diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 840fda8..d415c40 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,7 +2,13 @@
 
 All notable changes to TrimKit are documented here.
 
-## [0.5.0] - Unreleased
+## [0.5.1] - Unreleased
+
+### CLAUDE.md guidance
+- Pull before branching — injected instruction to run `git pull --ff-only` before creating worktrees or branches
+- Issue tracker hygiene — injected instructions to apply pre-existing labels and include acceptance criteria when creating or editing issues
+
+## [0.5.0]
 
 ### Hooks
 - `no-chaining` — blocks `&&`/`||` chaining in Bash tool calls; allowlist covers safe read-only commands and npm scripts
diff --git a/settings/claude-md.md b/settings/claude-md.md
index 1314535..cc2ddf1 100644
--- a/settings/claude-md.md
+++ b/settings/claude-md.md
@@ -71,3 +71,14 @@ Semicolons are not blocked and can be used to sequence commands:
 ```bash
 WORKTREE=/path/to/wt MAIN=/path/to/main; for item in .env; do ln -sf "$MAIN/$item" "$WORKTREE/$item"; fi
 ```
+
+## Creating or editing issues
+
+When creating or editing issues in any tracker (GitHub Issues, GitLab Issues,
+Jira, Linear, Azure DevOps, etc.):
+
+1. **Apply pre-existing labels** — query the tracker for its current labels,
+   tags, or categories and apply every applicable one. Never leave an issue
+   uncategorized and never invent new labels without asking.
+2. **Include acceptance criteria** — every issue must list specific, testable
+   conditions that define when the work is done.