# CLAUDE.md

## Project

Elisp project. Customize this section with your own description, layout, and conventions.

**Typical layout:**
- `init.el`, `early-init.el` — entry points (Emacs config projects)
- `modules/*.el` — feature modules
- `tests/test-*.el` — ERT unit tests
- `tests/testutil-*.el` — shared test fixtures and mocks

## Build & Test Commands

If the project has a Makefile, document targets here. Common pattern:

```bash
make test                               # All tests
make test-file FILE=tests/test-foo.el   # One file
make test-name TEST=pattern             # Match test names
make validate-parens                    # Balanced parens in modules
make validate-modules                   # Load all modules to verify they compile
make compile                            # Byte-compile (writes .elc)
make lint                               # checkdoc + package-lint + elisp-lint
```

Alternative build tools: `eldev`, `cask`, or direct `emacs --batch` invocations.

## Language Rules

See rule files in `.claude/rules/`:
- `elisp.md` — code style and patterns
- `elisp-testing.md` — ERT conventions
- `verification.md` — verify-before-claim-done discipline

## Git Workflow

Commit conventions: see `.claude/rules/commits.md` (author identity,
no AI attribution, message format).

Pre-commit hook in `githooks/` scans for secrets and runs `check-parens` on
staged `.el` files. Activate on fresh clone with `git config core.hooksPath githooks`.

## Problem-Solving Approach

Investigate before fixing. When diagnosing a bug:
1. Read the relevant module and trace what actually happens
2. Identify the root cause, not a surface symptom
3. Write a failing test that captures the correct behavior
4. Fix, then re-run tests

## Testing Discipline

TDD is the default: write a failing test before any implementation. If you can't write the test, you don't yet understand the change. Details in `.claude/rules/elisp-testing.md`.

## Editing Discipline

A PostToolUse hook runs `check-parens` + `byte-compile-file` on every `.el` file after Edit/Write/MultiEdit. Byte-compile warnings (free variables, wrong argument counts) are signal — read them.

Prefer Write over cumulative Edits for nontrivial new code. Small functions (under 15 lines) are near-impossible to get wrong; deeply nested code is where paren errors hide.

## What Not to Do

- Don't add features beyond what was asked
- Don't refactor surrounding code when fixing a bug
- Don't add comments to code you didn't change
- Don't create abstractions for one-time operations
- Don't commit `.env` files, credentials, or API keys — pre-commit hook catches common patterns but isn't a substitute for care