easy-claude-help

Codex compatibility note:

Invoke repository skills with $skill-name in Codex; this mirrored copy rewrites legacy Claude /skill-name references.

Task tracker mandate: BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all steps and keep it synchronized as progress changes.

User-question prompts mean to ask the user directly in Codex.

Ignore Claude-specific mode-switch instructions when they appear.

Strict execution contract: when a user explicitly invokes a skill, execute that skill protocol as written.

Subagent authorization: when a skill is user-invoked or AI-detected and its protocol requires subagents, that skill activation authorizes use of the required spawn_agent subagent(s) for that task.

Do not skip, reorder, or merge protocol steps unless the user explicitly approves the deviation first.

For workflow skills, execute each listed child-skill step explicitly and report step-by-step evidence.

If a required step/tool cannot run in this environment, stop and ask the user before adapting.

Codex Project-Reference Loading (No Hooks)

Codex does not receive Claude hook-based doc injection. When coding, planning, debugging, testing, or reviewing, open project docs explicitly using this routing.

Always read:

docs/project-config.json (project-specific paths, commands, modules, and workflow/test settings)
docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md (routes to the full docs/project-reference/* catalog)
docs/project-reference/lessons.md (always-on guardrails and anti-patterns)

Situation-based docs:

Backend/CQRS/API/domain/entity changes: backend-patterns-reference.md, domain-entities-reference.md, project-structure-reference.md
Frontend/UI/styling/design-system: frontend-patterns-reference.md, scss-styling-guide.md, design-system/README.md
Spec/test-case planning or TC mapping: feature-docs-reference.md
Integration test implementation/review: integration-test-reference.md
E2E test implementation/review: e2e-test-reference.md
Code review/audit work: code-review-rules.md plus domain docs above based on changed files

Do not read all docs blindly. Start from docs-index-reference.md, then open only relevant files for the task.

Quick Summary

Goal: [Utilities] Configuration guide for the easy-claude framework — explain settings, guide users through configuring .ck.json.

Workflow:

Detect — classify request scope and target artifacts.
Execute — apply required steps with evidence-backed actions.
Verify — confirm constraints, output quality, and completion evidence.

Key Rules:

MUST ATTENTION keep claims evidence-based (file:line) with confidence >80% to act.
MUST ATTENTION keep task tracking updated as each step starts/completes.
NEVER skip mandatory workflow or skill gates.

When to Use

User asks "how do I configure Claude?", "how do I disable workflow confirmations?", "how do I turn off hooks?"
User wants to know what settings are available in easy-claude
User says "configure workflow mode", "set power user mode", "disable workflow detection"
AI needs to help user update their .claude/.ck.json configuration

Quick Reference

Config File Location

~/.claude/.ck.json        ← global (applies to all projects)
.claude/.ck.json          ← project (shared, committed to git)
.claude/.ck.local.json    ← personal override (gitignored, per-developer)

Each layer overrides the previous via deep merge — you only need to set values you want to override. Use .ck.local.json for personal preferences that shouldn't be committed (e.g., your own codingLevel or workflow.confirmationMode).

Key Settings

1. Workflow Confirmation Mode

Controls whether workflow detection requires user confirmation before activating.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → workflow.confirmationMode

Value	Behavior
`"always"`	(default) Always asks via ask the user directly before activating any workflow. Collaborative mode — best for most users.
`"never"`	Auto-executes detected workflow without asking. Use `quick:` prefix behavior globally. Best for power users who trust the detection.
`"off"`	Disables workflow detection entirely. Plain Claude behavior — no catalog injection, no confirmation gate, no overhead.

Example — disable confirmation gate:

{
    "workflow": {
        "confirmationMode": "never"
    }
}

Example — full opt-out (plain Claude):

{
    "workflow": {
        "confirmationMode": "off"
    }
}

Tip: Even in "always" mode, you can prefix any prompt with quick: to skip confirmation for that prompt only (e.g., quick: review the auth code).

