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Configuration and Governance

When operating autonomously, Claude Code must respect the project's strict configuration and governance boundaries.

Handling Configuration​

Claude is instructed never to hardcode configuration values or secrets. It must always use the established mechanisms:

  1. Environment Variables: For non-sensitive configuration, Claude should update apps/api/.env.example and instruct the user to update their local .env.
  2. Encore Secrets: For sensitive credentials, Claude should use the encore secret set command. It is strictly forbidden from logging or committing secrets.

The most important constraint on Claude's autonomy is the spec-spine coupling gate.

If Claude is asked to implement a feature or change existing behavior, it must:

  1. Identify if the affected code is governed by an existing specification.
  2. If it is, Claude must update the markdown specification before or alongside the code changes.
  3. If the change represents a new architectural decision, Claude must draft a new specification.
  4. After modifying any specification, Claude must run npx spec-spine compile to update the index.

If Claude fails to do this, the spec-spine CI job will fail, and the PR will be blocked. The /validate-and-fix skill includes a step to run the spec-spine checks locally to catch this before committing.