fix(init): gate CLAUDE.md on constitution presence

generate CLAUDE.md only when `.specify/memory/constitution.md` exists to avoid misleading guidance, and make the regression test deterministic by patching init scaffolding.

Made-with: Cursor

Author: arun-gupta

src/specify_cli/__init__.py

@@ -1467,13 +1467,23 @@ def ensure_claude_md(project_path: Path, tracker: StepTracker | None = None) ->
     Claude Code expects `CLAUDE.md` at the project root; this file acts as a
     bridge to `.specify/memory/constitution.md` (the source of truth).
     """
+    memory_constitution = project_path / ".specify" / "memory" / "constitution.md"
     claude_file = project_path / "CLAUDE.md"
     if claude_file.exists():
         if tracker:
             tracker.add("claude-md", "Claude Code role file")
             tracker.skip("claude-md", "existing file preserved")
         return
 
+    if not memory_constitution.exists():
+        detail = "constitution missing"
+        if tracker:
+            tracker.add("claude-md", "Claude Code role file")
+            tracker.skip("claude-md", detail)
+        else:
+            console.print(f"[yellow]Warning:[/yellow] Not creating CLAUDE.md because {memory_constitution} is missing")
+        return
+
     content = (
         "## Claude's Role\n"
         "Read `.specify/memory/constitution.md` first. It is the authoritative source of truth for this project. "

tests/test_ai_skills.py

@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@
     DEFAULT_SKILLS_DIR,
     SKILL_DESCRIPTIONS,
     AGENT_CONFIG,
+    StepTracker,
     app,
+    ensure_claude_md,
 )
 
 
@@ -693,30 +695,39 @@ class TestNewProjectCommandSkip:
     download_and_extract_template patched to create local fixtures.
     """
 
-    @pytest.mark.skipif(
-        shutil.which("bash") is None or shutil.which("zip") is None,
-        reason="offline scaffolding requires bash + zip",
-    )
     def test_init_claude_creates_root_CLAUDE_md(self, tmp_path):
         from typer.testing import CliRunner
 
         runner = CliRunner()
         target = tmp_path / "claude-proj"
 
-        result = runner.invoke(
-            app,
-            [
-                "init",
-                str(target),
-                "--ai",
-                "claude",
-                "--offline",
-                "--ignore-agent-tools",
-                "--no-git",
-                "--script",
-                "sh",
-            ],
-        )
+        def fake_download(project_path, *args, **kwargs):
+            # Minimal scaffold required for ensure_constitution_from_template()
+            # and ensure_claude_md() to succeed deterministically.
+            templates_dir = project_path / ".specify" / "templates"
+            templates_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            (templates_dir / "constitution-template.md").write_text(
+                "# Constitution\n\nNon-negotiable rules.\n",
+                encoding="utf-8",
+            )
+
+        with patch("specify_cli.download_and_extract_template", side_effect=fake_download), \
+             patch("specify_cli.ensure_executable_scripts"), \
+             patch("specify_cli.is_git_repo", return_value=False), \
+             patch("specify_cli.shutil.which", return_value="/usr/bin/git"):
+            result = runner.invoke(
+                app,
+                [
+                    "init",
+                    str(target),
+                    "--ai",
+                    "claude",
+                    "--ignore-agent-tools",
+                    "--no-git",
+                    "--script",
+                    "sh",
+                ],
+            )
 
         assert result.exit_code == 0, result.output
 
@@ -728,6 +739,18 @@ def test_init_claude_creates_root_CLAUDE_md(self, tmp_path):
         assert "`.specify/memory/constitution.md`" in content
         assert "/speckit.plan" in content
 
+    def test_ensure_claude_md_skips_when_constitution_missing(self, tmp_path):
+        project = tmp_path / "proj"
+        project.mkdir()
+
+        tracker = StepTracker("t")
+        ensure_claude_md(project, tracker=tracker)
+
+        assert not (project / "CLAUDE.md").exists()
+        step = next(s for s in tracker.steps if s["key"] == "claude-md")
+        assert step["status"] == "skipped"
+        assert "constitution missing" in step["detail"]
+
     def _fake_extract(self, agent, project_path, **_kwargs):
         """Simulate template extraction: create agent commands dir."""
         agent_cfg = AGENT_CONFIG.get(agent, {})