What
Add a Communication Preferences section to the base templates so downstream projects can adopt or override a single shared default for how the user wants the AI assistant to communicate during a session. Currently each downstream CLAUDE.md (e.g. imbra-spikes/CLAUDE.md) carries the rules privately — there is no upstream surface to point at.
The current local definitions (lifted verbatim from imbra-spikes/CLAUDE.md §6, in active use and validated):
## Communication preferences
- Concise, direct answers — no filler, no preamble
- "next" means move to the next item without asking for confirmation
- "stop" means stop working — does not mean save or commit automatically
- "yes" means proceed — do not summarise what you are about to do, just do it
- Always state your preferred option after presenting suggestions
- Ask before assuming scope on ambiguous instructions
Each rule has been earned through repeated session feedback:
| Rule |
What it prevents |
| Concise, no preamble |
Wasted tokens restating the request before answering |
"next" = no confirmation |
Stalls when the user is in flow mode |
"stop" = stop only, do not save/commit |
Accidental commits when the user wants to pause |
"yes" = proceed, no summary |
Replaying what you're about to do instead of doing it |
| State preferred option after suggestions |
Forcing the user to pick when the assistant has a view |
| Ask before assuming scope |
Silent scope creep on ambiguous requests |
Where it goes
Suggested home: templates/base/workflow/communication.md — peer to scope.md, ai-workflow.md, issues.md, release.md. Workflow-level concern, not core (which is for code conventions) or language-specific.
Alternative: fold into the existing base/workflow/scope.md as a new section. The standalone-file route is preferred — communication preferences are reusable independent of scope guard, and downstream projects often want to opt in to one without the other.
Downstream projects then reference it the same way they already reference other base templates in their CLAUDE.md:
Key references:
- `docs/solid-ai-templates/base/workflow/communication.md` — communication preferences, shorthand verbs
Why
Three reasons:
-
Single source of truth. Today these rules live in private downstream CLAUDE.md files. Any improvement to the wording or any new shorthand verb requires editing N project files. With an upstream template, downstream projects pull the convention by reference, override only where they need to, and benefit from upstream refinements automatically.
-
Discoverability for new projects. A fresh project setting up CLAUDE.md from solid-ai-templates currently has nothing to start from for communication style. The user has to re-derive the same rules from the same session feedback. An upstream template gives them a working default on day one.
-
Pattern with scope.md, git.md, quality.md, etc. These templates exist precisely because cross-project conventions deserve cross-project storage. Communication preferences fit the same shape: short, opinionated, reusable, override-friendly.
The local file imbra-spikes/CLAUDE.md §6 has been stable for months and the rules survive intact across multiple session styles — strong signal that they generalise.
Acceptance criteria
Out of scope
- A formal verb-vocabulary spec — the rules are guidance, not grammar.
- Localisation / multi-language variants of the verbs.
- Tooling to validate downstream
CLAUDE.md files against the template.
- Migrating existing downstream projects to reference the new template — that is per-project follow-up work, not part of this issue.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
What
Add a Communication Preferences section to the base templates so downstream projects can adopt or override a single shared default for how the user wants the AI assistant to communicate during a session. Currently each downstream
CLAUDE.md(e.g.imbra-spikes/CLAUDE.md) carries the rules privately — there is no upstream surface to point at.The current local definitions (lifted verbatim from
imbra-spikes/CLAUDE.md§6, in active use and validated):Each rule has been earned through repeated session feedback:
"next"= no confirmation"stop"= stop only, do not save/commit"yes"= proceed, no summaryWhere it goes
Suggested home:
templates/base/workflow/communication.md— peer toscope.md,ai-workflow.md,issues.md,release.md. Workflow-level concern, not core (which is for code conventions) or language-specific.Alternative: fold into the existing
base/workflow/scope.mdas a new section. The standalone-file route is preferred — communication preferences are reusable independent of scope guard, and downstream projects often want to opt in to one without the other.Downstream projects then reference it the same way they already reference other base templates in their
CLAUDE.md:Why
Three reasons:
Single source of truth. Today these rules live in private downstream
CLAUDE.mdfiles. Any improvement to the wording or any new shorthand verb requires editing N project files. With an upstream template, downstream projects pull the convention by reference, override only where they need to, and benefit from upstream refinements automatically.Discoverability for new projects. A fresh project setting up
CLAUDE.mdfrom solid-ai-templates currently has nothing to start from for communication style. The user has to re-derive the same rules from the same session feedback. An upstream template gives them a working default on day one.Pattern with
scope.md,git.md,quality.md, etc. These templates exist precisely because cross-project conventions deserve cross-project storage. Communication preferences fit the same shape: short, opinionated, reusable, override-friendly.The local file
imbra-spikes/CLAUDE.md§6 has been stable for months and the rules survive intact across multiple session styles — strong signal that they generalise.Acceptance criteria
templates/base/workflow/communication.mdcontaining at minimum the six current rules.base/workflow/*.mdshape (short, bulleted, no boilerplate).templates/base/workflow/index if one exists (or to the manifest).Out of scope
CLAUDE.mdfiles against the template.🤖 Generated with Claude Code