Improve Instructions

Analyze conversation patterns to identify improvements for CLAUDE.md instruction files.

Objective

Review how the conversation has gone to find opportunities where better instructions would have helped Claude perform more effectively.

When to Use

• Claude keeps making the same mistake despite corrections
• You've stated a preference 2+ times and it's not sticking
• A workflow or tool preference should be codified
• You want to consolidate scattered guidance into CLAUDE.md

When NOT to Use

• For initial CLAUDE.md creation or template-based audits — use md-audit
• For full session retrospectives with code/architecture insights — use session-review
• For one-off corrections that won't recur — just tell Claude directly

Process

Phase 1: Analyze Conversation

Review the conversation history for:

• Repeated corrections - "No, I meant..." or "Remember to..."
• Manual guidance - Workflows explained step-by-step that could be documented
• Preference statements - "I prefer X" or "Always use Y"
• Misunderstandings - Where Claude made wrong assumptions
• Undocumented patterns - Tools or workflows used frequently

Track each potential improvement identified.

Phase 2: Review Current State

Read the relevant CLAUDE.md file(s):

• ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for global instructions
• Project-level CLAUDE.md for project-specific instructions

Understand what's already documented to avoid duplication and identify gaps.

Phase 3: Propose Improvements

Present findings to the user using AskUserQuestion:

For each improvement, explain:

• Issue: What pattern was observed
• Proposal: Specific text to add or change
• Rationale: Why this would help

Group related improvements and let the user select which to implement.

Phase 4: Implement

For each approved improvement:

1. Use Edit to modify the appropriate CLAUDE.md
2. Place new content in the logical section
3. Maintain existing formatting and style

Summarize all changes made.

Guidelines

• Ground suggestions in actual conversation patterns, not hypotheticals
• Prefer specific, actionable instructions over vague guidance
• Keep instructions concise - Claude is smart, it doesn't need over-explanation
• Preserve the user's existing voice and style
• Don't add instructions for one-off situations

Phase 5: Verify

After all edits:

1. Read back the modified CLAUDE.md section(s) to confirm changes match approvals
2. Run bunx prettier --check on modified files to ensure formatting is clean
3. Show a summary diff of what changed

Output

End with a summary of:

• Changes made to CLAUDE.md
• Patterns identified but not yet addressed (for future consideration)

Reference Files

Detailed analysis patterns and examples:

• analysis-guide.md — Correction patterns, preference signals, workflow patterns, anti-patterns
• examples.md — Before/after examples of instruction improvements