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Olivia Craft
Olivia Craft

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Why Your CLAUDE.md Behaves Differently Every Project (And How to Fix It)

Every project you start fresh with CLAUDE.md.

Same rules. Typed again. Slightly different wording. Claude behaves slightly differently each time.

It's not a Claude problem — it's a consistency problem.

Why CLAUDE.md Drift Happens

When you write CLAUDE.md rules by hand:

  • Phrasing varies slightly per project
  • Claude interprets each subtle difference
  • Behavior drifts across repos without any obvious error

You're not writing bad rules. You're just rewriting them too many times.

What Actually Fixes It

The solution isn't writing better rules each time. It's having a tested base set you paste once:

  • Proven rule blocks with consistent signal language
  • Claude recognizes the phrasing because it's been tested
  • Project-specific rules layer on top of a stable base

No guessing. No drift. Same Claude behavior across every project.

A Practical Example

Instead of writing:

"Always explain what you're doing before you do it"
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A tested rule block looks like:

BEFORE_ACTION: Summarize the change, affected files, and risk level. Wait for confirmation unless the change is trivial.
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Structured, specific, tested — Claude responds consistently every time.

If You're Still Rewriting CLAUDE.md From Scratch

The CLAUDE.md Rules Pack includes tested rule blocks organized by use case: code quality, output format, context management, safety, and more.

One paste. Consistent behavior. $27.

Or start free with the starter pack.


What's your biggest CLAUDE.md frustration? The rules not sticking, inconsistent behavior, or something else? Drop a comment.

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