Audit CLAUDE.md Hierarchy

Analyze ALL context files in the project: root, module-level, and .claude/rules/. Report health issues with severity and actionable fixes.

Workflow

1. Discover All Context Files

Scan the full hierarchy Claude Code autoloads:

bash

# All CLAUDE.md files (root + module-level)
find . -name 'CLAUDE.md' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/venv/*' -not -path '*/target/*' -not -path '*/dist/*' 2>/dev/null

# Rules directory
find .claude/rules -name '*.md' -type f 2>/dev/null

# Local file
ls CLAUDE.local.md 2>/dev/null

# Parent directories (monorepo support)
CURRENT="$(pwd)"
while [ "$CURRENT" != "/" ] && [ "$CURRENT" != "$HOME" ]; do
    CURRENT="$(dirname "$CURRENT")"
    ls "$CURRENT/CLAUDE.md" 2>/dev/null
done

Classify each file:

Level	Pattern
Root	`./CLAUDE.md` or `./.claude/CLAUDE.md`
Module	`./src/billing/CLAUDE.md` (subdirectory)
Rule	`./.claude/rules/*.md`
Local	`./CLAUDE.local.md`

text

## Files Discovered

  Level     Path                          Lines  Modified
  Root      ./CLAUDE.md                   {N}    {DATE}
  Module    src/billing/CLAUDE.md         {N}    {DATE}
  Module    src/auth/CLAUDE.md            {N}    {DATE}
  Rule      .claude/rules/testing.md      {N}    {DATE}
  Local     CLAUDE.local.md               {N}    {DATE}

If no files found, suggest running /claudemd:init.

2. Run Audit Checks

Severity indicators:

Severity	Symbol	Meaning
Error	◆◆	Must fix - actively hurts performance
Warning	◆	Should fix - wastes context or misleads
Info	◇	Consider fixing - minor improvement

Check A: Size Budget (Per Working Directory)

Budget = max loaded at once, not total across all files.

For each module CLAUDE.md, compute what loads when working there:

text

Working in src/billing/:
  ./CLAUDE.md              80 lines (always)
  src/billing/CLAUDE.md    55 lines (module)
  .claude/rules/testing.md 20 lines (if path matches)
  = 155 lines loaded

Metric	Target	Warning	Error
Root CLAUDE.md	50-80	>150	>200
Module CLAUDE.md	30-50	>80	>120
.claude/rules/ file	15-30	>50	>80
Max loaded at once	<150	>200	>250

Check B: Content Anti-Patterns

Search ALL files (root + module + rules) for:

Code style rules (should use linters):

•Indentation, quote style, semicolons, line length, import ordering

Vague instructions (not actionable):

•"Write clean code", "follow best practices", "be careful with..."

Framework basics (Claude already knows):

•Generic React/Vue/Angular patterns, standard HTTP methods, language fundamentals

Duplicated linter config:

•Cross-reference with .eslintrc, .prettierrc, ruff.toml, biome.json

Check C: Secrets and Credentials

Scan ALL files for:

•API keys: sk-, pk_, AKIA, ghp_, xoxb-
•Connection strings: postgres://, mongodb://, redis://
•Tokens: Bearer, token=

Check D: Import Integrity

For every @path/to/file reference in any context file:

•Verify referenced file exists
•Check for circular import chains
•Warn on imports exceeding 5-hop depth

Check E: Module Hierarchy Health

Duplication between root and modules:

•Detect content in module files that repeats root CLAUDE.md
•Flag modules that restate root commands, conventions, or tech stack

Orphaned module files:

•Module CLAUDE.md exists but directory has <3 source files
•Module CLAUDE.md for a directory that no longer exists

Missing module files:

•Directories qualifying under the 4 semantic criteria (Domain Boundary, Integration Point, Sub-App, Technical Complexity) that lack a CLAUDE.md
•Use same judgment logic as /claudemd:init Phase 2

Complementarity violations:

•Module file that could stand alone (doesn't reference or build on root)
•Module file >80 lines (should split into sub-modules)

Check F: Staleness Detection

Compare documented state against actual codebase for ALL files:

Root staleness:

•Package versions vs package.json/pyproject.toml
•Directories documented but no longer exist
•Commands that fail when run

Module staleness:

•Module references files/components that no longer exist
•Module architecture description doesn't match current code
•Module entry points or interfaces have changed

bash

# Staleness signal: dependencies changed more recently than context files
git log --format=%ci -1 -- CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null
find . -name 'CLAUDE.md' -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -exec sh -c 'echo "$(git log --format=%ci -1 -- "$1" 2>/dev/null) $1"' _ {} \;
git log --format=%ci -1 -- package.json pyproject.toml 2>/dev/null

Check G: Rule File Quality

For each .claude/rules/*.md:

•Has YAML frontmatter with paths: if path-specific
•Glob patterns match existing paths
•Content is cross-cutting (not module-specific)
•Not duplicating module CLAUDE.md content
•File is >5 lines (otherwise merge elsewhere)

3. Generate Report

text

## CLAUDE.md Audit Report

### Summary

Files scanned: {COUNT} ({ROOT} root, {MODULE} module, {RULE} rules)
Max loaded at once: {MAX}/250 (working in {WORST_PATH})

Health: {HEALTHY | NEEDS_ATTENTION | CRITICAL}

### Findings

◆◆ ERROR: src/billing/CLAUDE.md duplicates root Commands section
   → Remove lines 12-18, root commands already loaded

◆◆ ERROR: Max context load is {N} lines when working in src/billing/stripe/
   → Condense billing module or move content to stripe sub-module

◆ WARNING: Stale root - package.json has react 19, CLAUDE.md says 18
   → Run /claudemd:sync

◆ WARNING: src/legacy/CLAUDE.md - directory has 1 file remaining
   → Remove orphaned module file

◇ INFO: src/middleware/ qualifies as Technical Complexity, no CLAUDE.md
   → Run /claudemd:init src/middleware

### Per-File Metrics

  Path                          Lines  Issues  Status
  ./CLAUDE.md                   {N}    {N}     ✓
  src/billing/CLAUDE.md         {N}    {N}     ◆
  src/auth/CLAUDE.md            {N}    {N}     ✓
  .claude/rules/testing.md      {N}    {N}     ✓

### Context Load Map

Working in...              Files loaded                Total
src/billing/               root + billing              {N}/250
src/billing/stripe/        root + billing + stripe     {N}/250
src/auth/                  root + auth                 {N}/250
(anywhere else)            root only                   {N}/250

### Recommended Actions

1. /claudemd:sync     → Fix {N} stale references
2. /claudemd:optimize → Reduce src/billing/CLAUDE.md from {N} to ~50 lines
3. /claudemd:init src/middleware → Generate missing module file

Scoring

text

Score = 100
  - (errors * 15)
  - (warnings * 5)
  - (info * 1)
  - max(0, (max_loaded - 250) / 5)

Score	Health	Label
80-100	▓▓▓▓▓	HEALTHY
50-79	▓▓▓░░	NEEDS_ATTENTION
0-49	▓░░░░	CRITICAL