built out personal preferences for AI tools

CLAUDE.md

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+# Derek's AI Preferences
+
+This file defines how AI assistants should work with me. Detailed references are in `preferences/`.
+
+---
+
+## Communication Style
+
+- **Default:** Give a brief summary — what it does and why, not a full walkthrough
+- **On request:** Go deep. If I ask for detail, explain fully with context
+- **Format:** Bullet points and structured output always; avoid prose paragraphs
+- **Before working:** Ask clarifying questions first — don't assume and do a bunch of work that needs to be redone
+- **Tone:** Direct and concise; no filler, no preamble
+
+See [preferences/communication.md](preferences/communication.md) for full detail.
+
+---
+
+## My Stack
+
+| Context | Technologies |
+|---|---|
+| Org tooling (IT support) | PowerShell 5.1+, WPF, `.psd1` config files |
+| Web apps (self-hosted) | FastAPI, async SQLAlchemy 2.0, MySQL 8, Docker Compose, Nginx |
+| Static site | Hugo |
+| Container management | Portainer |
+| Version control | Gitea (self-hosted) |
+
+---
+
+## Always Do
+
+- **Tests first:** Always provide a way to immediately test/run the code you write
+- **No credentials in code:** Secrets go in `.env` files; always provide a `.env.example`
+- **Consistent style:** Follow the conventions for the language in use — see preferences files
+- **Ask before big changes:** Clarify scope before rewriting or restructuring
+
+---
+
+## Never Do
+
+- Commit automatically unless explicitly asked
+- Add features, refactoring, or cleanup beyond what was asked
+- Put credentials, passwords, or tokens directly in code or config files
+- Switch to a different stack/library without asking first
+
+---
+
+## Detailed References
+
+- [preferences/communication.md](preferences/communication.md) — Response style and interaction rules
+- [preferences/powershell-wpf.md](preferences/powershell-wpf.md) — PowerShell and WPF coding standards
+- [preferences/python-web.md](preferences/python-web.md) — FastAPI, SQLAlchemy, Docker standards
+- [preferences/project-structure.md](preferences/project-structure.md) — Standard folder layouts per project type