referencing other files fail if set @filename.md in CLAUDE.md

[shioshosho]

it seems referencing /filename.md when open up chat buffer. does someone have same problem or solution?

[olimorris]

This is nowhere near descriptive enough for me to be able to help you

[shioshosho]

I'm sorry, my previous explanation was too brief because I'm not good at English. Here are the details.

What is happening

When I open the chat buffer, I get as many errors as there are @filename.md references:

Could not find the rules file filename.md

When the chat buffer is opened, it looks like the following, and you can see that CLAUDE.md is specified as the rules:

    ## Me

    > Context:
    > - <rules>/home/username/.claude/CLAUDE.md</rules>

Debug Info is as follows:

-- Adapter: "Copilot"
-- Buffer Number: 11
-- Following Buffer: "/home/username/.dotfiles/.config/nvim/zettelkasten/notes/daily/2026-01-24.md" (8)

local settings = {
model = "gpt-4.1", -- "gpt-4o",
temperature = 0.1,
max_tokens = 16384,
top_p = 1,
n = 1,
}

local messages =
{ {
_meta = {
cycle = 1,
id = 1855459927,
index = 1,
tag = "system_prompt_from_config"
},
content = "You are an AI programming assistant named "CodeCompanion", working within the Neovim text editor.\n\nYou can answer general programming questions and perform the following tasks:\n* Answer general programming questions.\n* Explain how the code in a Neovim buffer works.\n* Review the selected code from a Neovim buffer.\n* Generate unit tests for the selected code.\n* Propose fixes for problems in the selected code.\n* Scaffold code for a new workspace.\n* Find relevant code to the user's query.\n* Propose fixes for test failures.\n* Answer questions about Neovim.\n* Prefer vim.api* methods where possible.\n\nFollow the user's requirements carefully and to the letter.\nUse the context and attachments the user provides.\nKeep your answers short and impersonal, especially if the user's context is outside your core tasks.\nUse Markdown formatting in your answers.\nDO NOT use H1 or H2 headers in your response.\nWhen suggesting code changes or new content, use Markdown code blocks.\nTo start a code block, use 4 backticks.\nAfter the backticks, add the programming language name as the language ID and the file path within curly braces if available.\nTo close a code block, use 4 backticks on a new line.\nIf you want the user to decide where to place the code, do not add the file path.\nIn the code block, use a line comment with '...existing code...' to indicate code that is already present in the file. Ensure this comment is specific to the programming language.\nCode block example:\nlanguageId {path/to/file}\n// ...existing code...\n{ changed code }\n// ...existing code...\n{ changed code }\n// ...existing code...\n\nEnsure line comments use the correct syntax for the programming language (e.g. "#" for Python, "--" for Lua).\nFor code blocks use four backticks to start and end.\nAvoid wrapping the whole response in triple backticks.\nDo not include diff formatting unless explicitly asked.\nDo not include line numbers unless explicitly asked.\n\nWhen given a task:\n1. Think step-by-step and, unless the user requests otherwise or the task is very simple. For complex architectural changes, describe your plan in pseudocode first.\n2. When outputting code blocks, ensure only relevant code is included, avoiding any repeating or unrelated code.\n3. End your response with a short suggestion for the next user turn that directly supports continuing the conversation.\n\nAdditional context:\nAll non-code text responses must be written in the English language.\nThe current date is 2026-01-24.\nThe user's Neovim version is 0.12.0.\nThe user is working on a Linux machine. Please respond with system specific commands if applicable.\n",
opts = {
visible = false
},
role = "system"
}, {
_meta = {
cycle = 1,
id = 2083625573,
index = 2,
tag = "rules"
},
content = "# Claude Code Entry Point\n\n## SuperClaude Entry Point\n\nThis file serves as the entry point for the SuperClaude framework.\nYou can add your own custom instructions and configurations here.\n\nThe SuperClaude framework components will be automatically imported below.\n\n═══════════════════════════════════════════════════\nSuperClaude Framework Components\n═══════════════════════════════════════════════════\n\n### Core Framework\n\[email protected]\[email protected]\[email protected]\n\n### Behavioral Modes\n\n@MODE_Brainstorming.md\n@MODE_Introspection.md\n@MODE_Orchestration.md\n@MODE_Task_Management.md\n@MODE_Token_Efficiency.md\n\n### MCP Documentation\n\n@MCP_Context7.md\n@MCP_Playwright.md\n@MCP_Sequential.md\n@MCP_Serena.md\n",
context = {
id = "/home/username/.claude/CLAUDE.md"
},
opts = {
visible = false
},
role = "user"
} }

As you can see in the content of Debug Info, CLAUDE.md contains declarations such as @FLAGS.md and @PRINCIPLES.md to instruct Claude to reference files. When codecompanion tries to reference them as context, the following code in codecompanion/interactions/chat/rules/helpers.lua:170-178 is executed, and I believe it tries to search for the files using the cwd as the root:

    -- Check if the file exists in the current working directory
    if file_utils.exists(vim.fs.joinpath(vim.fn.getcwd(), path)) then
      path = vim.fs.joinpath(vim.fn.getcwd(), path)
    else
      -- Otherwise, check the wider filesystem
      if not file_utils.exists(path) then
        return log:warn("Could not find the rules file `%s`", path)
      end
    end

If you need any more information, please let me know.

[olimorris]

Perhaps check how I've setup the internal rules in CodeCompanion. They're in the .codecompanion folder

[shioshosho]

Thank you for providing the example.
I set it up the same way, but as expected, using a relative path from the current directory makes it the root, so it didn't work (like @./tests/helpers.lua).
I didn't really want to use this method, but I worked around it by specifying an absolute path like @~/.claude/FLAGS.md.