Rules Evaluation Framework

When NOT To Use

• Evaluating skills (use abstract:skills-eval)
• Evaluating hooks (use abstract:hooks-eval)
• Writing a new rule (use hookify:writing-rules)

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Quick Start
3. Evaluation Workflow
4. Scoring
5. Resources

Overview

This skill evaluates Claude Code rules in .claude/rules/ directories against quality standards. It validates YAML frontmatter, glob pattern syntax, content quality, and directory organization. Rules files support path-scoped conditional loading via paths frontmatter and unconditional rules (no paths field).

Key validations: YAML syntax errors, unquoted glob patterns, Cursor-specific fields (alwaysApply, globs), overly broad patterns, content verbosity, and naming conventions.

Quick Start

# Evaluate rules in current project
/rules-eval

# Evaluate specific directory
/rules-eval .claude/rules/

# Detailed analysis with recommendations
/rules-eval --detailed

Evaluation Workflow

1. Scan .claude/rules/ for all .md files (including subdirectories)
2. Validate YAML frontmatter syntax and fields
3. Analyze glob patterns for correctness and specificity
4. Assess content quality (actionable, concise, non-conflicting)
5. Check organization (naming, structure, symlinks)
6. Measure token efficiency and redundancy

Scoring

Category	Points	Focus
Frontmatter Validity	25	YAML syntax, required fields, correct field names
Glob Pattern Quality	20	Syntax, specificity, quoting
Content Quality	25	Actionable, concise, non-conflicting
Organization	15	Naming, structure, symlink usage
Token Efficiency	15	Rule size, redundancy detection

Score	Level
91-100	Excellent - Production-ready
76-90	Good - Minor improvements possible
51-75	Basic - Needs optimization
26-50	Below Standards - Significant issues
0-25	Critical - Invalid or broken rules

Resources

Skill-Specific Modules

• Frontmatter Validation: See modules/frontmatter-validation.md
• Glob Pattern Analysis: See modules/glob-pattern-analysis.md
• Content Quality Metrics: See modules/content-quality-metrics.md
• Organization Patterns: See modules/organization-patterns.md

Tools

• Rules Validator: scripts/rules_validator.py

Related Skills

• abstract:skills-eval - Skill evaluation framework
• abstract:hooks-eval - Hook evaluation framework

Exit Criteria

• Every .md file under .claude/rules/ (including subdirectories) receives a quality score (0-100) with per-category breakdown across the five dimensions.
• YAML frontmatter syntax errors and unquoted glob patterns are listed as blocking findings before any score is reported.
• Rules using Cursor-specific fields (alwaysApply, globs) are flagged as non-compliant with the expected Claude Code schema.
• Any rule scoring below 26 (Critical tier) is reported with at least one concrete corrective action, not just a score.