[BUG] Path-scoped rules and nested CLAUDE.md never load when Write creates a new file

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet. Earlier reports of the same bug were auto-closed as inactive, not fixed: #23478, #63142, #82482. The stale bot asks for a new issue if it's still relevant, and it is.
• [x] This is a single bug report
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code (2.1.280)

What's Wrong?

Path-scoped rules (.claude/rules/*.md with paths:) and nested CLAUDE.md files load only when Claude reads a matching file. Creating a new file with Write loads neither. So a directory's conventions are missing at the moment they matter most: when Claude writes a new file into that directory.

Existing files are mostly unaffected. Write refuses to overwrite a file that hasn't been read, and that read loads the rules. The gap is new files, and a new rule file in .claude/rules/ is one of them.

What Should Happen?

When a Write targets a path that matches a rule's paths:, or that sits under a directory with a CLAUDE.md, those instructions should load before the write is applied. At the latest they should arrive attached to the Write result, so Claude can correct the file right away.

Error Messages/Logs

None. The failure is silent.

Steps to Reproduce

In an empty git repo:

• .claude/rules/r1.md: frontmatter paths: ['r1/**'], body CANARY-R1-RULE
• .claude/rules/cfg.md: frontmatter paths: ['**/*.cfg'], body CANARY-CFG-RULE
• r2/CLAUDE.md: body CANARY-R2-CLAUDEMD

Run each action below in a fresh claude -p session. I checked the result against the harness-written (non-assistant) records in the session transcript, not only against what the model reported.

| Action (fresh session each) | r1/** rule | **/*.cfg rule | r2/CLAUDE.md |
|---|---|---|---|
| Write a new r1/a.txt / top.cfg / r2/a.txt, nothing read first | not loaded | not loaded | not loaded |
| Read the same file | loaded | loaded | loaded |
| Write over the existing r1/a.txt without reading it | refused by Write (must read first) | n/a | n/a |

Claude Model

Not model-specific. Reproduced with claude-haiku-4-5.

Is this a regression?

I don't know.

Claude Code Version

2.1.280 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

Linux (claude.ai/code remote container)

Terminal/Shell

Non-interactive (claude -p)

Additional Information

• Auto mode makes this worse: its system prompt steers file work through Bash, and neither mechanism ever loads through Bash (#90450, #95083).
• A workaround is a PostToolUse hook on Write that tells Claude to Read the file it just created, which triggers loading, followed by a corrective Edit. It costs an extra round trip on every new file.

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