Add automatic .clinerules reading when starting from a context summary

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

Hi Anthropic team,

I'm a heavy Claude Code user (Max plan) and I've encountered a frustrating
workflow issue that could be easily solved:

PROBLEM:
When Claude Code context runs out and creates a new session from summary,
it loses all knowledge from .clinerules file. This causes:

• Repeated mistakes that were documented
• Forgotten deployment workflows
• Loss of project-specific constraints
• Need to manually remind Claude to read .clinerules every time

Every time context resets, I have to type "Read .clinerules" or Claude
repeats documented mistakes.

Proposed Solution

PROPOSED SOLUTION:
Add automatic .clinerules reading when starting from a context summary:

• If .clinerules exists in project root
• Automatically read and include in system prompt
• Before responding to first user message
• Similar to how .gitignore is automatically respected

Alternative Solutions

ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES:

1. Auto-read .clinerules on context reset (preferred)
2. Add .clinerules content to conversation summary
3. Allow pinning files to always be in context
4. Add "persistent memory files" setting

Priority

High - Significant impact on productivity

Feature Category

CLI commands and flags

Use Case Example

USE CASE:
I maintain complex deployment workflows with:

• deployment rules
• Documented past mistakes (with dates and context)
• Critical constraints
• Project-specific guardrails

Additional Context

IMPACT:
This would benefit all users who:

• Have complex project-specific workflows
• Document lessons learned over time
• Use Claude for professional development
• Need consistent behavior across sessions