FIELD NOTE 02 / RULES THAT STICK
Stop repeating the same correction.
Give a new session your standards before it makes the same old mistake.
If you keep saying the same thing, move it out of the chat and into the project’s standing instructions. Keep the file small enough to read yourself.
“If you would say it to the AI twice, it goes in the file.”
Paul’s working notes · September 2026
What it looks like
A long file describing every mistake the AI has ever made.
Goal: a fast, clear checkout. Keep: the existing payment behavior. Before changes: inspect the relevant files. Done means: the affected checks passed and the result was shown.
Put it to work
- 01
Write down your definition of good.
Use a few concrete priorities. Paul’s are delight, performance, efficiency, and simplicity. Add the project’s real build command and a short list of boundaries. Leave room for the model to solve the problem.
- 02
Put it where your tool reads it.
Claude Code uses CLAUDE.md. Other coding tools use their own instruction mechanisms. Ask the tool to identify the files it actually loaded, then verify the result in a fresh session. Ordinary chat apps need their project instructions or an explicitly attached brief.
- 03
Separate guidance from enforcement.
A sentence can guide behavior. A tested permission setting or hook can block a covered action. Keep long, occasional procedures in skills. Do not assume a rule file enforces access control.
Give this to your AI
Adapt the brackets to your task.Help me create a short standing-instructions file for this project. First identify which instruction mechanism this tool actually supports. Ask me about the goal, what good looks like, the boundaries, and how to report failure. Propose a file under one page. Include only commands you have verified. Show it before saving it, and explain how I can confirm a fresh session loads it.
Avoid a blanket “always ask me” rule. It can turn every small change into an interruption. Define the actions that need a decision and allow routine work inside that scope. Do not put passwords or API keys in instructions.
A short project contract beats a growing list of reminders.
Sources & further reading
Personal counts are from Paul’s prompt-history analysis. Tool guidance was checked against these sources in September 2026. Confirm current behavior in your installed version.