/.github/workflows/"*.yaml 2>/dev/null | wc -l)"
echo "skills:        $(find "$P/.claude/skills" -name "SKILL.md" 2>/dev/null | grep -v '/health/SKILL.md' | wc -l)"
echo "claude_md_lines: $(wc -l < "$P/CLAUDE.md" 2>/dev/null)"

echo "=== CLAUDE.md (global) ===" ; cat ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null || echo "(none)"
echo "=== CLAUDE.md (local) ===" ; cat "$P/CLAUDE.md" 2>/dev/null || echo "(none)"
echo "=== settings.local.json ===" ; cat "$SETTINGS" 2>/dev/null || echo "(none)"
echo "=== rules/ ===" ; find "$P/.claude/rules" -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null | while IFS= read -r f; do echo "--- $f ---"; cat "$f"; done
echo "=== skill descriptions ===" ; { [ -d "$P/.claude/skills" ] && grep -r "^description:" "$P/.claude/skills" 2>/dev/null; grep -r "^description:" ~/.claude/skills 2>/dev/null; } | sort -u
echo "=== STARTUP CONTEXT ESTIMATE ==="
echo "global_claude_words: $(wc -w < ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null | tr -d ' ' || echo 0)"
echo "local_claude_words: $(wc -w < "$P/CLAUDE.md" 2>/dev/null | tr -d ' ' || echo 0)"
echo "rules_words: $(find "$P/.claude/rules" -name "*.md" 2>/dev/null | while IFS= read -r f; do cat "$f"; done | wc -w | tr -d ' ')"
echo "skill_desc_words: $({ [ -d "$P/.claude/skills" ] && grep -r "^description:" "$P/.claude/skills" 2>/dev/null; grep -r "^description:" ~/.claude/skills 2>/dev/null; } | wc -w | tr -d ' ')"
python3 -c "
import json, sys
try:
    d = json.load(open('$SETTINGS'))
except Exception as e:
    msg = '(unavailable: settings.local.json missing or malformed)'
    print('=== hooks ==='); print(msg)
    print('=== MCP ==='); print(msg)
    print('=== MCP FILESYSTEM ==='); print(msg)
    print('=== allowedTools count ==='); print(msg)
    sys.exit(0)

print('=== hooks ===')
print(json.dumps(d.get('hooks', {}), indent=2))

print('=== MCP ===')
s = d.get('mcpServers', d.get('enabledMcpjsonServers', {}))
names = list(s.keys()) if isinstance(s, dict) else list(s)
n = len(names)
print(f'servers({n}):', ', '.join(names))
est = n * 25 * 200
print(f'est_tokens: ~{est} ({round(est/2000)}% of 200K)')

print('=== MCP FILESYSTEM ===')
if isinstance(s, list):
    print('filesystem_present: (array format -- check .mcp.json)')
    print('allowedDirectories: (not detectable)')
else:
    fs = s.get('filesystem') if isinstance(s, dict) else None; a = []
    if isinstance(fs, dict):
        a = fs.get('allowedDirectories') or (fs.get('config', {}).get('allowedDirectories') if isinstance(fs.get('config'), dict) else [])
        if not a and isinstance(fs.get('args'), list):
            args = fs['args']
            for i, v in enumerate(args):
                if v in ('--allowed-directories', '--allowedDirectories') and i+1 < len(args): a = [args[i+1]]; break
            if not a: a = [v for v in args if v.startswith('/') or (v.startswith('~') and len(v) > 1)]
    print('filesystem_present:', 'yes' if fs else 'no')
    print('allowedDirectories:', a or '(missing or not detected)')

print('=== allowedTools count ===')
print(len(d.get('permissions', {}).get('allow', [])))
" 2>/dev/null || echo "(unavailable)"
echo "=== NESTED CLAUDE.md ===" ; find "$P" -maxdepth 4 -name "CLAUDE.md" -not -path "$P/CLAUDE.md" -not -path "*/.git/*" -not -path "*/node_modules/*" 2>/dev/null || echo "(none)"
echo "=== GITIGNORE ==="
_GITIGNORE_HIT=$(git -C "$P" check-ignore -v .claude/settings.local.json 2>/dev/null || true)
if [ -n "$_GITIGNORE_HIT" ]; then
  _GITIGNORE_SOURCE=${_GITIGNORE_HIT%%:*}
  case "$_GITIGNORE_SOURCE" in
    .gitignore|.claude/.gitignore)
      echo "settings.local.json: gitignored"
      ;;
    *)
      echo "settings.local.json: ignored only by non-project rule ($_GITIGNORE_SOURCE) -- add a repo-local ignore rule"
      ;;
  esac
else
  echo "settings.local.json: NOT gitignored -- risk of committing tokens/credentials"
fi
echo "=== HANDOFF.md ===" ; cat "$P/HANDOFF.md" 2>/dev/null || echo "(none)"
echo "=== MEMORY.md ===" ; cat "$HOME/.claude/projects/-$(pwd | sed 's|[/_]|-|g; s|^-||')/memory/MEMORY.md" 2>/dev/null | head -50 || echo "(none)"

