claude-md-updater

name

claude-md-updater

description

Use this skill when the user asks to update CLAUDE.md, save a lesson, or persist something from the current session: phrases like "update claude.md", "what should we remember", "save this lesson", or "add to context". Scans the conversation for hard-won lessons, new file paths, infrastructure changes, and new workflows, then proposes scoped edits to the project's CLAUDE.md for approval before writing.

CLAUDE.md auto-updater

Analyze the current conversation to identify information worth persisting in CLAUDE.md for future sessions, then propose the edits for approval before writing anything.

What to look for

1. Hard-won lessons

• Debugging sessions that revealed non-obvious causes
• Workarounds for platform or tool limitations
• Anti-patterns discovered through failure
• "The real problem was..." moments

2. New infrastructure

• New services deployed
• New endpoints or URLs
• New file paths or directories
• New credentials or tokens (reference only, never the values)

3. New workflows

• Commands that solve recurring problems
• Multi-step processes that work well
• Integration patterns between systems

4. Updated information

• Changed ports, IPs, or URLs
• New capabilities added to existing systems
• Deprecated or removed features

Analysis process

1. Scan the conversation for keywords:

   • "fixed", "solved", "the issue was", "turns out"
   • "deployed", "set up", "configured", "installed"
   • "new endpoint", "new service", "new path"
   • "doesn't work", "limitation", "workaround"

2. Categorize findings. Only durable facts belong in CLAUDE.md:

   • Hard-won lessons go to the "Hard-won lessons" section
   • Infrastructure changes update the relevant section
   • New workflows go to the appropriate section
   • Transient, session-specific notes do not go in CLAUDE.md (see "What not to persist")

3. Build the exact diff. Produce a unified diff against the current CLAUDE.md showing the precise lines and sections to be added or changed. This diff is what the user approves, not a summary of it.

4. Present the diff for approval and write nothing until the user approves.

Output format

Show the exact patch first, then a short summary grouped by category:

## Proposed CLAUDE.md updates

```diff
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ section being changed @@
 existing context line
+new durable lesson, infra fact, or workflow
```

Summary of the diff above:
- Hard-won lessons: [one line, if any]
- Infrastructure updates: [one line, if any]
- New workflows: [one line, if any]

Apply this diff? Nothing is written until you approve.

What not to persist

CLAUDE.md is team-shared (checked into git) and advisory: it loads into every session, so it is for durable, infrequently-changing facts, not a running log. Per the project-memory skill, keep these out of CLAUDE.md:

• Transient "what we did today" session summaries
• Anything that changes frequently
• Things Claude learns over time through corrections

Route those to auto memory (~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/, which Claude maintains on its own) or to a gitignored CLAUDE.local.md for personal notes. Putting them in CLAUDE.md bloats shared context and loads stale per-session facts into future sessions.

Rules

1. Never add sensitive values. Reference where a credential is stored; never include the actual token.
2. Keep it concise. CLAUDE.md should stay scannable; target under 200 lines.
3. Avoid duplication. Check whether the information already exists before adding it.
4. Match the existing style. Follow the tone and format of the current file.
5. Durable facts only. Persist hard-won lessons, infrastructure facts, and workflows. Session-specific notes belong in auto memory or a gitignored CLAUDE.local.md, never the committed CLAUDE.md.