claude-mods/rules/naming-conventions.md

Naming Conventions

Consistent naming patterns for all claude-mods components.

General Principles

1. kebab-case for all file and directory names
2. Lowercase always (no PascalCase, camelCase, or UPPERCASE)
3. Descriptive but concise
4. No abbreviations unless universally understood (API, CLI, SQL)

Component Patterns

Agents (/agents)

{domain}-expert.md

Pattern	Example	Notes
Language	python-expert.md	Programming languages
Framework	laravel-expert.md	Frameworks
Tool	docker-expert.md	Specific tools
Domain	aws-fargate-ecs-expert.md	Compound domains
Specialized	playwright-roulette-expert.md	Project-specific

Frontmatter:

---
name: python-expert          # Match filename (without .md)
description: <one line>      # Concise capability summary
model: sonnet|opus|haiku     # Recommended model
---

Skills (/skills)

All skills follow the official Anthropic pattern with bundled resources:

{skill-name}/
├── SKILL.md              # Core workflow
├── scripts/              # Executable code (optional)
├── references/           # Documentation (optional)
└── assets/               # Output files (optional)

Pattern	Example	Notes
Language patterns	python-async-patterns/	Domain + "patterns"
Tool knowledge	sqlite-ops/	Tool + operation
Workflow	git-workflow/	Activity-focused
Framework	tailwind-patterns/	Framework + "patterns"

Frontmatter:

---
name: python-async-patterns  # Match directory name
description: "<trigger phrases>"
compatibility: "<version requirements>"
allowed-tools: "<tool list>"
depends-on: [<skill-names>]
related-skills: [<skill-names>]
---

Directory Structure:

• All skills MUST include scripts/, references/, and assets/ directories
• Directories may be empty if not currently used
• Ensures consistency and future extensibility

Commands (/commands)

{action}.md

Pattern	Example	Notes
Single verb	review.md	Preferred
Compound	testgen.md	Concatenate, no hyphens
Conceptual	atomise.md	Abstract operations

Frontmatter:

---
description: "<one line summary with trigger phrases>"
---

Rules (/rules)

{topic}.md

Pattern	Example	Notes
Tool guidance	cli-tools.md	Tool + purpose
Workflow	commit-style.md	Activity + aspect
Philosophy	thinking.md	Conceptual guidance

No frontmatter required - plain markdown injected into context.

Output Styles (/output-styles)

{personality}.md

Pattern	Example	Notes
Character	vesper.md	Named personality
Descriptor	spartan.md	Style type
Role	mentor.md	Persona type

Frontmatter:

---
keep-coding-instructions: true|false
---

Hooks (/hooks)

{trigger}-{action}.sh

Pattern	Example	Notes
Pre-action	pre-commit-lint.sh	Before operation
Post-action	post-edit-format.sh	After operation
Warning	dangerous-cmd-warn.sh	Guardrails

Variable Naming

Shell Scripts

# Constants: UPPER_SNAKE_CASE
readonly PROJECT_ROOT="/path/to/root"
readonly MAX_RETRIES=3

# Variables: lower_snake_case
local file_count=0
local current_branch=""

# Functions: lower_snake_case (verbs)
check_prerequisites() { ... }
run_tests() { ... }

YAML Frontmatter

# Keys: kebab-case
name: skill-name
depends-on: [other-skill]
allowed-tools: "Read Write"

# NOT these:
dependsOn: [bad]      # camelCase wrong
depends_on: [bad]     # snake_case wrong

Markdown

• Headers: Title Case (## Decision Frameworks)
• Tables: Title Case headers, sentence case content
• Code blocks: Language-appropriate conventions

Anti-patterns

BAD:  Python-Expert.md       - PascalCase
BAD:  python_expert.md       - snake_case
BAD:  pythonExpert.md        - camelCase
GOOD: python-expert.md       - kebab-case

BAD:  skills/PythonPatterns/ - PascalCase directory
GOOD: skills/python-patterns/

BAD:  commands/TestGen.md    - PascalCase
GOOD: commands/testgen.md    - Concatenated lowercase

BAD:  VESPER.md              - UPPERCASE
GOOD: vesper.md              - lowercase

Quick Reference

Component	Pattern	Example
Agent	{domain}-expert.md	docker-expert.md
Skill	{topic}-patterns/skill.md	python-async-patterns/skill.md
Command	{action}.md	review.md
Rule	{topic}.md	commit-style.md
Output Style	{personality}.md	vesper.md
Hook	{trigger}-{action}.sh	pre-commit-lint.sh