echo "=== CONVERSATION FILES ==="
PROJECT_PATH=$(pwd | sed 's|[/_]|-|g; s|^-||')
CONVO_DIR=~/.claude/projects/-${PROJECT_PATH}
ls -lhS "$CONVO_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -10

echo "=== CONVERSATION EXTRACT (up to 3 most recent, confidence improves with more files) ==="
# Skip the active session, it may still be incomplete.
_PREV_FILES=$(ls -t "$CONVO_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | tail -n +2 | head -3)
if [ -n "$_PREV_FILES" ]; then
  echo "$_PREV_FILES" | while IFS= read -r F; do
    [ -f "$F" ] || continue
    echo "--- file: $F ---"
    head -c 2M "$F" | jq -r '
      if .type == "user" then "USER: " + ((.message.content // "") | if type == "array" then map(select(.type == "text") | .text) | join(" ") else . end)
      elif .type == "assistant" then
        "ASSISTANT: " + ((.message.content // []) | map(select(.type == "text") | .text) | join("\n"))
      else empty
      end
    ' 2>/dev/null | grep -v "^ASSISTANT: $" | head -300 || echo "(unavailable: jq not installed or parse error)"
  done
else
  echo "(no conversation files)"
fi

echo "=== MCP ACCESS DENIALS ==="
ls -t "$CONVO_DIR"/*.jsonl 2>/dev/null | head -5 | while IFS= read -r F; do
  head -c 1M "$F" | grep -Em 2 'Access denied - path outside allowed directories|tool-results/.+ not in ' 2>/dev/null
done | head -20

# --- Skill scan ---
# Exclude self by frontmatter name, stable across install paths.
SELF_SKILL=$( (grep -rl '^name: health$' "$P/.claude/skills" "$HOME/.claude/skills" 2>/dev/null || true) | grep 'SKILL.md' | head -1)
[ -z "$SELF_SKILL" ] && SELF_SKILL="health/SKILL.md"

echo "=== SKILL INVENTORY ==="
for DIR in "$P/.claude/skills" "$HOME/.claude/skills"; do
  [ -d "$DIR" ] || continue
  find -L "$DIR" -name "SKILL.md" 2>/dev/null | grep -v "$SELF_SKILL" | while IFS= read -r f; do
    WORDS=$(wc -w < "$f" | tr -d ' ')
    IS_LINK="no"; LINK_TARGET=""
    SKILL_DIR=$(dirname "$f")
    if [ -L "$SKILL_DIR" ]; then
      IS_LINK="yes"; LINK_TARGET=$(readlink -f "$SKILL_DIR")
    fi
    echo "path=$f words=$WORDS symlink=$IS_LINK target=$LINK_TARGET"
  done
done

echo "=== SKILL FRONTMATTER ==="
for DIR in "$P/.claude/skills" "$HOME/.claude/skills"; do
  [ -d "$DIR" ] || continue
  find -L "$DIR" -name "SKILL.md" 2>/dev/null | grep -v "$SELF_SKILL" | while IFS= read -r f; do
    if head -1 "$f" | grep -q '^---'; then
      echo "frontmatter=yes path=$f"
      sed -n '2,/^---$/p' "$f" | head -10
    else
      echo "frontmatter=MISSING path=$f"
    fi
  done
done

echo "=== SKILL SYMLINK PROVENANCE ==="
for DIR in "$P/.claude/skills" "$HOME/.claude/skills"; do
  [ -d "$DIR" ] || continue
  find "$DIR" -maxdepth 1 -type l 2>/dev/null | while IFS= read -r link; do
    TARGET=$(readlink -f "$link")
    echo "link=$(basename "$link") target=$TARGET"
    if [ -d "$TARGET/.git" ]; then
      REMOTE=$(git -C "$TARGET" remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
      COMMIT=$(git -C "$TARGET" rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
      echo "  git_remote=$REMOTE commit=$COMMIT"
    fi
  done
done