2. Coding Level

Controls the response style and verbosity level. Affects how Claude explains things.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → codingLevel

Value	Style
`-1`	(default) Disabled — no style injection
`0`	ELI5 — explain like I'm 5
`1`	Junior developer
`2`	Mid-level developer
`3`	Senior developer
`4`	Tech lead
`5`	Expert/God mode — minimal explanation

Example:

{
    "codingLevel": 4
}

3. Language Settings

Configure Claude's thinking and response language.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → locale

{
    "locale": {
        "thinkingLanguage": "en",
        "responseLanguage": "fr"
    }
}

4. Assertions

Custom instructions injected into every session as reminders.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → assertions

{
    "assertions": ["Always use TypeScript strict mode", "Prefer functional components over class components"]
}

5. Plan & Naming

Control plan file naming format and date pattern.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → plan

{
    "plan": {
        "namingFormat": "{date}-{issue}-{slug}",
        "dateFormat": "YYMMDD-HHmm",
        "issuePrefix": "GH-"
    }
}

6. Paths

Override where plans and docs are stored.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → paths

{
    "paths": {
        "docs": "docs",
        "plans": "plans"
    }
}

7. Reference Docs Staleness

Controls how old reference docs can be before the staleness gate activates.

Location: .claude/.ck.json → referenceDocs.staleDays

Value	Behavior
`60`	(default) Warn after 60 days, block prompts until scanned or dismissed
`1-365`	Custom threshold in days

Example — relax to 90 days:

{
    "referenceDocs": {
        "staleDays": 90
    }
}

How it works:

On session start, checks  in each reference doc
If any doc is older than staleDays, shows a warning listing stale docs
On next prompt, blocks until you run $scan-all, /scan-*, or type skip scan
skip scan dismisses the gate for 24 hours

Tip: Run $scan-all to refresh all scanned reference docs at once.

Quick Configuration Examples

Power User Setup (minimal overhead)

{
    "workflow": {
        "confirmationMode": "never"
    },
    "codingLevel": 5
}

Opt-out Setup (plain Claude)

{
    "workflow": {
        "confirmationMode": "off"
    }
}

Team Setup (collaborative, Vietnamese responses)

{
    "workflow": {
        "confirmationMode": "always"
    },
    "codingLevel": 3,
    "locale": {
        "responseLanguage": "vi"
    }
}

How to Apply Config

Default: always use .claude/.ck.local.json (personal, gitignored) unless the user explicitly says "update project config", "update shared config", or "update .ck.json".

AI Config Update Protocol

Default → .claude/.ck.local.json (personal override, not committed to git)
- Read current local config: Read .claude/.ck.local.json
- If file doesn't exist, create it with only the desired settings
- If file exists, merge the new settings (preserve existing keys)
Only if user explicitly requests → .claude/.ck.json (shared, committed to git)
- Use when user says "update project config", "share with team", "commit this setting"
Confirm to user what was changed and which file was updated

Config changes take effect on the next prompt (no restart needed). .ck.local.json overrides .ck.json via deep merge — safe for personal preferences without affecting teammates.

Schema Validation

.ck.json files are validated on load. Invalid values (wrong types, out-of-range numbers, unknown keys) emit stderr warnings but never block — config loading uses graceful degradation.

What gets checked:

confirmationMode must be one of "always", "never", "off"
codingLevel must be a number between -1 and 5
assertions must be an array of strings
Unknown top-level keys produce warnings (catches typos like workfow)

CLI validation command:

node .claude/hooks/lib/ck-config-schema.cjs .claude/.ck.json

Workflow Settings (Advanced)

The workflow catalog itself lives in .claude/workflows.json. You can:

Set settings.enabled: false to disable workflow injection entirely
Change settings.overridePrefix (default "quick:") for the per-prompt skip prefix

Note: Prefer .ck.json → workflow.confirmationMode over editing workflows.json directly, as .ck.json supports global+local cascading.

