Feature: Auto-load files referenced in CLAUDE.md

Problem

When CLAUDE.md references external rule files (e.g., a table of paths to ~/.config/rules/*.md), Claude Code doesn't automatically read them at session start. Each new session starts fresh with only the CLAUDE.md content, causing Claude to fall back to default behaviors instead of user-defined workflows.

Current Workaround

Users must either:

1. Inline all rules directly in CLAUDE.md (makes it very long)
2. Add explicit instructions like "At session start, read all files in ~/.config/rules/"
3. Manually ask Claude to read the rules each session

Proposed Solution

One or more of:

1. Auto-load referenced files: When CLAUDE.md contains file paths or references, automatically read them into context at session start
2. Designated rules directory: Support a .claude/rules/ directory that's always loaded (similar to how .claude/CLAUDE.md works)
3. Include directive: Support an <!-- include: path/to/file.md --> syntax in CLAUDE.md

Use Case

I maintain development workflow rules in separate organized files:

~/.config/ai-dev-standards/rules/
├── git-workflow.md
├── database.md
├── typescript.md
└── ...

My CLAUDE.md references these, but Claude doesn't know about them without explicit instructions, leading to workflow violations (wrong branch strategy, wrong commit format, etc.).

Environment

• Claude Code CLI
• Rules stored in external markdown files referenced from CLAUDE.md