A CLAUDE.md the assistant ignores is not a content problem. It is a delivery problem. The fix is how, when, and with what authority the rule reaches the session.
What this covers
CLAUDE.md is loaded as guidance, not enforced as policy. The assistant decides what to do with it.
Long CLAUDE.md files lose signal because the model starts treating later instructions as background.
Three changes move follow-rate up: shorten the file, move enforcement-grade items into hooks, and route the long tail by path.
