How to Use These Rules

Import Strategies

Option A — Git Submodule (recommended)

Add the library as a git submodule inside .claude/. The path becomes stable and relative across all machines, and you get explicit version pinning per project.

git submodule add https://github.com/dohrm/claude-rules .claude/claude-rules

Then reference rules with a relative path:

@.claude/claude-rules/rules/rust/code-style.md

Update to latest when needed:

git submodule update --remote .claude/claude-rules

Option B — Direct @-import

Reference an absolute path on the local machine. Simpler to set up, but path varies per machine.

@/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/code-style.md

Option C — Copy into project

Copy relevant files into .claude/rules/. Use when you need project-specific overrides or want no external dependency.

Rust — Single Crate

Minimal setup for a standalone Rust service.

my-service/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── README.md
└── .claude/
    └── rules/
        ├── code-style.md       → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/code-style.md
        ├── error-handling.md   → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/error-handling.md
        ├── logging.md          → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/logging.md
        └── quality-gates.md   → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/quality-gates.md

CLAUDE.md:

# My Service

@README.md

## Stack
- Rust 2024, tokio, axum

Rust — Multi-Crate Workspace with Hexagonal Architecture

my-app/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── README.md
├── .claude/
│   └── rules/
│       ├── code-style.md       → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/code-style.md
│       ├── error-handling.md   → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/error-handling.md
│       ├── logging.md          → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/logging.md
│       ├── quality-gates.md   → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/quality-gates.md
│       └── hexagonal.md        → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/hexagonal.md
└── crates/
    ├── domain/
    ├── infrastructure/
    └── api/

CLAUDE.md:

# My App

@README.md

## Stack
- Rust 2024 edition, tokio, axum, MongoDB
- Hexagonal architecture — see .claude/rules/hexagonal.md

Rust — Multi-Crate Workspace with CQRS + Leptos Portal

The most common full-stack setup. Generic Rust rules at workspace root, Leptos-specific rules scoped to the portal crate via subdirectory CLAUDE.md (loaded on demand).

my-app/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── README.md
├── .claude/
│   └── rules/
│       ├── code-style.md       → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/code-style.md
│       ├── error-handling.md   → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/error-handling.md
│       ├── logging.md          → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/logging.md
│       ├── quality-gates.md   → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/quality-gates.md
│       ├── hexagonal.md        → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/hexagonal.md
│       └── cqrs.md             → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/cqrs.md
└── crates/
    ├── domain/
    ├── infrastructure/
    ├── api/
    └── portal/                      # Leptos SSR frontend crate
        └── CLAUDE.md                # loaded on demand — only when working in portal/

crates/portal/CLAUDE.md:

# Portal — Leptos SSR frontend

This crate is the user-facing UI. It uses Leptos 0.8 with SSR + WASM hydration.
Server functions are SSR-only — do not introduce WASM-incompatible dependencies.

@/path/to/claude-rules/rules/leptos/patterns.md
@/path/to/claude-rules/rules/leptos/gotchas.md

Why subdirectory CLAUDE.md for portal? Leptos rules are only relevant when working inside portal/. Using a subdirectory CLAUDE.md ensures they load on demand — no token cost when working elsewhere in the workspace. See loading mechanics.

Go — Hexagonal Service

my-go-service/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── README.md
└── .claude/
    └── rules/
        ├── quality-gates.md        → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/go/quality-gates.md
        └── hexagonal-packaging.md  → @/path/to/claude-rules/rules/go/hexagonal-packaging.md

CLAUDE.md:

# My Go Service

@README.md

## Stack
- Go 1.23+, chi, MongoDB
- Hexagonal packaging — see .claude/rules/hexagonal-packaging.md

Language Rule

Always add the language rule — either project-specific (if you want to enforce a specific communication language) or from the library (generic):

@/path/to/claude-rules/rules/language.md

Or override directly for the project:

# Language
- All written artifacts must be in **English**.
- Communicate with the user in **French**.

Rule Precedence

When a project rule conflicts with an imported library rule, the project rule wins. Place project-specific overrides after the @-import in the same file:

@/path/to/claude-rules/rules/rust/code-style.md

## Project Overrides
- Function size hard limit: 80 lines (stricter than library default)