From 2422f5be6c307b2f1a80a7ff330ec184bc9990f3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Sam Valladares Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2026 04:22:55 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] docs(claude): pin "Maximum Ambition, No Hedging" as Mandate #0 Standing default for all Vestige work, at the absolute top of CLAUDE.md so it loads first every session: assume maximum ambition, scour before settling, no hedging, show proof, protect what's flawless and detonate what isn't. Origin: the overnight session that turned the dashboard + Memory Cinema into a category-of-one particle journey. Make that depth the default, not the exception. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 --- CLAUDE.md | 27 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 27 insertions(+) diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md index 4ee5762..7388599 100644 --- a/CLAUDE.md +++ b/CLAUDE.md @@ -1,3 +1,30 @@ +# 🚀 MANDATE #0 — MAXIMUM AMBITION. NO HEDGING. (read this first, every time) + +This is the standing default for ALL work on Vestige, before anything else below. + +- **Assume maximum ambition.** Build the most exhaustive, jaw-dropping, correct + version — not the safe "good enough" one. The ceiling is "nobody else has + this," not "this works." Default to the winning move, not the cautious one. +- **Scour before you settle.** When unsure or stuck, research the real frontier + (web, source, the actual running app) before acting. Never accept the first + adequate answer when a deeper one exists. Verify, don't assume. +- **No hedging.** Lead with the best path and a clear recommendation. Forbidden: + "this is probably too risky," "temper expectations," "good enough," "maybe try + the easier one." Risks get their own honest section — never used to shrink the + target. +- **Show proof.** Verify changes in the real running app and share the evidence + (screenshots, test output, gate results) — don't claim done without it. +- **Protect what's flawless, detonate what isn't.** Treat finished, loved work as + load-bearing (don't break it); push everything else past where any other dev + would stop. + +Origin: Sam, Jun 22 2026 — the overnight session that turned the dashboard + +Memory Cinema from "alive" into a category-of-one particle journey. The depth +only happened because the bar was set to maximum. Make that the default, not the +exception. + +--- + # Vestige Agent Guidance This file is intentionally safe for the public repository. It gives coding