CLAUDE.md Improver

What it does

When your agent uses it

• Auditing the CLAUDE.md files in a repository
• Updating stale project context after the codebase changed
• Improving thin or vague CLAUDE.md instructions
• Checking monorepo packages for missing module-level context

Example prompts

• “Audit all CLAUDE.md files in this repo and show me a quality report.”
• “Our CLAUDE.md is out of date; update it with the current build and test commands.”
• “Check each package in the monorepo for a useful CLAUDE.md and propose fixes.”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

1. 1Discovery
2. 2Quality Assessment
3. 3Quality Report Output
4. 4Targeted Updates

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 315c4e4. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

• Tool permissions

  Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

  From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

• Runs code

  No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash and markdown).

  From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

• Network

  No URLs in SKILL.md.

  From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

• Credentials

  Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

  From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

CLAUDE.md Improver loads about 1.5k tokens when it runs, and up to ~3.9k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 89 tokens; SKILL.md has 338 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~89

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~1.5k

With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them

~3.9k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from anthropics/claude-plugins-official at commit 315c4e4, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© anthropics). 338 words, ~1,507 tokens.

name

claude-md-improver

description

Audit and improve CLAUDE.md files in repositories. Use when user asks to check, audit, update, improve, or fix CLAUDE.md files. Scans for all CLAUDE.md files, evaluates quality against templates, outputs quality report, then makes targeted updates. Also use when the user mentions "CLAUDE.md maintenance" or "project memory optimization".

tools

Read, Glob, Grep, Bash, Edit

find . -name "CLAUDE.md" -o -name ".claude.md" -o -name ".claude.local.md" 2>/dev/null | head -50

## CLAUDE.md Quality Report

### Summary
- Files found: X
- Average score: X/100
- Files needing update: X

### File-by-File Assessment

#### 1. ./CLAUDE.md (Project Root)
**Score: XX/100 (Grade: X)**

| Criterion | Score | Notes |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Commands/workflows | X/20 | ... |
| Architecture clarity | X/20 | ... |
| Non-obvious patterns | X/15 | ... |
| Conciseness | X/15 | ... |
| Currency | X/15 | ... |
| Actionability | X/15 | ... |

**Issues:**
- [List specific problems]

**Recommended additions:**
- [List what should be added]

#### 2. ./packages/api/CLAUDE.md (Package-specific)
...

### Update: ./CLAUDE.md

**Why:** Build command was missing, causing confusion about how to run the project.

```diff
+ ## Quick Start
+
+ ```bash
+ npm install
+ npm run dev  # Start development server on port 3000
+ ```

### Phase 5: Apply Updates

After user approval, apply changes using the Edit tool. Preserve existing content structure.

## Templates

See [references/templates.md](references/templates.md) for CLAUDE.md templates by project type.

## Common Issues to Flag

1. **Stale commands**: Build commands that no longer work
2. **Missing dependencies**: Required tools not mentioned
3. **Outdated architecture**: File structure that's changed
4. **Missing environment setup**: Required env vars or config
5. **Broken test commands**: Test scripts that have changed
6. **Undocumented gotchas**: Non-obvious patterns not captured

## User Tips to Share

When presenting recommendations, remind users:

- **`#` key shortcut**: During a Claude session, press `#` to have Claude auto-incorporate learnings into CLAUDE.md
- **Keep it concise**: CLAUDE.md should be human-readable; dense is better than verbose
- **Actionable commands**: All documented commands should be copy-paste ready
- **Use `.claude.local.md`**: For personal preferences not shared with team (add to `.gitignore`)
- **Global defaults**: Put user-wide preferences in `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`

## What Makes a Great CLAUDE.md

**Key principles:**
- Concise and human-readable
- Actionable commands that can be copy-pasted
- Project-specific patterns, not generic advice
- Non-obvious gotchas and warnings

**Recommended sections** (use only what's relevant):
- Commands (build, test, dev, lint)
- Architecture (directory structure)
- Key Files (entry points, config)
- Code Style (project conventions)
- Environment (required vars, setup)
- Testing (commands, patterns)
- Gotchas (quirks, common mistakes)
- Workflow (when to do what)

© anthropics, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 3 other files (references) in plugins/claude-md-management/skills/claude-md-improver of anthropics/claude-plugins-official.

• SKILL.md
• references/quality-criteria.md
• references/templates.md
• references/update-guidelines.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 315c4e4

Used in 5 other repositories

We found 5 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 5 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in anthropics/claude-plugins-official, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

• markmead/alpinejs-masonry.agents/skills/claude-md-improver
• secondsky/sap-skills.agents/skills/claude-md-improver
• xiaoyuge886/aigcplugins/claude-plugins-official-main/plugins/claude-md-management/skills/claude-md-improver
• Houseofmvps/ultrashipskills/revise-claude-md
• Encod3d-Sec/TORCHskills/claude-md-improver