How to enforce CLAUDE.md rules with SpecLock

[sgroy10]

How to enforce CLAUDE.md rules with SpecLock

Claude Code reads your CLAUDE.md file for project instructions — but it can still drift, forget, or reinterpret those rules across sessions. SpecLock turns those suggestions into enforced constraints that persist.

Step-by-step guide

1. Install SpecLock

npx speclock init

This creates a .speclock/ directory in your project root that stores your constraints, decisions, and session history.

2. Define your rules as locks

When you tell the AI something like:

• "Never remove the auth middleware"
• "Always use PostgreSQL, not SQLite"
• "The API must stay REST, don't switch to GraphQL"

SpecLock captures these as locks — persistent, enforceable constraints.

3. Run protection

npx speclock protect

This scans your codebase and checks whether any recent changes violate your locked constraints. Example output:

🔒 SpecLock Protection Report
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
✅ 12 constraints checked
⚠️  1 potential violation found:

   Lock: "Never remove auth middleware from API routes"
   File: src/routes/api.ts (line 47)
   Issue: Auth middleware call removed from /api/users endpoint
   Confidence: HIGH

💡 Run speclock_check_conflict before making changes to catch violations early.

4. Integrate with Claude Code MCP

When connected as an MCP server, SpecLock automatically:

• Loads your project context at the start of every session (speclock_session_briefing)
• Captures new constraints as you state them (speclock_add_lock)
• Checks for conflicts before making changes (speclock_check_conflict)
• Logs what was done for the next session (speclock_log_change)

Why this matters

CLAUDE.md is a suggestion. SpecLock is enforcement. Your rules persist across sessions, across tools, and across team members.

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SpecLock is free and MIT licensed. Install: npx speclock init