Maintaining Project Context

Maintaining Project Context

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: Use writing-claude-md-files for all context file creation and updates.

Core Principle

Context files (CLAUDE.md) document contracts and architectural intent. When code changes contracts, the documentation must update. Stale documentation is worse than no documentation.

Trigger: End of development phase, branch completion, or any work that changed contracts, APIs, or domain structure.

When to Update Context Files

The Process

Step 1: Identify What Changed

Diff against the base (branch start or phase start):

# Get changed files
git diff --name-only <base-sha> HEAD

# Get detailed changes
git diff <base-sha> HEAD --stat

Categorize changes:

• Structural: New directories, moved files
• Contract: Changed exports, interfaces, public APIs
• Behavioral: Changed invariants, guarantees
• Internal: Implementation details only

Step 2: Map Changes to Context Files

For each significant change, determine which context file should document it:

Hierarchy rule: Information belongs at the lowest level where it applies. Domain-specific contracts go in domain files, not root.

Step 3: Verify Contracts Still Hold

For each affected context file, verify:

1. Contracts section: Do exposes/guarantees/expects match current code?
2. Dependencies section: Are uses/used-by/boundary accurate?
3. Invariants section: Are all invariants still enforced?
4. Key Decisions section: Any new decisions to document?

# Find domain's public exports
grep -r "export" <domain>/index.ts

# Find domain's imports (dependencies)
grep -r "from '\.\." <domain>/

Step 4: Update or Create Context Files

For updates:

1. Read existing file first
2. Update freshness date via date +%Y-%m-%d
3. Update affected sections
4. Remove stale content
5. Verify under token budget (<100 lines for domain files)

For new domains:

1. Create <domain>/CLAUDE.md using template from writing-claude-md-files
2. Document purpose, contracts, dependencies, invariants
3. Set freshness date

Step 5: Commit Documentation Updates

git add <affected CLAUDE.md files>
git commit -m "docs: update project context for <branch-name>"

Decision Tree

Has code changed?
├─ No → Skip (nothing to update)
└─ Yes → What changed?
    ├─ Only tests/internal details → Skip
    └─ Contracts/APIs/structure → Continue
        │
        ├─ New domain created?
        │   └─ Create CLAUDE.md
        │
        ├─ Existing domain changed?
        │   └─ Update domain CLAUDE.md
        │
        └─ Project-wide pattern changed?
            └─ Update root CLAUDE.md

Quick Reference

Always update when:

• New public exports added
• Interface signatures changed
• Invariants added/removed
• Dependencies changed
• Architectural decisions made

Never update for:

• Internal refactoring
• Bug fixes that don't change contracts
• Test file changes
• Comment/documentation-only changes

Common Mistakes

Integration Points

Called by:

• project-claude-librarian agent - Uses this skill to coordinate updates
• executing-plans - After all tasks complete
• finishing-a-development-branch - Before merge/PR