Code Review Graph (Structural Code Intelligence)

Optional feature that builds a knowledge graph of your codebase for graph-blast-radius analysis and smarter code reviews.

Setup: pip install tree-sitter tree-sitter-language-pack networkx then $graph-build

Skills:

Skill	Purpose
`$graph-build`	Build or update the knowledge graph
`$graph-blast-radius`	Analyze impact of current changes
`$graph-export`	Export graph to JSON
`$graph-connect-api`	Detect frontend→backend API connections
`$graph-query`	Query code relationships (callers, imports, tests)
`$graph-export-mermaid`	Export single-file graph as Mermaid diagram

Auto-features (when graph is built):

Session start: shows graph status
Review skills: auto-inject blast radius analysis
File edits: auto-update graph in background

Frontend→Backend API detection: Auto-configured by $project-config when both frontend and backend are detected. Or manually add graphConnectors to docs/project-config.json.

Docs: .claude/docs/code-graph-mechanism.md for detailed architecture.

easy-claude-help

[Utilities] Configuration guide for the easy-claude framework — explain available settings, guide user/AI through configuring .claude/.ck.json.

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.

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.

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.

Closing Reminders

MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using task tracking BEFORE starting
MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using task tracking.

Hookless Prompt Protocol Mirror (Auto-Synced)

Source: .claude/hooks/lib/prompt-injections.cjs + .claude/.ck.json

[WORKFLOW-EXECUTION-PROTOCOL] [BLOCKING] Workflow Execution Protocol — MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST CRITICAL. Do not skip for any reason.

Generic portability boundary: Reusable skills and protocol text stay project-neutral; project-specific conventions are discovered from docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/. Apply shared AI-SDD from shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md. Read docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md, then open the project reference docs named there. Any supported AI tool may execute when this shared context and local docs are available.

DETECT: Match prompt against workflow catalog
ANALYZE: Find best-match workflow AND evaluate if a custom step combination would fit better
ASK (REQUIRED FORMAT): Use a direct user question with this structure unless the user explicitly invoked a workflow/skill and the local protocol treats explicit invocation as confirmation:
- Question: "Which workflow do you want to activate?"
- Option 1: "Activate [BestMatch Workflow] (Recommended)"
- Option 2: "Activate custom workflow: [step1 → step2 → ...]" (include one-line rationale)
ACTIVATE (if confirmed): Call $workflow-start <workflowId> for standard; sequence custom steps manually
CREATE TASKS: task tracking for ALL workflow steps
EXECUTE: Follow each step in sequence [CRITICAL-THINKING-MINDSET] Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination principle: 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 Attention principle (Primacy-Recency): Put the 3 most critical rules at both top and bottom of long prompts/protocols so instruction adherence survives long context windows. Goal-driven execution: Define success criteria first, loop until verified, and stop only when observable checks pass. Tests verify intent: Tests must protect business rules/invariants and fail when the protected intent breaks, not only mirror current behavior.

[LESSON-LEARNED-REMINDER] [BLOCKING] Task Planning & Continuous Improvement — MANDATORY. Do not skip.

Break work into small tasks (task tracking) before starting. Add final task: "Analyze AI mistakes & lessons learned".

Extract lessons — ROOT CAUSE ONLY, not symptom fixes:

Name the FAILURE MODE (reasoning/assumption failure), not symptom — "assumed API existed without reading source" not "used wrong enum value".
Generality test: does this failure mode apply to ≥3 contexts/codebases? If not, abstract one level up.
Write as a universal rule — strip project-specific names/paths/classes. Useful on any codebase.
Consolidate: multiple mistakes sharing one failure mode → ONE lesson.
Recurrence gate: "Would this recur in future session WITHOUT this reminder?" — No → skip $learn.
Auto-fix gate: "Could $code-review/$code-simplifier/$security/$lint catch this?" — Yes → improve review skill instead.
BOTH gates pass → ask user to run $learn. [TASK-PLANNING] [MANDATORY] BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all planned steps, then keep it synchronized as each step starts/completes.