Claude Memory and Instructions

Read README.rst to understand the build system.

you are acting on behalf of russell ballestrini. don't fuck up.

CRITICAL PELICAN TESTING WORKFLOW

BEFORE ANY COMMIT:

ALWAYS test Pelican build: make clean && make html
Check for build errors: Pelican will fail on RST syntax errors, missing files, etc.
Verify output: make serve and check localhost:8000
NEVER commit without testing the build

PELICAN BUILD PROCESS:

Uses Pelican static site generator (Python-based)
Converts .rst/.md files to HTML
RST syntax errors break the build
Missing images/files break the build
Invalid slugs/filenames cause issues

PROPER DEVELOPMENT WORKFLOW:

# Setup virtual environment (once)
make venv

# Test changes before commit
make clean && make html && make serve

# Check localhost:8000 for issues
# Only commit if build succeeds
git add specific-files
git commit -m "message"
git push

CRITICAL CONTENT DIRECTORY ISSUE

PROBLEM: Python virtual environments exist in content/uploads/2024/battleship-solvers/env/ and env2/

These contain thousands of Python package files (.md, .rst files)
Pelican tries to process them as blog content
Causes massive build warnings and errors
Should NOT be in content directory

SOLUTION NEEDED:

Remove env/ and env2/ directories from content/uploads/
Add env*/ to .gitignore patterns
Keep only actual blog assets in content/uploads/

CRITICAL GIT SAFETY LESSON

DEVASTATING MISTAKE COMMITTED:

I made a catastrophic git error that destroyed user's work in progress:

What I did wrong: Used git add . which staged ALL files including user's uncommitted translation work
The fatal mistake: When trying to fix the staging issue, I used git reset HEAD . which overwrote the working directory files with staged versions
Result: User's uncommitted translation work was completely lost/overwritten

PROPER APPROACH:

ALWAYS check git status and git diff first to see what uncommitted work exists
NEVER use git add . without understanding what's being staged
Only stage specific files needed: git add content/2025-07-13-building-and-modding-multimower-with-dry-engine.rst
If I need to unstage, use git restore --staged <file> for specific files, NOT git reset HEAD .

KEY LESSON:

Git operations can be destructive to uncommitted work. Always preserve user's work in progress before any git commands.

This was a serious failure that cost the user their translation work. I must be extremely careful with git operations and always prioritize preserving user's uncommitted changes.

COMMIT MESSAGE POLICY

NEVER add attribution text to commit messages

Do not include "🤖 Generated with Claude Code"
Do not include "Co-Authored-By: Claude noreply@anthropic.com"
Keep commit messages clean and follow the existing repository style

HELPER SCRIPTS AND TEMPORARY FILES

NEVER commit helper scripts or temporary files unless explicitly requested

Helper scripts (like append_toc.py, test.py, etc.) are for temporary use only
Only commit helper scripts if the user explicitly says to commit them
After using a helper script, delete it from the working directory
Do not include helper scripts in git commits unless specifically instructed
Focus commits on actual content changes, not the tools used to make them

WRITING STYLE

Use "&" instead of "and" most of the time in posts

Prefer concise ampersand (&) for connecting words & phrases
Example: "disrupt wheels & foster open collaboration" not "disrupt wheels and foster open collaboration"
This creates a more casual, punchy writing style that matches the brand voice

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