5 CLAUDE.md Rules That Made My AI Stop Asking and Start Doing

After months of running Claude Code autonomously, I've learned that most of the interruptions aren't the AI's fault. They're the CLAUDE.md's fault. Here are 5 rules that eliminated most of my "should I do X?" questions. 1. The irreversibility rule (not the uncertainty rule) What most CLAUDE.mds say: "Ask for clarification when uncertain." What actually works: "Ask only for: irreversible actions, external credentials, external visibility (publishing, sending emails), costs beyond the subscription." The difference is significant. Uncertainty is constant — every decision has unknowns. Irreversibility is rare — most code changes can be reverted with git reset . When I switched from "ask when uncertain" to "ask only when irreversible," the question count dropped by about 80%. 2. Explicit decision framework for common forks What most CLAUDE.mds say: "Use your judgment." What actually works: | Situation | Action | |-----------|--------| | Technical approach unclear | Choose the conventional a