Position Bias in CLAUDE.md: Put Hard Rules First, Workflows Last, Reference Material in the Middle
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Claude does not read a CLAUDE.md file the way a person reads a document. Position determines how much attention each line gets, so where you place a rule decides whether Claude follows it. This is tip 2 in Vibe Academy's CLAUDE.md Pro Tips series, and it gives a concrete placement scheme: hard rules at the front, workflows at the back, reference material in the middle.
Why Position Matters
The video attributes this to position bias in transformer attention: the edges of a context window get more attention than the middle. The creator calls it "the physics of attention" and references Lesson 7 of his course. The practical consequence is direct. A sentence buried in the middle of your CLAUDE.md can be ignored. Put the same sentence at the front and the model cannot miss it.
The Front / Middle / Back Placement Scheme
The on-screen graphic lays out three zones. Front and back are both labeled "edges get attention" while the middle is labeled "under-attended."
| Zone | Attention | What Belongs There |
|---|---|---|
| Front | High (edge) | Hard rules, protocol, critical non-negotiables |
| Middle | Low (under-attended) | Reference tables, supporting context, the "sometimes" stuff |
| Back | High (edge) | Checklists, workflows, steps Claude executes in order |
A Real Example: The --no-verify Rule
The creator shows his website repo, where the CLAUDE.md opens with "critical rules, read these first." The very first rule is a git directive: --no-verify is forbidden. He says that placement is deliberate. A rule that bans skipping commit hooks only works if Claude actually attends to it, so it goes in the highest-attention slot in the file.
Why Workflows Go at the Back
Checklists and workflow steps move to the end of the file. The back is also a high-attention edge, and it is the last thing in context before Claude starts working, so it can execute the steps in order. Reference tables and supporting context that Claude only needs sometimes fill the middle, where lower attention costs you the least.
Key Takeaways
- Claude weights lines in CLAUDE.md by position, not evenly like a human reader.
- Front and back of the file are high-attention edges; the middle is under-attended.
- Put hard rules and non-negotiables (like forbidding
--no-verify) at the very top. - Put checklists and ordered workflow steps at the end.
- Put reference tables and "sometimes" context in the middle, where being skimmed matters least.
- If a rule keeps getting ignored, move it to the front before rewriting it.
Resources
- vibe.academy -- Vibe Academy's site; the CLAUDE.md Pro Tips series this video belongs to is free there.
Published August 31, 2026. Writeup generated from a favorited TikTok.