Project Safety Skill

CRITICAL RULE: Never delete data or code files. Never. Use legacy/ folder for originals. Copy, don't move.

Establish safety rules and structures before Claude makes changes to research projects.

Purpose

Based on Scott Cunningham's workflow: prevent accidental data loss by establishing rules and using legacy folders before Claude reorganizes or modifies project files.

When to Use

Starting a new research project folder
Before asking Claude to reorganize files
When Claude will be running code or modifying data
Setting up a project for collaborative work

Safety Rules Template

Add this to any project's CLAUDE.md file:

## Safety Rules

1. **Never delete data files** — No .csv, .dta, .xlsx, .parquet, or any data format
2. **Never delete code files** — No .py, .R, .do, .tex, .md or scripts
3. **Use legacy/ folder** — If reorganizing, move originals to legacy/ first
4. **Copy from legacy, don't move** — Always preserve the original

### If you need to reorganize:
1. Create a legacy/ folder if it doesn't exist
2. Move ALL original files into legacy/
3. Copy (not move) needed files into new structure
4. Never modify anything in legacy/

Directory Structure

After safety setup:

project/
├── CLAUDE.md           ← Safety rules + project context
├── README.md           ← Project documentation
├── legacy/             ← PROTECTED: original files
│   └── [all originals]
├── code/
│   ├── R/
│   ├── python/
│   └── stata/
├── data/
│   ├── raw/            ← Copied from legacy, never modified
│   └── processed/
├── output/
│   ├── figures/
│   └── tables/
├── docs/
│   └── manuscript/
└── log/                ← Progress logs

Dry Run Pattern

Before Claude executes potentially destructive operations, ask for a preview:

"Tell me what commands you would run to reorganize this folder, but don't execute them yet."

"Show me what files would be affected by this change before you make it."

"Walk me through your plan for cleaning this data before you run any code."

When to use dry runs:

File operations (move, delete, rename)
Git operations (reset, clean, force push)
Database operations
Batch processing
Any operation affecting multiple files

After reviewing:

If correct: "Go ahead"
If wrong: "Wait — don't do X, instead Y"

Workflow

Create CLAUDE.md with safety rules
Create legacy/ folder
Move all originals to legacy/
Copy needed files into new structure
Verify legacy/ contains everything
Proceed with project work

Prompt Template

I'm starting work on [PROJECT]. Before we do anything:

1. Create a CLAUDE.md with safety rules (never delete data/code, use legacy folder)
2. Create a legacy/ folder
3. Move all existing files into legacy/
4. Show me the proposed new directory structure before creating it

Do a dry run first — tell me what you would do before doing it.

Why This Matters

Claude operates at speed — mistakes happen fast
You can't always verify what Claude will do before it does it
Version control (git, Dropbox) helps but prevention is better
The legacy/ folder is your safety net
Dry runs give you a chance to catch mistakes

Example Use

"Set up my new Carbon Markets project with proper safety rules. Create the CLAUDE.md, legacy folder, and recommended directory structure. Show me your plan before executing."

project-safety