Feature request: Optional import syntax for CLAUDE.md
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Feb 3, 2026 by michaelprather Closed Mar 4, 2026
Problem
Shared project repos often reference external files via @path/to/file syntax in CLAUDE.md. When collaborators don't have these files (e.g., personal dotfiles at ~/Developer/dotfiles/profiles/vue.md), the import fails.
This prevents a useful pattern: maintaining a single source of truth for rules/profiles that multiple projects can reference, while still working for collaborators who don't have the external files.
Proposed Solution
Add optional import syntax that gracefully skips missing files:
@~/Developer/dotfiles/profiles/vue.md?
The trailing ? would indicate: "include if exists, skip silently if missing."
Use Case
- Personal dotfiles repo with frequently-updated rules/profiles
- Multiple shared project repos referencing these profiles
- Collaborators who clone the project don't have the dotfiles
- Current behavior: errors on missing files
- Desired behavior: graceful degradation (skip missing optional imports)
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