Use this file as the local operating guide for the current codebase. Prefer the code and the current CLAUDE.md over any older convention or remembered project shape.
## Core stance
- Treat legacy code as liability, not as a compatibility target.
- Prefer deletion over shims, deprecated branches, wrapper APIs, and dual-track migration notes.
- If old and new implementations coexist, converge to one path unless an external contract forces compatibility.
- Remove dead tests, commented-out code, stale docs, and "move later" notes instead of preserving them.
- Reduce public surface area when a helper can be made private or internal.
- Keep refactors centered on the owning abstraction, not on adjacent compatibility layers.
- Run the narrowest relevant test, lint, or build command after a change.
- For backend changes, prefer targeted pytest or ruff checks over full-suite runs.
- For frontend changes, prefer the touched-package lint, type-check, or test command.
- For Go changes, prefer package-scoped `bash build.sh --test ...` first.
- Do not default to raw `go test`, `go build`, or IDE Run/Debug for Go in this repo. They often miss the required CGO flags and native static libraries (`office_oxide`, `pdfium-static`, `pdf_oxide`) that `build.sh` wires correctly.
- If Go native builds fail, inspect `build.sh` and `internal/development.md` before changing code. Common environment issues are missing downloaded native deps and missing `lld` on Linux.
## Default review checklist
- Remove instead of retaining `deprecated`, `legacy`, or compatibility-only code.
- Collapse duplicate implementations to one path.
- Drop stale comments and documentation that describe a superseded design.
- Keep exported APIs only when the current code actually needs them.