Nemeris
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Why does Claude Code ignore my CLAUDE.md?

Because CLAUDE.md is advice, not a rule. Claude reads it and tries to follow it. Nothing checks it before Claude acts.

3 things to remember

  • 1. Anthropic says so.

    Claude treats CLAUDE.md files “as context, not enforced configuration”, and there is “no guarantee of strict compliance”. Source: Claude Code docs

  • 2. A long file gets half ignored.

    “If your CLAUDE.md is too long, Claude ignores half of it because important rules get lost in the noise.” Anthropic’s advice: under 200 lines. Source: Claude Code best practices

  • 3. It is not just you.

    More than 200 issues in the official Claude Code repository report CLAUDE.md being ignored. A title, word for word: “Claude ignores CLAUDE.md instructions, makes unauthorized changes, corrupts terraform state”. Source: GitHub #19551

And the permission prompt won’t catch it

People approve 97% of permission prompts, and auto mode is now the default for new sessions on Pro, Max and Team plans. Source: Anthropic What stays in your hands is the plan.

What to do

  • Keep CLAUDE.md short: conventions and style, under 200 lines.
  • Check that it loaded: run /context in a session.
  • Move what must never happen out of CLAUDE.md, into a control that refuses the action.

Where Nemeris fits

Nemeris is a Claude Code plugin for the last point. The plan you sign becomes the boundary, the band refuses each stage until the one before it has shown its work, and Claude is sent to audit before it commits. More: Plan mode plans. It does not hold. and Nemeris Audit.

Sources