/file-headers

name: file-headers
description: MANDATORY for every coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, or any other) on every change-set — every applicable source file the agent creates or updates MUST start with the project's copyright/authorship header (file overview + exact author line). Use automatically whenever writing a new file or editing an existing one; do not wait to be asked. Covers JS/TS/TSX/CJS/MJS, Python, shell, and CSS. Includes the audit script to verify repo-wide compliance.

File Headers — Copyright Comment + File Overview

Every applicable source file in this repository starts with a header comment containing a **file overview** and the **exact author line**:

@author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>

The name and email must be exactly as above — no variations, no substitutions, no other names. This applies to **every coding agent** working in this repo (Claude Code, Codex, or any other tool): when you **create** a new applicable file, write the header first; when you **update** an existing applicable file that is missing the header, add it as part of the same change.

Applicable files

| Included | Excluded | | -------- | -------- | | `*.js`, `*.ts`, `*.tsx`, `*.cjs`, `*.mjs` | anything under `node_modules/`, `dist/`, `build/`, `data/`, `.worktrees/` | | `*.py`, `*.sh` | vendored/minified files (`*.min.js`, `wiki/mermaid.min.js`) | | `*.css` | generated files (`wiki/i18n-content.js` — carries its own AUTO-GENERATED banner) | | | snapshots (`__snapshots__/`), lockfiles, JSON/YAML/Markdown |

Header formats by file type

**JS / TS / TSX — server & scripts style** (overview inline in `@file`):

/**
 * @file One-to-few-sentence overview of what this file does and why it
 * exists. Mention the key contracts or invariants the file owns.
 * @author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>
 */

**JS / TS / TSX — client style** (`@file` name + `@description` overview), used under `client/src/`:

/**
 * @file ComponentName.tsx
 * @description What the component/module renders or provides and how it fits
 * into the app.
 * @author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>
 */

**CSS** (same block-comment shape as `client/src/index.css`):

/**
 * @file file.css
 * @description What these styles cover.
 * @author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>
 */

**Shell** (`#` block right after the shebang; existing overview comments count — just make sure the `@author` line is in the block):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# script-name.sh — what the script does, one to few lines.
# @author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>

**Python** (inside the module docstring):

"""
module.py — what the module does.

@author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>
"""

Rules

1. **New file → header first.** Any applicable file you create starts with the header before any code (after the shebang for scripts). 2. **Touched file missing header → add it.** If you edit a file that lacks the header, add one in the same commit. Write a real overview — describe what the file actually does; never a placeholder like "TODO" or "utility file". 3. **Exact author line.** `@author Son Nguyen <hoangson091104@gmail.com>` — byte-exact, in every file type (shell and Python use it inside `#` / docstring comments). 4. **Don't churn existing headers.** If a file already has a compliant header, leave it alone unless the file's purpose changed (then update the overview). 5. **Overviews must stay truthful.** When an edit changes what a file does, update its `@file`/`@description` overview in the same change.

Audit

Run the bundled checker to list any applicable file missing the header:

bash .claude/skills/file-headers/scripts/check-headers.sh

Exit code `0` = fully compliant; `1` = the printed files are missing headers. Run it before finishing any change-set that adds files, and during reviews.

On every pull request, GitHub Actions runs `.claude/skills/file-headers/scripts/check-headers-pr.sh` against only the files changed in the PR diff (added, copied, renamed, or modified). Test locally before pushing:

bash .claude/skills/file-headers/scripts/check-headers-pr.sh origin/master HEAD