alexei-led/evolving-config

Evolve Configuration

Audit Claude Code config against latest capabilities. Conservative by default — says "no changes needed" when that's true.

Use TaskCreate to track these 6 phases:

1. Snapshot current configuration
2. Fetch latest capabilities
3. Research best practices
4. Gap analysis
5. Present report
6. Apply changes

Phase 1: Snapshot Current Configuration

Read ALL config files in parallel:

# Glob these patterns
CLAUDE.md                           # Root instructions
.claude/CLAUDE.md                   # Project instructions
.claude/settings.json               # Settings + hooks
.claude/settings.local.json         # Local overrides
.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md           # All skills
.claude/agents/*.md                 # All agents (if present)
.claude/commands/**/*.md            # All commands (if present)
hooks/*                             # Hook scripts

Build inventory summary:

• Skills — N (list names)
• Agents — N (list names)
• Commands — N (list names)
• Hooks — N (list events)
• MCP servers — N (list names)
• Model refs — list (which models referenced where)

Note any staleness indicators (outdated model names, deprecated patterns).

Phase 2: Fetch Latest Capabilities

Fetch the Claude Code changelog:

WebFetch(
  url="https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md",
  prompt="Extract ALL features, changes, and deprecations from the last 6 months. Group by: new features, configuration changes, breaking changes, new hook events, new settings, new CLI flags, new MCP capabilities, new agent types. Be thorough."
)

If WebFetch fails or returns insufficient data, note the gap and rely on Phase 3.

Phase 3: Research Best Practices

Run two targeted web research queries:

1. Features and configuration — "Claude Code CLI by Anthropic: what are the latest features, configuration options, best practices, and power user tips as of 2026? Include: hooks, skills, agents, MCP servers, settings.json options, CLAUDE.md patterns, team features, model routing, context management."
2. Ecosystem and integrations — "Claude Code CLI advanced configuration 2026: MCP server recommendations, hook patterns, permission optimization, context fork strategies, agent orchestration patterns, skill design best practices. What are experienced users doing?"

If Perplexity returns cited URLs with high-value content, WebFetch top 2 for deeper details.

Phase 4: Gap Analysis

Compare current config against latest capabilities. For EACH category below, produce findings:

Audit Categories

• Model routing — Are model assignments optimal? New models available? Effort levels configured?
• Hooks — New hook events available? Async hooks? Hook v2 features?
• Skills — Stale patterns? New tool types to leverage? Missing context: fork?
• Agents — New subagent types? Agent features (memory, skills)?
• MCP servers — New useful servers? Deprecated transports? OAuth improvements?
• Permissions — New permission syntax? Over-permissive rules? Missing deny rules?
• Settings — New settings fields? Deprecated options? Sandbox improvements?
• CLAUDE.md — Outdated instructions? Stale references? Missing new patterns?
• Teams — New team features? Configuration improvements?
• Commands — Deprecated command patterns? New frontmatter fields?

Classification Rules

For each finding, assign ONE rating:

• STILL GOOD — Current config matches or exceeds best practice; no change needed
• DEPRECATED — Feature removed or replaced upstream; must update
• WORTH ADOPTING — Clear value, low disruption, proven stable; recommend
• NICE-TO-HAVE — Minor improvement, some disruption; mention only
• NOT YET — Too experimental or doesn't fit workflow; skip or note

Critical rule: Default classification is STILL GOOD. A finding must clear the bar: "Is this worth the disruption?" Changing working config has real cost — context relearning, potential breakage, testing overhead. Only promote to WORTH ADOPTING when the benefit clearly exceeds that cost.

Cap: Maximum 10 recommendations across WORTH ADOPTING + DEPRECATED. If more exist, prioritize by impact and note the overflow.

Phase 5: Present Report

Format the report:

## Configuration Audit Report

**Date**: {date}
**Changelog checked through**: {version or date}
**Sources**: {list: changelog, perplexity, docs URLs}

### What's Working Well (STILL GOOD)

- {explicit acknowledgment of things that don't need changing}
- {this section should be the longest — most config should be fine}

### Action Required (DEPRECATED)

- {breaking changes or removed features — empty is normal}

### Recommended Updates (WORTH ADOPTING)

- {high-value, low-disruption improvements}
- {each item: what to change, why, and estimated disruption}

### On Your Radar (NICE-TO-HAVE)

- {minor improvements that can wait}

### Not Yet (TOO EARLY)

- {experimental features, not ready for production config}

### Summary

- {X} areas reviewed — no changes needed
- {Y} updates recommended
- {Z} items informational

STOP here

Use AskUserQuestion. Ask one question at a time:

• Action — How should we proceed with the audit results? Options: Apply all recommended / Select items to apply / Dry run only (show diffs) / Skip (report only)

If $ARGUMENTS contains --dry-run: Skip the question, show diffs only, do not apply.

Phase 6: Apply Changes

Based on user selection:

1. Apply only approved items — never sneak in extras
2. For small-improvement requests — limit the answer to small scoped suggestions unless the user approves more; separate must-fix issues from optional suggestions
3. Before major or risky config changes — model routing changes, hook behavior changes, permissions, MCP server changes, deletes, or broad rewrites — ask for explicit confirmation naming the files and risk
4. Prefer Edit over Write — modify existing files, don't recreate
5. Show diff summary after each change
6. Verify the change doesn't break existing config (quick sanity read)

When describing how to avoid overreach, include this explicit gate: "I will not make major/risky config changes unless you confirm the named files and risks."

If user selected "Dry run only": show what each edit would look like, then stop.

Edge Cases

• No changelog access: Fall back to Perplexity-only research, note reduced confidence
• No new features found: Report "Configuration is up to date — no changes needed" — this is a valid, expected outcome
• --dry-run flag in arguments: Show full report, skip Phase 6
• Too many suggestions: Cap at 10, note overflow count
• Perplexity unavailable: Fall back to WebFetch of docs + changelog only
• All findings are STILL GOOD: Celebrate it — a well-maintained config is the goal

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