How the `improve-claude-md` Skill Transforms Your CLAUDE.md for Better AI Adherence

The improve-claude-md skill rewrites your project's CLAUDE.md file using conditional XML blocks and structured guidance to ensure Claude Code reliably follows your repository's conventions instead of ignoring "not highly relevant" content.

The improve-claude-md skill is a guidance-generation utility from the humanlayer/skills repository that solves a critical problem with Claude Code: the model's generic system reminder causes it to treat most CLAUDE.md content as optional. According to the project's source code in plugins/improve-claude-md/skills/improve-claude-md/SKILL.md, this skill applies a systematic transformation that converts loose documentation into precise, condition-gated instructions.

The Problem with Default CLAUDE.md Files

Claude Code automatically prepends a system reminder that frames every CLAUDE.md as something the model "may or may not be relevant." This creates a practical issue where important project rules—coding standards, architectural decisions, command references—get ignored when they matter most.

The improve-claude-md skill addresses this by restructuring the document into explicit relevance signals that bypass the model's optional-attention framing.

Core Transformation Techniques

Conditional XML Blocks for Targeted Guidance

The skill wraps domain-specific instructions in <important if="…"> blocks that act as explicit triggers. These blocks cut through the "may or may not be relevant" framing by declaring exactly when the guidance applies.

From the skill's documentation in line 16-22:

These blocks act as explicit relevance signals that cut through the model's "may or may not be relevant" framing.

Separation of Foundational and Domain-Specific Context

The skill distinguishes two layers of information:

• Foundational context: Project identity, repository map, and tech stack remain as plain markdown at the top
• Domain-specific guidance: Rules, standards, and conventions get wrapped in conditional blocks (lines 22-28)

This separation ensures the model always knows what it's working with, but only activates relevant rules for the current task.

Precise Condition Scoping

Broad conditions like "you are writing or modifying any code" are discouraged. Instead, each rule receives a narrow trigger:

Discouraged	Preferred
"you are writing or modifying any code"	"you are adding or modifying imports"
"when working on components"	"you are creating new components"

The skill documentation in lines 30-48 emphasizes that focused triggers improve retrieval accuracy.

Content Pruning for Signal Clarity

The skill actively removes content that dilutes the document's effectiveness:

• Linter rules: Removed because they're enforceable elsewhere
• Code snippets: Replaced with file-path references
• Stale or redundant sections: Eliminated to maintain concision

As noted in lines 66-71, this keeps "the file stays concise and the model can focus on actionable guidance."

Command Table Preservation

All CLI commands from the original file are preserved and consolidated into a single <important if="you need to run commands to build, test, lint, or generate code"> block (lines 72-77). This ensures the model maintains definitive access to available operations.

Before and After: An Example Transformation

Input: Typical CLAUDE.md

# CLAUDE.md

This is an Express API with a React frontend in a Turborepo monorepo.

## Commands

| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `turbo build` | Build all packages |
| `turbo test` | Run all tests |
| `turbo lint` | Lint all packages |
| `turbo dev` | Start dev server |
| `turbo storybook` | Start Storybook |
| `turbo db:generate` | Generate Prisma client |
| `turbo db:migrate` | Run database migrations |
| `turbo analyze` | Bundle analyzer |

## Project Structure

- `apps/api/` - Express REST API
- `apps/web/` - React SPA
- `packages/db/` - Prisma schema and client
- `packages/ui/` - Shared component library
- `packages/config/` - Shared configuration

## Coding Standards

- Use named exports
- Use functional components with TypeScript interfaces for props
- Use camelCase for variables, PascalCase for components

Output: Skill-Optimized CLAUDE.md

# CLAUDE.md

Express API + React frontend in a Turborepo monorepo.

## Project map

- `apps/api/` - Express REST API
- `apps/web/` - React SPA
- `packages/db/` - Prisma schema and client
- `packages/ui/` - Shared component library
- `packages/config/` - Shared configuration

<important if="you need to run commands to build, test, lint, or generate code">
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| `turbo build` | Build all packages |
| `turbo test` | Run all tests |
| `turbo lint` | Lint all packages |
| `turbo dev` | Start dev server |
| `turbo storybook` | Start Storybook |
| `turbo db:generate` | Regenerate Prisma client after schema changes |
| `turbo db:migrate` | Run database migrations |
| `turbo analyze` | Bundle analyzer |
</important>

<important if="you are adding or modifying imports or exports">
- Use named exports (no default exports)
</important>

<important if="you are creating new components">
- Use functional components with TypeScript interfaces for props
</important>

The transformation follows the step-by-step algorithm documented in the "How to Apply" section of SKILL.md (lines 11-21).

File Structure and Implementation

File	Purpose
plugins/improve-claude-md/skills/improve-claude-md/SKILL.md	Complete skill specification, transformation philosophy, and algorithm details
plugins/improve-claude-md/.claude-plugin/plugin.json	Plugin metadata with "name": "improve-claude-md" for the Claude-skills framework
README.md (root)	Quick-start documentation with install command: npx skills add … --skill improve-claude-md

Summary

• The improve-claude-md skill automates CLAUDE.md optimization to maximize Claude Code's adherence to project conventions
• Conditional <important if> blocks replace loose guidance with explicit relevance triggers
• Foundational context stays visible while domain rules activate only when applicable
• Precise scoping outperforms broad conditions for model attention
• Content pruning removes enforceable rules and code snippets that clutter the signal
• Command tables are preserved as essential operational references

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install and use the improve-claude-md skill?

Run npx skills add … --skill improve-claude-md as documented in the repository's main README.md. The skill integrates with the Claude-skills framework and applies its transformation algorithm to your existing CLAUDE.md file.

Why does Claude Code ignore content in standard CLAUDE.md files?

Claude Code inserts a generic system reminder that frames the CLAUDE.md as "not highly relevant unless clearly applicable." This causes the model to selectively attend to content, often missing important rules. The improve-claude-md skill restructures the document to bypass this framing through explicit conditional signaling.

What makes a good <important if> condition?

Effective conditions are narrow, precise, and describe specific activities rather than broad categories. Compare "you are adding or modifying imports" (good) versus "you are writing code" (too broad). The skill documentation in SKILL.md lines 30-48 provides detailed guidance on condition design.

Should I keep linter rules in my optimized CLAUDE.md?

No. The improve-claude-md skill explicitly removes linter rules and other enforceable standards because they're better handled by automated tooling. The goal is to reserve CLAUDE.md for contextual guidance that automation cannot enforce—architectural decisions, project-specific patterns, and situational best practices.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}