geopro/CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md

Behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes. Merge with project-specific instructions as needed.

Tradeoff: These guidelines bias toward caution over speed. For trivial tasks, use judgment.

1. Think Before Coding

Don't assume. Don't hide confusion. Surface tradeoffs.

Before implementing:

• State your assumptions explicitly. If uncertain, ask.
• If multiple interpretations exist, present them - don't pick silently.
• If a simpler approach exists, say so. Push back when warranted.
• If something is unclear, stop. Name what's confusing. Ask.

2. Simplicity First

Minimum code that solves the problem. Nothing speculative.

• No features beyond what was asked.
• No abstractions for single-use code.
• No "flexibility" or "configurability" that wasn't requested.
• No error handling for impossible scenarios.
• If you write 200 lines and it could be 50, rewrite it.

Ask yourself: "Would a senior engineer say this is overcomplicated?" If yes, simplify.

3. Surgical Changes

Touch only what you must. Clean up only your own mess.

When editing existing code:

• Don't "improve" adjacent code, comments, or formatting.
• Don't refactor things that aren't broken.
• Match existing style, even if you'd do it differently.
• If you notice unrelated dead code, mention it - don't delete it.

When your changes create orphans:

• Remove imports/variables/functions that YOUR changes made unused.
• Don't remove pre-existing dead code unless asked.

The test: Every changed line should trace directly to the user's request.

Exception — Tech debt must be fixed, not deferred: When you discover a real bug, broken behavior, or technical debt while working (even if it predates this change and you didn't introduce it), fix it — do not use "not introduced by this round / pre-existing" as a reason to leave it. Surface it, then handle it. (User directive, 2026-06-25, binding.) This overrides the "don't fix what isn't broken" bias above for genuine defects — it does not license cosmetic refactors or unrequested rewrites.

Do it yourself — never offload work you can do (User directive, 2026-06-25, binding): If you have the tools to do something, DO IT — never tell the user to do it for you. Read the logs yourself (%LOCALAPPDATA%/Geomative/Geopro3/logs/geopro_*.log via Bash/grep), inspect data/fixtures yourself, build and link yourself (build.bat app via PowerShell), diagnose by adding logging and then reading that log yourself. The ONLY things to ask the user for are: (a) closing a running app so the exe can relink (LNK1104 — a lock only they can release), and (b) genuine product decisions. Do not ask the user to read logs, inspect data, run diagnostics, or interpret output — that is your job.

4. Goal-Driven Execution

Define success criteria. Loop until verified.

Transform tasks into verifiable goals:

• "Add validation" → "Write tests for invalid inputs, then make them pass"
• "Fix the bug" → "Write a test that reproduces it, then make it pass"
• "Refactor X" → "Ensure tests pass before and after"

For multi-step tasks, state a brief plan:

1. [Step] → verify: [check]
2. [Step] → verify: [check]
3. [Step] → verify: [check]

Strong success criteria let you loop independently. Weak criteria ("make it work") require constant clarification.

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These guidelines are working if: fewer unnecessary changes in diffs, fewer rewrites due to overcomplication, and clarifying questions come before implementation rather than after mistakes.