Friday, August 21, 2026

    Apply path-specific rules for conditional convention loading

    Domain 3 — Claude Code Configuration & Workflows · 20% of the exam

    Task statement 3.3

    Apply path-specific rules for conditional convention loading

    What you should be able to do
    • Scope a rule file to paths with YAML frontmatter glob patterns.
    • Explain what conditional loading buys in context and token terms.
    • Choose glob-scoped rules over a subdirectory memory file when a convention spans directories.
    Exam traps (4)

    Put test conventions in a CLAUDE.md inside the tests directory.

    Test files live next to the code they cover throughout the tree, so a directory-scoped file misses most of them and applies to none of the rest.

    Scope by glob when the convention follows a file type rather than a location.

    Load all rules always — conditional loading is a micro-optimisation.

    Irrelevant conventions occupy the window on every task and give the model rules to reconcile that have nothing to do with the file in front of it.

    Conditional activation is about what the model is asked to hold in mind, not just token count.

    Name the directory in the paths field.

    A bare directory does not match the files beneath it the way a glob does, so the rule silently never activates.

    Write the pattern that matches the files themselves, and verify it activates on one.

    Keep path rules broad so nothing is accidentally excluded.

    A pattern matching everything is a monolithic file with extra steps, and the conditional loading it was written for never happens.

    Scope narrowly enough that activation actually means something about the file being edited.

    Primary sources
    Know cold
    • Project memory file
    • Memory @import

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