diff --git a/.claude/commands/validate.md b/.claude/commands/validate.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2a4e1f0594
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/commands/validate.md
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+Run all pre-PR validation checks and report results.
+
+> Note: The build step uses `npm run build:validate` (with a stub `env.config`) rather than `npm run build`, so the build succeeds without the private edX plugin packages required in production. All other checks match CI.
+
+Execute the following checks **in order**, capturing output from each. Continue through all checks even if one fails — collect all failures before reporting.
+
+## Checks to run
+
+### 1. Commit messages
+Run: `git log release-teak..HEAD --format="%H %s"`
+
+> Note: `release-teak` is the current base branch for PRs in the `edx` fork. Update this (and the matching allow-list entry in `.claude/settings.json`) when the default branch changes.
+
+For each commit, validate the subject line against the conventional commits format:
+`<type>(<optional scope>): <description>`
+
+Valid types: `feat`, `fix`, `docs`, `style`, `refactor`, `perf`, `test`, `build`, `ci`, `chore`, `revert`
+
+Flag any commit whose subject does not match this pattern.
+
+### 2. Lint
+Run: `npm run lint -- --max-warnings 0`
+
+### 3. Type checking
+Run: `npm run types`
+
+### 4. Tests
+Run: `npm test -- --passWithNoTests`
+
+### 5. Build
+Run: `npm run build:validate`
+
+### 6. Bundle size
+Run: `npm run bundlewatch`
+
+## Report
+
+After all checks complete, output a summary table:
+
+| Check | Status |
+|-------|--------|
+| Commit messages | ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL |
+| Lint | ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL |
+| Types | ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL |
+| Tests | ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL |
+| Build | ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL |
+| Bundle size | ✅ PASS / ❌ FAIL |
+
+For each failed check, show the specific errors and a brief suggested fix.
+If all checks pass, confirm the branch is ready for a PR.
diff --git a/.claude/settings.json b/.claude/settings.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8c812da26b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/settings.json
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+{
+  "permissions": {
+    "allow": [
+      "Bash(npm run lint)",
+      "Bash(npm run lint -- --max-warnings 0)",
+      "Bash(npm run types)",
+      "Bash(npm test -- --passWithNoTests)",
+      "Bash(npm run build)",
+      "Bash(npm run build:validate)",
+      "Bash(git log -1 --pretty=%B)",
+      "Bash(git log release-teak..HEAD --format=\"%H %s\")",
+      "Bash(npm run bundlewatch)"
+    ]
+  }
+}
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..32789fa4ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# CLAUDE.md
+
+This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with code in this repository.
+
+## Commands
+
+Run `/validate` to check all pre-PR requirements locally (lint, types, tests, build, bundle size, commit messages) and get a pass/fail summary with guidance on any failures.
+
+```bash
+# Development
+npm start                    # Start dev server (standard)
+npm run dev                  # Start dev server with local OpenEdX config (host: apps.local.openedx.io)
+npm run build                # Production webpack build
+
+# Testing
+npm test                     # Run all tests with coverage
+npm run test:watch           # Watch mode
+npm run snapshot             # Update snapshots
+
+# Run a single test file
+NODE_ENV=test npx jest path/to/file.test.jsx
+
+# Linting
+npm run lint                 # Check
+npm run lint:fix             # Auto-fix
+
+# Type checking
+npm run types                # tsc --noEmit (TypeScript only)
+
+# i18n
+npm run i18n_extract         # Extract translation strings
+```
+
+## Fork and Upgrade Strategy
+
+This repo is a fork of [openedx/frontend-app-learning](https://github.com/openedx/frontend-app-learning) maintained in the `edx` GitHub org. Understanding this relationship is important when authoring changes.
+
+### Release cadence
+
+The open source community authors changes on `openedx/master`. Every ~6 months, these are grouped into a named release branch, tested, and offered to forks. Because we run a large production instance, we pull in upstream changes only when named releases are available — not from `openedx/master` directly.
+
+### Authoring changes
+
+We also author our own changes on this fork to ship features faster than the upstream review process allows. The guiding principle is: **every change should ideally be compatible with upstream and eventually contributed back.**
+
+In practice this means:
+
+- **Prefer plugin slots** — proprietary UI additions should use `@openedx/frontend-plugin-framework` plugin slots ([src/plugin-slots/](src/plugin-slots/)) so they can be injected without modifying core code.
+- **Prefer feature toggles disabled by default** — any behavior that isn't appropriate for the broader open source community should be gated behind a config flag (via `getConfig()` from `@edx/frontend-platform`) that defaults to off, making the change safe to contribute upstream.
+- **Avoid proprietary logic in core paths** — changes that can't be upstreamed should be isolated at the edges (plugin slots, config-gated branches) rather than embedded in shared data/API/redux code.
+
+## Architecture
+
+This is an OpenEdX Micro-Frontend (MFE) built on `@edx/frontend-platform` and `@openedx/frontend-build`. It serves the learner-facing course experience.
+
+### Routing
+
+Routes are defined in [src/constants.ts](src/constants.ts) as `DECODE_ROUTES` and `ROUTES`. The main route structure is:
+- `/course/:courseId/home` — Course outline/home tab
+- `/course/:courseId/dates` — Dates tab
+- `/course/:courseId/progress` — Progress tab
+- `/course/:courseId/discussion/...` — Discussion tab
+- `/course/:courseId/:sequenceId/:unitId` — Courseware (unit content)
+- `/course/:courseId/course-end` — Course exit
+
+All routes under `DECODE_ROUTES` are wrapped in `<DecodePageRoute>` (URL decoding support). The app entry point is [src/index.jsx](src/index.jsx).
