[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.
AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task: - Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. - Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. - Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. - Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. - When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. - Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. - Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. - Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. - Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. - Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.
Quick Summary
Goal: Help users install, configure, troubleshoot, and extend Claude Code CLI (hooks, MCP, skills, commands).
Workflow:
- Categorize — Identify problem type (Setup, Hooks, MCP, Context, Extensibility, Config)
- Diagnose — Follow category-specific diagnostic steps
- Fix & Verify — Apply solution and confirm it resolves the issue
Key Rules:
- Not for writing application code -- use feature/fix/refactor skills instead
- Never modify settings without user approval
- For hooks: check event type, script executability, and JSON output format
Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).
Claude Code
Purpose
Help users install, configure, troubleshoot, and extend Claude Code CLI -- Anthropic's agentic coding tool with skills, hooks, MCP servers, and slash commands.
When to Use
- Setting up Claude Code for the first time (installation, authentication)
- Troubleshooting hooks that don't fire or produce errors
- Diagnosing MCP server connection failures
- Understanding or resolving context window limits
- Creating or modifying slash commands and agent skills
- Configuring settings (model, allowed tools, output style)
When NOT to Use
- Writing application code -- use
feature-implementation,fix, orrefactoringskills - Creating MCP servers from scratch -- use
mcp-builderskill - Managing existing MCP server connections -- use
mcp-managementskill - AI prompt engineering -- use
ai-artistskill
Prerequisites
- Access to
.claude/directory in the project root - For hooks: read
.claude/hooks/directory structure - For skills: read
.claude/skills/directory structure
Workflow
Step 1: Identify the Problem Category
| User Says | Category | Go To |
|---|---|---|
| "install", "set up", "authenticate" | Setup | Step 2A |
| "hook not firing", "hook error" | Hook Issues | Step 2B |
| "MCP not connecting", "MCP error" | MCP Issues | Step 2C |
| "context too long", "compaction", "token limit" | Context Issues | Step 2D |
| "create skill", "create command" | Extensibility | Step 2E |
| "configure", "settings", "model" | Configuration | Step 2F |
Step 2A: Setup
- Check prerequisites: Node.js 18+, npm
- Verify authentication:
claude auth status - IF auth fails: guide through
claude auth login - Verify project detection: check for
CLAUDE.mdin project root
Step 2B: Hook Issues
- Read the hook file causing issues
- Check hook event type matches expected trigger (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart, Stop, SubagentStop)
- Verify hook script is executable and has correct shebang
- Check
.claude/settings.jsonfor hook registration - Test hook in isolation: run the script directly with mock input
- Check for syntax errors in hook output (must be valid JSON for PreToolUse/PostToolUse)
Common fixes:
- Hook not firing: wrong event name or tool matcher pattern
- Hook errors: script not finding dependencies (check relative paths)
- Hook blocks unexpectedly: PreToolUse returning
{"decision": "block"}incorrectly
Step 2C: MCP Issues
- Check
.claude/settings.jsonfor MCP server configuration - Verify the MCP server process can start: run the command manually
- Check environment variables (API keys, tokens) are set
- Test connectivity:
claude mcp listto see registered servers - IF timeout: increase timeout in config or check network
Common fixes:
- "Connection refused": MCP server not running or wrong port
- "Authentication failed": expired or missing API token
- "Tool not found": MCP server registered but tool name mismatch
Step 2D: Context Issues
- Check current context usage (Claude will report when near limit)
- IF approaching limit: suggest
/compactcommand - Review if large files are being read unnecessarily
- Check for recovery files in
/tmp/ck/swap/after compaction - Verify
post-compact-recoveryhook is configured for session continuity
Step 2E: Extensibility
- For skills: read
references/agent-skills.mdfor structure - For custom slash commands: create skills in
.claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md - Verify SKILL.md frontmatter has required fields (name, version, description)
- Test: invoke the skill/command and verify it loads
Step 2F: Configuration
- Read
references/configuration.mdfor settings hierarchy - Settings locations:
.claude/settings.json(project),~/.claude/settings.json(user) - IMPORTANT: Never modify settings without user approval
- Common settings: model selection, allowed tools, output verbosity
Step 3: Verification
- Confirm the fix resolves the user's issue
- Document any configuration changes made
- Warn if changes affect other team members (project-level settings)
Output Format
## Claude Code: [Issue/Task Summary]
### Problem
[What was wrong or what was requested]
### Solution
[Step-by-step fix or setup instructions]
### Files Changed
[List any config files modified, with before/after]
### Verification
[How to confirm the fix works]Examples
Example 1: Hook Not Firing
User: "My PreToolUse hook for blocking large file reads isn't triggering"
Diagnosis:
- Read
.claude/settings.json-- hook registered underhooks.PreToolUse - Check tool matcher:
"matcher": "Read"-- correct - Run script directly:
node.claude/hooks/block-large-reads.cjs-- works - Found: Hook command uses
%CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR%but runs from wrong CWD
Fix: Update hook command to use absolute path or verify %CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR% resolves correctly. Check that the hook entry in settings uses the correct variable syntax for the platform (Windows vs Unix).
Example 2: Setting Up a New Slash Command
User: "I want a /deploy command that runs our staging deployment"
Steps:
- Create
.claude/skills/deploy/SKILL.md:
Deploy to staging environment.
Run the following steps:
1. Verify all tests pass: `npm test`
2. Build the project: `npm run build`
3. Deploy: `npm run deploy:staging`
4. Report deployment status- Test: type
/deployin Claude Code CLI - Verify: command appears in autocomplete and executes the workflow
Reference Files
Load these for detailed guidance on specific topics:
| Topic | File |
|---|---|
| Installation | references/getting-started.md |
| Slash commands | references/slash-commands.md |
| Skills creation | references/agent-skills.md |
| MCP servers | references/mcp-integration.md |
| Hooks system | references/hooks-comprehensive.md |
| Configuration | references/configuration.md |
| Troubleshooting | references/troubleshooting.md |
| Enterprise | references/enterprise-features.md |
Related Skills
mcp-builder-- for creating new MCP servers from scratchmcp-management-- for managing existing MCP server connectionsskill-creator-- for creating new agent skills with best practices
Closing Reminders
- MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using
TaskCreateBEFORE starting - MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
- MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite
file:lineevidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act) - MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality
- MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.
- MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.
[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.