Validate CLAUDE.md Files

Runs claudelint validate-claude-md to validate CLAUDE.md files including:

• •File size limits (30KB warning, 50KB error)
• •@import directive validation
• •Frontmatter validation in .claude/rules/ files
• •Section organization

Usage

claudelint validate-claude-md $ARGUMENTS

Options

• •--path <path> - Validate specific CLAUDE.md file
• •--verbose - Show detailed output
• •--warnings-as-errors - Treat warnings as errors
• •--explain - Show detailed explanations and fix suggestions

Examples

Example 1: Claude says context is too large

User says: "Claude keeps saying my instructions are too long and won't load them" What happens:

1. •Skill runs claudelint validate-claude-md
2. •Shows CLAUDE.md is 52KB (exceeds 50KB hard limit)
3. •Identifies 3 largest sections: API docs (18KB), Git workflow (12KB), Testing guide (8KB)
4. •Shows how to split: create .claude/rules/api.md and add @import .claude/rules/api.md

Result: User splits sections, CLAUDE.md now 28KB, Claude loads it successfully

Example 2: Import shows "file not found" in Claude

User says: "I added @import .claude/rules/testing.md but Claude says the file doesn't exist" What happens:

1. •Skill validates @import path
2. •Finds file is at .claude/rules/tests.md not testing.md (typo)
3. •Also checks .claude/rules/tests.md exists and has valid frontmatter
4. •Shows corrected import line

Result: User fixes filename typo, import loads correctly

Example 3: Rules file won't apply to specific paths

User says: "My .claude/rules/backend.md isn't applying when I edit backend files" What happens:

1. •Skill checks frontmatter in .claude/rules/backend.md
2. •Finds paths: "backend/*" (string) should be paths: ["backend/**/*"] (array with glob)
3. •Explains paths field requires array of glob patterns
4. •Shows corrected frontmatter

Result: Rules now apply to backend directory correctly

Command Examples

Validate all CLAUDE.md files:

claudelint validate-claude-md

Validate specific file:

claudelint validate-claude-md --path /path/to/CLAUDE.md

Verbose output with explanations:

claudelint validate-claude-md --verbose --explain

What Gets Validated

File Size

• •Warns if file exceeds 30KB (approaching context limit)
• •Errors if file exceeds 50KB (exceeds safe context limit)
• •Suggests splitting into .claude/rules/ for large files

Import Validation

• •Checks that @import directives point to existing files
• •Detects circular import dependencies
• •Validates import depth limits

Frontmatter (for .claude/rules/ files)

• •Validates YAML frontmatter syntax
• •Checks paths field is string or array
• •Ensures frontmatter is properly closed

Content Organization

• •Warns if CLAUDE.md has >20 sections
• •Suggests moving content to .claude/rules/ for better organization

Configuration

Rules can be configured in .claudelintrc.json:

{
  "rules": {
    "claude-md-size": "warn",
    "claude-md-import-missing": "error",
    "claude-md-import-circular": "error"
  }
}

Inline Disable

Disable specific rules inline:

<!-- claudelint-disable size-warning -->

Large file content here...

<!-- claudelint-enable size-warning -->

Or disable for a single line:

<!-- claudelint-disable-next-line import-missing -->

@import non-existent-file.md

Exit Codes

• •0 - No errors or warnings
• •1 - Warnings found (or warnings treated as errors)
• •2 - Errors found

Common Issues

Error: "File exceeds 50KB"

Cause: CLAUDE.md file is too large for Claude's context window Solution: Split content into .claude/rules/ files using @import directives Example: Move testing guidelines to .claude/rules/testing.md and add @import .claude/rules/testing.md to CLAUDE.md

Error: "Import not found: .claude/rules/testing.md"

Cause: @import directive points to a file that doesn't exist Solution: Check the path is correct relative to CLAUDE.md Common mistakes:

• •Using @import ../rules/testing.md (wrong - don't use ..)
• •Using @import rules/testing.md (wrong - missing .claude/)
• •Correct: @import .claude/rules/testing.md

Error: "Circular import detected"

Cause: File A imports B which imports A (infinite loop) Solution: Reorganize imports to be one-directional Example: CLAUDE.md should import .claude/rules/ files, but those files should not import CLAUDE.md back

Warning: "File exceeds 30KB"

Cause: File is approaching the safe limit for Claude's context Solution: Not urgent, but consider splitting large sections into @imports Why 30KB? Claude can handle up to ~50KB, but staying under 30KB leaves room for growth and keeps context manageable

See Also

• •validate-all - Run all validators
• •format-cc - Format markdown files with markdownlint/prettier