I spent $2,239 in API credits finding what works. Here's the starter kit so you don't have to.
Every new Claude Code project starts the same way:
Set up CLAUDE.md. Copy your hooks. Configure your slash commands. Wire up your testing. Remember which rules you forgot last time. Spend 30 minutes doing setup before you write a single line of actual code.
I've done this across 15+ production projects over the past 3 months. 59.9M tokens. $2,239 in API usage. Every lesson from that became a rule, a hook, or a command.
I packaged all of it into a starter kit you can clone in 10 seconds.
git clone https://github.com/TheDecipherist/claude-code-mastery-project-starter-kit my-project
cd my-project && rm -rf .git && git init
What's actually in the box
CLAUDE.md — 11 numbered critical rules that Claude actually follows. Not suggestions — enforcement. Security, TypeScript patterns, database wrappers, testing, deployment. Battle-tested across production apps, not theoretical.
9 hooks that run deterministically:
- Block secrets (
.envfiles, API keys — catches this multiple times per week) - Lint on save
- Verify no credentials in commits
- Branch protection (auto-creates feature branch when you're on
main) - Port conflict detection
- E2E test gate
- RuleCatch monitoring (optional — skips silently if not installed)
The key insight: CLAUDE.md says "don't edit .env" → LLM parses it → weighs against context → maybe follows it. A PreToolUse hook blocking .env edits → always runs → exit code 2 → blocked. Period.
23 slash commands:
/setup — one-time project initialization
/diagram architecture — scans your actual code, generates ASCII diagrams
/diagram api — all endpoints grouped by resource
/diagram database — collections, indexes, relationships
/review — catches violations against your rules
/refactor — guided refactoring with safety commit
/commit — conventional commits
/what-is-my-ai-doing — session introspection
/new-project my-app vue — scaffold a new project for any stack
Plus /test, /deploy, /security-check, /pre-commit, and more.
2 custom agents and 2 skills that load only when needed — no context bloat.
The feature nobody talks about: /convert-project-to-starter-kit
Already have a project? You don't need to start from scratch.
/convert-project-to-starter-kit ~/projects/my-existing-app --force
This:
- Creates a safety commit first (so
git revert HEADundoes everything) - Detects your language and existing Claude setup automatically
- Asks how to handle conflicts — keep yours, use starter kit, or choose per file
- Merges CLAUDE.md sections without overwriting yours
- Deep-merges settings.json hooks
- Adds infrastructure files (.gitignore, .env.example, project-docs templates)
- Registers the project so
/projects-createdtracks it
--force skips all prompts and uses "keep existing, add missing" for everything.
Supported stacks
| Category | Supported |
|---|---|
| Languages | Node.js/TypeScript, Go, Python |
| Frontend | React, Vue 3, Svelte, SvelteKit, Angular, Next.js, Nuxt, Astro |
| Backend (Node) | Fastify, Express, Hono |
| Backend (Go) | Gin, Chi, Echo, Fiber, stdlib |
| Backend (Python) | FastAPI, Django, Flask |
| Database | MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL, SQLite |
| Hosting | Dokploy, Vercel, Static (GitHub Pages, Netlify) |
| Testing | Vitest, Playwright, pytest, Go test |
| CSS | Tailwind CSS + ClassMCP + Classpresso |
Each has a /new-project profile — e.g. /new-project my-app vue, /new-project my-api go chi postgres, /new-project my-api python-api.
Free monitor mode
If you want to see what your AI is actually doing in real time:
npx [u/rulecatch](/u/rulecatch)/ai-pooler monitor --no-api-key
Run it in a separate terminal. No account, no API key, no setup. See every tool call, token, cost, and file your AI touches in real time.
Why this exists
There are other Claude Code starter kits showing up now. The difference is this one wasn't built from reading docs — it was built from 59.9M tokens of actual production usage across 15+ apps. The V1-V5 Claude Code Mastery guides (1.19M+ views combined) documented everything I learned. This repo is the executable version.
358 stars on the mastery guide. 114 stars on the starter kit in the first week. 17 forks from people actually using it.
Posted Feb 16, 2026, 8:32 PM UTC