What is Andrej Karpathy's CLAUDE.md?

Andrej Karpathy's CLAUDE.md is a single-file behavior guide for Claude Code that aims to prevent common LLM coding failures. It encodes four specific rules to improve AI coding agent performance.

What are the four rules in Karpathy's CLAUDE.md?

The four rules are: no silent assumptions, no over-engineering, no orthogonal changes, and explicit verification steps. These rules guide Claude's behavior during coding tasks.

How is CLAUDE.md different from SKILL.md?

CLAUDE.md is a project configuration file that is always active and sets behavioral rules for the entire project. SKILL.md is a task-triggered capability that loads only when its description matches a specific task, providing domain-specific expertise.

How do you install Karpathy's CLAUDE.md?

To install it, you can clone the repository and copy the CLAUDE.md file to your project's root directory, or simply create a CLAUDE.md file at the project root and paste the four rules into it.

Why did Karpathy's CLAUDE.md become so popular?

It became popular because it addressed universal frustrations with AI coding agents, offered an absurdly simple solution as a single text file with no dependencies, and benefited from Andrej Karpathy's reputation.

How do skills complement Karpathy's rules?

Skills complement Karpathy's rules by adding capabilities; for example, code review skills enhance the 'no orthogonal changes' rule, and testing skills reinforce 'explicit verification' by generating tests upfront.

What is the purpose of Rule 2: No over-engineering?

Rule 2 prevents Claude from creating overly complex solutions, encouraging it to produce the simplest possible code that effectively solves the problem.

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