| name | install-rules |
| description | Install plugin rules into project .claude/rules/ for persistent use without plugin loaded |
| allowed-tools | Read, Grep, Glob, Write, AskUserQuestion, Bash(mkdir:*), Bash(diff:*), Bash(git:*), Bash(ls:*) |
Install Rules
Trigger
- Keywords: install rules, setup rules, copy rules, install-rules
When NOT to Use
- Installing hooks (use
/install-hooks)
- Installing scripts (use
/install-scripts)
- Full project setup (use
/project-setup)
Workflow
Phase 1: Locate plugin rules dir
Phase 2: Enumerate *.md, MINUS the override templates (*-project.md) — see below
Phase 3: Determine install set (--all, specific names, or interactive)
Phase 3.5: Read manifest + classify (new/unchanged/modified/conflict)
Phase 4: Install (smart merge with manifest tracking)
Phase 4.5: Override templates — copy-when-absent only (never smart-merged)
Phase 4.6: Backfill CLAUDE.md references
Phase 5: Output report
Managed-set exclusion (required): *-project.md files are user-owned and must be excluded from the Phase 2 enumeration, so they never enter the manifest, the classification in Phase 3.5, or the smart merge in Phase 4. They are handled only by Phase 4.5 below. Routing them through the managed path would let --force, a conflict resolution, or an auto-upgrade rewrite a file the user owns.
Arguments
$ARGUMENTS
| Argument | Description |
|---|
--all | Install all available rules |
--list | List available rules without installing |
--dry-run | Show what would be installed, no changes |
--force | Overwrite modified rules |
--legacy-strategy <strategy> | Handle pre-manifest installs (ask/overwrite/skip) |
--customize <rule> | Customize a project-override rule |
rule-names... | Specific rules to install |
Manifest Tracking
Uses .sd0x/install-state.json to track installed file hashes. Smart merge logic:
| Status | Action |
|---|
| New (not installed) | Copy |
| Unchanged (hash match) | Auto-upgrade |
| Modified by user | Skip (preserve edits) |
| Conflict (both changed) | AskUserQuestion |
Customize Mode (--customize)
Manages *-project.md companion files for user overrides:
| Sub-flag | Action |
|---|
| (none) | Show section status |
--add-section | Add a new section |
--update-section <name> | Update specific section |
--reset | Regenerate from template |
Override Template Copy Contract (R8)
Both override templates are copied from rules/ on install when absent (override_templates in docs/features/rule-override-pattern/2-tech-spec.md maps auto-loop.md → auto-loop-project.md and testing.md → testing-project.md). This is the only install or re-install path that writes them — they are excluded from the managed set above, so no merge, upgrade, or --force reaches them. (The one other writer is the user-invoked --reset, below.)
The copy and --reset regeneration produce the live-precedence header (a live Precedence: paragraph before the first ## — HTML comments are stripped from model context, so a comment-form declaration never reaches the model), and stamp <!-- Based on: <base> @ <hash> --> with the base rule's blob hash at copy time rather than carrying the template's recorded value, so a fresh install starts at zero drift instead of inheriting whatever hash the shipped template happened to record.
An already-installed .claude/rules/*-project.md is user-owned and is never rewritten by install or re-install — including --force, which governs the managed set only. The single exception is --customize <rule> --reset, which the user invokes explicitly against a named file to regenerate it; that is a requested overwrite, not an install-time one. A legacy comment-only header is therefore reported by /claude-health S2.5 check #6 and never migrated on the user's behalf — --reset is offered as the remedy the user may choose, not an action the install path takes.
Output
## Install Rules Report
| Rule | Status | Action |
|------|--------|--------|
| auto-loop.md | unchanged | auto-upgraded |
| testing.md | user-modified | skipped |
Installed: N | Skipped: M | Conflicts: K
