Author(s): Rick Hightower

Originally published on Towards AI.

Part 17: Why your config looks right but Claude ignores it, and the exact commands that diagnose it in seconds

In this article: Most Claude Code failures are not mysteries. They are a small set of recurring patterns: files that load on demand instead of at startup, permission rules that quietly override your mode, descriptions that fail to trigger a subagent. This is a Claude Code troubleshooting catalog grouped into five categories, with the exact diagnostic commands for each. Read it once and you will spend dramatically less time chasing configuration ghosts.

After the introduction, the article lays out a practical troubleshooting catalog for Claude Code. It begins with four “muscle memory” commands (/doctor, /context, /memory, and /debug) that resolve most issues quickly, then explains five recurring categories of failure: loading problems (often caused by on-demand CLAUDE.md loading rather than startup), permission surprises (ask/allow rules override mode settings), delegation not triggering (subagent/skill descriptions must be specific and trigger-based), integrations going quiet (use /mcp, /hooks, and correct project-scoped configuration; debug failures including auth, paths, and permissions), and environment quirks (UI/input changes, trust/worktree behavior, and performance issues traced to state). It closes with a diagnostic order to follow when you’re stuck, the scope/precedence rule behind “it should work” situations, and a “do this today” checklist to build the instinct for diagnosing problems in seconds.

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Published via Towards AI