Path Scope Declared

Claude Code path-scoped rules must declare a paths frontmatter key. The code reads frontmatter.paths internally — the globs key is not read and rules using it silently load without path scoping. Only paths is processed; other frontmatter keys are silently ignored.

Antipatterns

• Using globs instead of paths. Claude Code reads frontmatter.paths internally — the globs key is silently ignored and the rule loads without path scoping.
• Missing frontmatter entirely. A path-scoped rule file with no --- block. The file loads for all contexts instead of being scoped to specific files.
• Using description or scope as proxy. Adding metadata fields like description: "Python rules" instead of the actual paths key. Only paths is processed for scoping.

Formats

Single path:

---
paths: src/**/*.py
---

Multiple paths (YAML list):

---
paths:
  - "src/**/*.{ts,tsx}"
  - "lib/**/*.ts"
  - "tests/**/*.test.ts"
---

All value formats work as of v2.1.104: unquoted string, YAML list, inline YAML array, quoted string.

Pass / Fail

Pass

---
paths:
  - "src/**/*.py"
---
# Testing Design

Tests exist to catch bugs, not to confirm the implementation works.

Fail

---
globs: src/**/*.py
description: Python testing rules
---
# Testing Design

Tests exist to catch bugs, not to confirm the implementation works.

Limitations

Does not verify that matched files are the ones the author intended — only that the glob resolves to at least one file. Cannot detect overly broad patterns like paths: "**/*" that effectively disable scoping.