+
+### Redux Store Structure
+
+The Redux store ([src/store.ts](src/store.ts)) has these slices:
+
+| Key | Purpose |
+|-----|---------|
+| `models` | Normalized model store (courses, sequences, units by ID) |
+| `courseware` | Current courseId, sequenceId, unit IDs and loading state |
+| `courseHome` | Course home tab data |
+| `specialExams` | Special exam state (external lib) |
+| `learningAssistant` | AI chat assistant state (external lib) |
+| `recommendations` | Course exit recommendations |
+| `tours` | Product tour state |
+| `plugins` | Plugin framework overrides |
+
+**Model Store pattern**: API data is normalized and stored flat in `state.models.<type>[id]`. Slices store IDs, not full objects. Access via `state.models.courses[state.courseware.courseId]`. See [docs/decisions/0004-model-store.md](docs/decisions/0004-model-store.md).
+
+### Key Source Directories
+
+- [src/courseware/](src/courseware/) — Unit content delivery: sequences, units, iframes, sidebar
+  - [src/courseware/data/](src/courseware/data/) — Redux slice, thunks, API, selectors for courseware
+  - [src/courseware/course/sequence/](src/courseware/course/sequence/) — Sequence navigation & unit rendering
+  - [src/courseware/course/new-sidebar/](src/courseware/course/new-sidebar/) — Sidebar (discussions, notifications)
+- [src/course-home/](src/course-home/) — Outline, dates, progress, discussion tabs
+  - Each tab has its own `data/` subdirectory with slice, thunks, and API
+- [src/generic/](src/generic/) — Domain-agnostic reusable code (model-store, hooks, notices, user-messages). Do not add app-specific logic here.
+- [src/shared/](src/shared/) — App-specific shared code used across multiple top-level components
+- [src/plugin-slots/](src/plugin-slots/) — `@openedx/frontend-plugin-framework` plugin slots for extensibility
+- [src/tab-page/](src/tab-page/) — `TabContainer` wrapper that handles tab loading state
+- [src/product-tours/](src/product-tours/) — Onboarding product tours
+
+### Naming Conventions
+
+From [docs/decisions/0006-thunk-and-api-naming.md](docs/decisions/0006-thunk-and-api-naming.md):
+
+- **API functions** use HTTP verb prefixes: `getCourseBlocks`, `postSequencePosition`
+- **Redux thunks** use semantic prefixes: `fetchCourse`, `fetchSequence`, `saveSequencePosition`, `checkBlockCompletion`
+
+### Data Flow Pattern
+
+Each major feature follows this pattern:
+```
+data/api.js         — Raw API calls (HTTP verb naming)
+data/thunks.js      — Redux thunks that call APIs and dispatch to model-store (fetch/save naming)
+data/slice.js       — Redux slice (state shape + reducers)
+data/selectors.js   — Reselect selectors
+data/__factories__/ — Rosie factories for test data
+```
+
+### Loading State
+
+Components own their own loading state (LOADING/LOADED/FAILED/DENIED constants from [src/constants.ts](src/constants.ts)). Components render spinners/skeletons themselves rather than relying on parents to gate rendering. See [docs/decisions/0005-components-own-their-loading-state.md](docs/decisions/0005-components-own-their-loading-state.md).
+
+### Plugin Slots
+
+The app exposes many plugin slots via `@openedx/frontend-plugin-framework` in [src/plugin-slots/](src/plugin-slots/). Each slot has a README. Slots allow operators to inject/replace UI components without forking.
+
+### Testing Approach
+
+From [docs/decisions/0007-testing.md](docs/decisions/0007-testing.md):
+
+- Use **React Testing Library** — query by labels, text, roles; use `data-testid` as last resort
+- Mock HTTP with **axios-mock-adapter**; build test data with **Rosie factories** in `data/__factories__/`
+- Test non-obvious behavior (error states, interactions, corner cases) — not happy-path rendering
+- **Avoid snapshots** for complex components; they're too brittle. Snapshots are acceptable for data/redux tests and tiny isolated components.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 49e01aee27..35565940a9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
   ],
   "scripts": {
     "build": "fedx-scripts webpack",
+    "build:validate": "fedx-scripts webpack --config webpack.validate.config.js",
     "bundlewatch": "bundlewatch",
     "i18n_extract": "fedx-scripts formatjs extract",
     "lint": "fedx-scripts eslint --ext .js --ext .jsx --ext .ts --ext .tsx .",
diff --git a/webpack.validate.config.js b/webpack.validate.config.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cf117efadc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webpack.validate.config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+const path = require('path');
+const { merge } = require('webpack-merge');
+const prodConfig = require('./webpack.prod.config');
+
+/**
+ * Webpack config used by `npm run build:validate`.
+ *
+ * Identical to the prod build except env.config is replaced with a stub so
+ * that the build succeeds without the private edX plugin packages that are
+ * only available in the local development monorepo.
+ */
+module.exports = merge(prodConfig, {
+  resolve: {
+    alias: {
+      'env.config': path.resolve(__dirname, './env.config.validate.jsx'),
+      // TsconfigPathsPlugin doesn't hook correctly on the merged config, so
+      // replicate the tsconfig "@src/*" path mapping explicitly.
+      '@src': path.resolve(__dirname, 'src'),
+    },
+  },
+});