blueprint-rules

created	"2025-12-17T00:00:00.000Z"
modified	"2026-05-09T00:00:00.000Z"
reviewed	"2026-02-09T00:00:00.000Z"
description	Manage modular rules in .claude/rules/ with path-specific globs. Use when adding or listing rules, syncing with CLAUDE.md, or validating path frontmatter.
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, AskUserQuestion
name	blueprint-rules

Manage modular rules for the project. Rules are markdown files in .claude/rules/ that provide context-specific instructions to Claude.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use alternative when...
Need to create/edit modular rules in .claude/rules/	Use /blueprint:claude-md for single-file project instructions
Want to list all project and user-level rules	Use /blueprint:generate-rules to auto-generate from PRDs
Need to add path-specific rules for certain file types	Just need to view CLAUDE.md structure
Managing user-level rules (~/.claude/rules/)	Need to sync rules with existing CLAUDE.md

Rules Hierarchy (precedence low → high)

Level	Location	Scope
User-level	~/.claude/rules/*.md	Personal rules across all projects
Project rules	.claude/rules/*.md (no paths)	All files in this project
Path-specific rules	.claude/rules/*.md (with paths)	Only matched files

Project rules override user-level rules. Path-specific rules load conditionally when working on matching files.

Steps:

1. Check blueprint status:

   • Read docs/blueprint/manifest.json
   • Check if modular rules are enabled
   • If not enabled, offer to enable:

     Use AskUserQuestion:
     question: "Modular rules are not enabled. Would you like to enable them?"
     options:
       - "Yes, create .claude/rules/ structure" → enable and continue
       - "No, use single CLAUDE.md" → exit
     

2. Determine action (use AskUserQuestion):

   question: "What would you like to do with modular rules?"
   options:
     - "List existing rules" → show project and user-level rules
     - "Add a new rule" → create new rule file
     - "Edit existing rule" → modify rule
     - "Generate rules from PRDs" → auto-generate from requirements
     - "Manage user-level rules" → personal rules in ~/.claude/rules/
     - "Sync rules with CLAUDE.md" → bidirectional sync
     - "Validate rules" → check for issues
   

3. List existing rules:

   • Scan .claude/rules/ recursively for .md files
   • Scan ~/.claude/rules/ for user-level rules
   • Parse frontmatter for paths field (if scoped)
   • Display:

     📜 Modular Rules
     
     User-Level Rules (~/.claude/rules/ — personal, all projects):
     - preferences.md - Personal coding style
     - workflow.md - Personal workflow habits
     
     Project Global Rules (apply to all files):
     - development.md - TDD workflow and conventions
     - testing.md - Test requirements
     
     Path-Specific Rules (apply to specific paths):
     - frontend/react.md - paths: ["src/components/**/*.{ts,tsx}"]
     - backend/api.md - paths: ["src/api/**/*.ts"]
     
     Total: 6 rules (2 user-level, 2 global, 2 path-specific)
     

4. Add a new rule (use AskUserQuestion):

   question: "What type of rule would you like to create?"
   options:
     - "Development workflow" → development.md template
     - "Testing requirements" → testing.md template
     - "Code style/conventions" → code-style.md template
     - "Architecture patterns" → architecture.md template
     - "Language-specific" → prompt for language
     - "Framework-specific" → prompt for framework
     - "Custom" → blank template with guidance
   

   Then ask:

   question: "Should this rule apply to all files or specific paths?"
   options:
     - "All files (global)" → no paths frontmatter
     - "Specific file patterns" → prompt for glob patterns
   

5. Rule file templates:

   Global rule template:

Common Rule Patterns:

Rule Type	Suggested Path	Scope Pattern
React components	rules/frontend/react.md	["**/*.{tsx,jsx}"]
API handlers	rules/backend/api.md	["src/{api,routes}/**/*"]
Database models	rules/backend/models.md	["src/{models,db}/**/*"]
Test files	rules/testing.md	["**/*.{test,spec}.*"]
Documentation	rules/docs.md	["**/*.md", "docs/**/*"]
Config files	rules/config.md	["*.config.{js,ts,mjs}", ".env*"]