cc-self-refer

Claude Code Self-Reference Helper - The missing backend for intelligent development workflows with AI assistance.

What is cc-self-refer?

cc-self-refer is a high-performance Node.js CLI that powers Claude Code's self-referential development capabilities. It enables projects to maintain their own context, knowledge base, and development patterns that Claude can reference and build upon across sessions.

Why do you need this?

The Problem

• Context Loss: AI conversations lose context between sessions
• Repeated Explanations: You constantly re-explain project architecture, decisions, and patterns
• Knowledge Scattered: Domain knowledge, code patterns, and planning documents are spread across different tools
• Inefficient Workflows: No systematic way to build and reference project-specific knowledge

The Solution

cc-self-refer creates a persistent, searchable knowledge layer for your projects that Claude Code can intelligently reference:

• 📋 Strategic Plans: Document and iterate on high-level project planning
• 📄 Session History: Preserve development context across Claude sessions
• 🧩 Code Patterns: Build a library of reusable, project-specific code templates
• 🧠 Domain Knowledge: Maintain business logic, constraints, and architectural decisions
• 🔍 Intelligent Search: Find relevant information instantly with semantic search

Quick Setup

1. Add the Global Command

Create ~/.claude/commands/init-claude.md:

# Init Claude - Initialize Project with Self-Reference Commands

**Usage**: `/init-claude`

## Implementation

    npx -y cc-self-refer init

2. Initialize Any Project

cd your-project
/init-claude  # Run in Claude Code

That's it! Your project now has intelligent self-reference capabilities.

What Gets Created

After running /init-claude, your project will have:

your-project/
├── .claude/
│   ├── commands/           # 🎯 Claude Code Commands
│   │   ├── plan-create.md # Create strategic plans
│   │   ├── plan-edit.md   # Edit existing plans
│   │   ├── plan-resolve.md# View and load plans
│   │   ├── page.md        # Session management
│   │   ├── page-refer.md  # Load session context
│   │   ├── knowledge-refer.md # Access domain knowledge
│   │   ├── pattern-use.md # Apply code patterns
│   │   └── pattern-create.md     # Save new patterns
│   │
│   ├── plans/             # 📋 Strategic Plans & Architecture
│   │   └── [numbered plans like: 001-user-authentication.md]
│   │
│   ├── pages/             # 📄 Session History & Context
│   │   └── [numbered sessions like: 001-login-implementation.md]
│   │
│   ├── patterns/     # 🧩 Reusable Code Templates
│   │   └── [numbered patterns like: 001-react-hook.md]
│   │
│   └── knowledge/         # 🧠 Domain Knowledge Base
│       └── [numbered entries like: 001-api-limits.md]
└── [your project files]

How Each Directory Works

📋 .claude/plans/ - Strategic Planning

• Purpose: High-level project planning and architecture decisions
• Usage:
  • /plan-create "Feature Name" "Description" creates comprehensive planning documents
  • /plan-edit "id|keyword" "modifications" modifies existing plans
  • /plan-resolve "id|keyword" views and loads plans for reference
• Content: Implementation phases, success criteria, technical decisions, risk assessment
• AI Benefit: Claude references these plans to understand project direction and constraints

📄 .claude/pages/ - Session Context

• Purpose: Preserve development context between Claude sessions
• Usage: Automatically captures session state; /page-refer to load previous context
• Content: Code changes, decisions made, problems solved, next steps
• AI Benefit: Eliminates need to re-explain project status each session

🧩 .claude/patterns/ - Reusable Templates

• Purpose: Project-specific code patterns and templates
• Usage: /pattern-create to save patterns; /pattern-use to apply them
• Content: Component templates, utility functions, configuration patterns
• AI Benefit: Claude can apply your established patterns instead of generic solutions

🧠 .claude/knowledge/ - Domain Knowledge

• Purpose: Business logic, domain rules, and architectural constraints
• Usage: /knowledge-refer to access; manually curated domain information
• Content: Business rules, API limitations, performance requirements, compliance needs
• AI Benefit: Claude makes technically sound decisions aligned with your domain

Why This Works

Each directory serves a specific purpose in building persistent AI context:

1. Plans provide strategic direction
2. Pages maintain session continuity
3. Patterns ensure consistency
4. Knowledge guides decision-making

The result: Claude becomes increasingly intelligent about your specific project over time.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup and contribution guidelines.

License

MIT © 2025 MJ Studio