Instruction Placement Framework

Instructions

Use this skill when you are configuring Claude Code and want a consistent way to choose where an instruction should live.

1. Classify the instruction:

   • Project facts that should always be in context → CLAUDE.md (root)
   • Team or folder-specific conventions → CLAUDE.md (subdirectory) or path-scoped rules
   • Specific constraints that must hold reliably → rules (prefer path-scoped)
   • A repeatable procedure (runbook/checklist) → skill
   • A side task that should run in isolation and return only a summary → subagent
   • Deterministic automation or enforcement on lifecycle events → hook
   • A major, persistent change in role or tone → output style
   • One-off additive instructions for a single invocation → append-system-prompt

2. Check tradeoffs:

   • If always-on instructions are growing, reduce context cost by using path scoping or skills.
   • If you need deterministic enforcement, prefer hooks/permissions over prompts.
   • If you don’t want intermediate results cluttering the main thread, use subagents.

Examples

• If you wrote a 30-line deployment procedure in CLAUDE.md, move it into a skill.
• If a rule only applies to src/api/**, add paths: frontmatter so it loads only when relevant.
• If you need to block a dangerous tool call reliably, use a PreToolUse hook and exit code 2.

See: references/methods-table.md See: examples/rules-paths-frontmatter.md