echo "=== SKILL FULL CONTENT (sample: up to 5 skills, 80 lines each) ==="
{ for DIR in "$P/.claude/skills" "$HOME/.claude/skills"; do
    [ -d "$DIR" ] || continue
    find -L "$DIR" -name "SKILL.md" 2>/dev/null | grep -v "$SELF_SKILL"
  done
} | head -5 | while IFS= read -r f; do
  echo "--- FULL: $f ---"
  head -80 "$f"
done
```

## Gotchas

Before interpreting Step 1 output, check these known failure modes.

**Data collection silent failures**
- `jq` not installed: conversation extraction prints `(unavailable: jq not installed or parse error)`. BEHAVIOR section will be empty -- treat as [INSUFFICIENT DATA], not a finding.
- `python3` not on PATH: all MCP/hooks/allowedTools sections print `(unavailable)`. Do not flag those areas when the data source itself failed.
- `settings.local.json` absent: hooks, MCP, and allowedTools all show `(unavailable)`. Normal for projects using global settings only -- not a misconfiguration.

**MEMORY.md path construction**
- Path built with `sed 's|[/_]|-|g'` on `pwd`. Unusual characters produce the wrong project key. If MEMORY.md shows `(none)` but the user mentions prior sessions, verify the path manually before flagging as [!].

**Conversation extract scope**
- Only the 3 most recent `.jsonl` files are sampled, skipping the active session. Findings from fewer than 3 files carry low signal -- always tag [LOW CONFIDENCE].

**MCP token estimate**
- Assumes ~25 tools/server and ~200 tokens/tool. Servers with many or few tools cause large over/under-estimates. Treat as directional, not precise.

**Tier misclassification edge cases**
- The bash block excludes `node_modules/`, `dist/`, and `build/`, but not all generators. Monorepos with `.next/`, `__pycache__/`, or `.turbo/` output can inflate the file count and trigger COMPLEX tier falsely. Recheck manually if the tier feels wrong.

## Step 2: Analyze with tier-adjusted depth

After Step 1 completes, output a summary line, then the step indicator:

```
Tier: {SIMPLE/STANDARD/COMPLEX} -- {file_count} files · {contributor_count} contributors · CI: {present/absent}
Step 2/3: {SIMPLE: "Analyzing locally" | STANDARD/COMPLEX: "Launching parallel analysis agents"}
```

SIMPLE: output "Analyzing locally" above. Do not launch subagents. Analyze from Step 1, prioritize core config checks, skip conversation-heavy cross-validation unless evidence is obvious.

STANDARD/COMPLEX: output "Launching parallel analysis agents" above, then list coverage:

```
  · Agent 1: CLAUDE.md, rules, skills, MCP context + security scan
  · Agent 2: hooks, allowedTools, behavior patterns, three-layer defense
```

Launch **two subagents** in parallel. Paste all data inline -- do not pass file paths. Before pasting, replace any credential values (API keys, tokens, passwords) with `[REDACTED]`; paste the structural data only.

### Agent 1 -- Context + Security Audit (no conversation needed)

Read `agents/agent1-context.md` from this skill's directory. It specifies which Step 1 sections to paste and the full audit checklist.

### Agent 2 -- Control + Behavior Audit (uses conversation evidence)

Read `agents/agent2-control.md` from this skill's directory. It specifies which Step 1 sections to paste and the full audit checklist.

## Step 3: Synthesize and present

Before writing the report, output a progress line in the output language:

```
Step 3/3: Synthesizing report
```

Aggregate the local analysis and any agent outputs into one report:

---

**Health Report: {project} ({tier} tier, {file_count} files)**

### ✓ Passing

Render a compact table of checks that passed. Include only checks relevant to the detected tier. Limit to 5 rows. Omit rows for checks that have findings.

| Check | Detail |
|-------|--------|
| settings.local.json gitignored | ok |
| No nested CLAUDE.md | ok |
| Skill security scan | no flags |

### ☻ Critical -- fix now

Rules violated, missing verification definitions, dangerous allowedTools, MCP overhead >12.5%, required-path `Access denied`, active cache-breakers, and security findings.

### ◎ Structural -- fix soon

CLAUDE.md content that belongs elsewhere, missing hooks, oversized skill descriptions, single-layer critical rules, model switching, verifier gaps, subagent permission gaps, and skill structural issues.

### ○ Incremental -- nice to have

New patterns to add, outdated items to remove, global vs local placement, context hygiene, HANDOFF.md adoption, skill invoke tuning, and provenance issues.

---

If all three issue sections are empty, output one short line in the output language like: `✓ All relevant checks passed. Nothing to fix.`

## Non-goals
- Never auto-apply fixes without confirmation.
- Never apply complex-tier checks to simple projects.
- Flag issues, do not replace architectural judgment.


**Stop condition:** After the report, ask in the output language:
> "Should I draft the changes? I can handle each layer separately: global CLAUDE.md / local CLAUDE.md / hooks / skills."

Do not make any edits without explicit confirmation.