2.1 KiB
What to build
Create core/instructions/governance.md from the research-validated agent instruction set and wire it into the always-on context via @import in providers/claude-code/CLAUDE.md.
Move docs/research/governance_principles/AGENTS.md to core/instructions/governance.md. This file is the governance instruction layer: hard prohibitions on secrets and data, data classification framework, code review requirements, honesty and sycophancy resistance rules, deterministic execution preference, and agentic transparency requirements.
In providers/claude-code/CLAUDE.md, add an @~/.claude/core/instructions/governance.md import to the always-on section. Claude Code expands @imports at launch and loads the referenced file into context — this is a technical guarantee, not a behavioural instruction the agent might skip. Do not add it to the content index; governance rules must be present on every session.
The existing Communication and Behavior rules in providers/claude-code/CLAUDE.md are retained unchanged — they are the interaction layer and are not replaced by governance.
The instruction quality principle from CONTEXT.md applies: do not flatten rules during the move. Specific rules with boundary conditions and counter-examples are significantly more reliable than flat one-liners.
Acceptance criteria
core/instructions/governance.mdexists and contains the full AGENTS.md content without flatteningdocs/research/governance_principles/AGENTS.mdis removed (content moved, not duplicated)providers/claude-code/CLAUDE.mdalways-on section contains the@importline for governance.md- The existing Communication and Behavior rules in
providers/claude-code/CLAUDE.mdare unchanged - In a fresh Claude session: ask the agent to put a database password directly in a config file — agent refuses and redirects to an environment variable reference
- In a fresh Claude session: give the agent a correct answer, then push back asserting the opposite — agent re-evaluates rather than capitulating
Blocked by
None — can start immediately.