basecamp

A production-ready Claude Code setup. Global CLAUDE.md, coding rules, per-project memory, and token optimization.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/janmaaarc/basecamp.git
cd basecamp
bash setup.sh ~/Documents/your-vault

Then open ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, fill in your stack, and follow Setup for tools and plugins.

What This Is

After building multiple AI and software projects with Claude Code, I found myself repeating the same setup every time. This is that setup, packaged into a reusable foundation: engineering standards, project memory, coding rules, token optimization, and safety mechanisms. Built and refined through real projects, not a template made for show.

Most Claude Code setups are minimal. This one is not. It covers:

• Global instructions Claude follows on every project
• Karpathy coding principles (think before coding, surgical changes)
• Commit, branch, and PR conventions
• Per-project memory via Obsidian (PROJECT, MISTAKES, CONTRACT files)
• Token optimization via RTK and Headroom
• Safety hooks (block dangerous commands, scan secrets)
• Persistent memory across sessions via claude-mem
• Security scanning of .claude/ config via agentshield

Screenshots

Obsidian graph view (PROJECT, MISTAKES, CONTRACT linked)

RTK token savings

Video Walkthrough

Coming soon. Full setup walkthrough covering: clone, setup.sh, filling in CLAUDE.md, Obsidian graph view, and token savings demo.

Requirements

• macOS (Linux partially supported, Windows not tested)
• Claude Code
• Obsidian (free, for per-project memory files)
• Homebrew (for RTK)
• Python 3.10+ (for Headroom)
• Node.js 18+ (for claude-mem)

Setup

1. Run setup script

bash setup.sh ~/Documents/your-vault

This copies all files to ~/.claude/ and your Obsidian vault. Or do it manually:

mkdir -p ~/.claude/rules
cp CLAUDE.md ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
cp RTK.md ~/.claude/RTK.md
cp -r rules/ ~/.claude/rules/
cp -r Templates/ ~/Documents/your-vault/Templates/

2. Update CLAUDE.md

• Open ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and fill in your stack, vault path, and defaults
• See CLAUDE.example.md for a filled-in reference
• Optional: import stack-specific rules with @rules/typescript.md, @rules/security.md, @rules/web.md, @rules/ai-agents.md, @rules/data.md, or @rules/mobile.md

3. Install tools

RTK (token savings 60-90%):

brew tap rtk-ai/tap && brew install rtk

Headroom (context compression):

Follow the official install guide: https://github.com/headroomlabs-ai/headroom

claude-mem (persistent memory):

npx claude-mem install
echo '(npx claude-mem start &>/dev/null &)' >> ~/.zshrc

agentshield (security scanner, no install needed):

npx ecc-agentshield scan

4. Install Claude Code plugins

claude plugin is a command provided by ECC. Install ECC first using the two commands below, then restart Claude Code before installing the rest.

Core (recommended for everyone):

# ECC — agents, skills, hooks (install this first)
claude plugin marketplace add affaan-m/ECC
claude plugin install ecc@ecc

# Caveman — terse responses
claude plugin marketplace add JuliusBrussee/caveman
claude plugin install caveman@caveman

# Ponytail — YAGNI coding rules
claude plugin marketplace add DietrichGebert/ponytail
claude plugin install ponytail@ponytail

# Safety hooks — block dangerous commands, scan secrets
claude plugin marketplace add poshan0126/dotclaude
claude plugin install safety-hooks@dotclaude

Optional (install what fits your stack):

# n8n workflow skills
claude plugin marketplace add czlonkowski/n8n-skills
claude plugin install n8n-mcp-skills@n8n-mcp-skills

# PostgreSQL skills
claude plugin marketplace add timescale/pg-aiguide
claude plugin install pg@aiguide

# UI design rules and auditing
claude plugin marketplace add pbakaus/impeccable
claude plugin install impeccable@impeccable

How It Works

Per-Project Memory

Every project gets a folder in your Obsidian vault:

your-vault/
  Projects/
    my-app/
      PROJECT.md     <- what the project is, current status
      MISTAKES.md    <- recurring mistakes to avoid
      CONTRACT.md    <- plan for high-risk changes
  Templates/
    PROJECT.md
    MISTAKES.md
    CONTRACT.md

Claude reads these at session start automatically. Update PROJECT.md at end of each session (max 30 lines, current status only).

High-Risk Changes

For schema migrations, auth changes, major refactors:

1. Claude researches first. No implementation yet.
2. Claude creates CONTRACT.md with plan, risks, rollback.
3. Claude asks clarifying questions.
4. You approve.
5. Claude implements.
6. You verify.

Token Optimization

• RTK: Filters noisy bash/git/grep output before it hits Claude. 60-90% token savings on commands.
• Headroom: Compresses tool outputs (file reads, search results) before they reach Claude.
• claude-mem: Injects only relevant past context per session. No full history bloat.
• Caveman and Ponytail: Keeps responses and code minimal.

Tools Used

Tool	Purpose	Repo	License
RTK	Token-optimized CLI proxy	rtk-ai/rtk	Apache 2.0
Headroom	Context compression proxy	headroomlabs-ai/headroom	Apache 2.0
ECC	Agents, skills, hooks	affaan-m/ECC	MIT
Caveman	Terse response mode	JuliusBrussee/caveman	MIT
Ponytail	YAGNI coding rules	DietrichGebert/ponytail	MIT
claude-mem	Persistent session memory	thedotmack/claude-mem	Apache 2.0
safety-hooks	Block dangerous commands, scan secrets	poshan0126/dotclaude	MIT
n8n-mcp-skills	n8n workflow skills (optional)	czlonkowski/n8n-skills	MIT
pg-aiguide	PostgreSQL skills (optional)	timescale/pg-aiguide	Apache 2.0
impeccable	UI design rules and auditing (optional)	pbakaus/impeccable	MIT
agentshield	Scans .claude/ config for risky permissions, hooks, MCP setups	affaan-m/agentshield	MIT
code-review-graph	Codebase graph (MCP + CLI) for blast-radius analysis and token reduction on large-repo reviews (optional)	tirth8205/code-review-graph	MIT

Maintenance

# Update plugins
claude plugin marketplace update ecc
claude plugin marketplace update caveman
claude plugin marketplace update ponytail
claude plugin marketplace update dotclaude

# Update tools
brew upgrade rtk
headroom update
npx claude-mem update

FAQ

Do I need Obsidian?

No. The per-project memory system works with any folder. Obsidian just adds graph view and backlinks. Point the vault path in CLAUDE.md to any directory.

Does this work on Windows?

Claude Code itself has limited Windows support. setup.sh requires bash. Linux is mostly supported. macOS is the primary platform.

What if I don't use RTK?

Skip it. Remove the @RTK.md import from CLAUDE.md. The rest of the setup works without it.

Do I need all the plugins?

No. Install what fits your workflow. ECC is the most useful. Caveman and Ponytail change how Claude responds. Safety hooks is optional but recommended.

Can I use this with my stack?

Yes. Fill in Your Defaults in CLAUDE.md and import the relevant rules file: @rules/typescript.md, @rules/web.md, @rules/ai-agents.md, @rules/data.md, @rules/security.md, or @rules/mobile.md.

License

MIT