Domain 3: Claude Code Configuration & Workflows

Domain 3 is the one that names exact paths and flags, and it expects you to know them: ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md against .claude/CLAUDE.md, .claude/commands/ against ~/.claude/commands/, .claude/rules/ with a paths field, -p, --output-format json, --json-schema, /memory, /compact. Underneath the paths sits one repeated question: who is this configuration for, and when should it load? Almost every diagnosis in this domain is scope — something is in the user-level file that should have been project-level, or loaded always when it should have loaded conditionally.

What the guide measures here

1. Configure CLAUDE.md files with appropriate hierarchy, scoping, and modular organization
2. Create and configure custom slash commands and skills
3. Apply path-specific rules for conditional convention loading
4. Determine when to use plan mode vs direct execution
5. Apply iterative refinement techniques for progressive improvement
6. Integrate Claude Code into CI/CD pipelines

The order to learn them in