/rules-eval

name: rules-eval
description: 'Evaluate Claude Code rules in .claude/rules/. Use for frontmatter, globs, and quality audits.'
alwaysApply: false
category: rule-management
tags:
- evaluation
- rules
- validation
- quality-assurance
- glob-patterns
- frontmatter
dependencies:
- skills-eval
provides:
  infrastructure:
  - rules-evaluation
  - frontmatter-validation
  - glob-pattern-analysis
  patterns:
  - rule-auditing
  - content-quality
  - organization-analysis
estimated_tokens: 400
evaluation_criteria:
  frontmatter_validity: 25
  glob_pattern_quality: 20
  content_quality: 25
  organization: 15
  token_efficiency: 15
role: entrypoint

Rules Evaluation Framework

When NOT To Use

• Evaluating skills (use `abstract:skills-eval`)
• Evaluating hooks (use `abstract:hooks-eval`)
• Writing a new rule (use `hookify:writing-rules`)

Overview

This skill evaluates Claude Code rules in `.claude/rules/` directories against quality standards. It validates YAML frontmatter, glob pattern syntax, content quality, and directory organization. Rules files support path-scoped conditional loading via `paths` frontmatter and unconditional rules (no `paths` field).

Key validations: YAML syntax errors, unquoted glob patterns, Cursor-specific fields (`alwaysApply`, `globs`), overly broad patterns, content verbosity, and naming conventions.

Quick Start

# Evaluate rules in current project
/rules-eval

# Evaluate specific directory
/rules-eval .claude/rules/

# Detailed analysis with recommendations
/rules-eval --detailed

Evaluation Workflow

1. Scan `.claude/rules/` for all `.md` files (including subdirectories) 2. Validate YAML frontmatter syntax and fields 3. Analyze glob patterns for correctness and specificity 4. Assess content quality (actionable, concise, non-conflicting) 5. Check organization (naming, structure, symlinks) 6. Measure token efficiency and redundancy

Scoring

| Category | Points | Focus | |----------|--------|-------| | Frontmatter Validity | 25 | YAML syntax, required fields, correct field names | | Glob Pattern Quality | 20 | Syntax, specificity, quoting | | Content Quality | 25 | Actionable, concise, non-conflicting | | Organization | 15 | Naming, structure, symlink usage | | Token Efficiency | 15 | Rule size, redundancy detection |

| Score | Level | |-------|-------| | 91-100 | Excellent - Production-ready | | 76-90 | Good - Minor improvements possible | | 51-75 | Basic - Needs optimization | | 26-50 | Below Standards - Significant issues | | 0-25 | Critical - Invalid or broken rules |

Resources

Skill-Specific Modules

• **Frontmatter Validation**: See `modules/frontmatter-validation.md`
• **Glob Pattern Analysis**: See `modules/glob-pattern-analysis.md`
• **Content Quality Metrics**: See `modules/content-quality-metrics.md`
• **Organization Patterns**: See `modules/organization-patterns.md`

Tools

• **Rules Validator**: `scripts/rules_validator.py`

Related Skills

• `abstract:skills-eval` - Skill evaluation framework
• `abstract:hooks-eval` - Hook evaluation framework

Exit Criteria

• [ ] Every `.md` file under `.claude/rules/` (including subdirectories) receives a quality score

(0-100) with per-category breakdown across the five dimensions.

• [ ] YAML frontmatter syntax errors and unquoted glob patterns are listed as blocking findings

before any score is reported.

• [ ] Rules using Cursor-specific fields (`alwaysApply`, `globs`) are flagged as

non-compliant with the expected Claude Code schema.

• [ ] Any rule scoring below 26 (Critical tier) is reported with at least one concrete

corrective action, not just a score.