HotMarks

Give your prompts weight. Semantic formatting plugin for Claude Code.

What is HotMarks?

When you talk to Claude Code, every word in your prompt is treated equally. A casual remark and a critical rule carry the same weight. HotMarks changes that.

With HotMarks, you can mark specific parts of your prompt as:

| What you type | What it means | What Claude does | |---------------|---------------|------------------| | **do not delete the database** | Directive — a hard rule | Claude treats this as non-negotiable. No exceptions. | | __make sure tests pass__ | Critical — top priority | Claude prioritizes this above everything else. |

Everything else in your prompt stays normal priority.

Example

You type this in Claude Code:

Refactor the auth module **do not change the public API** and __ensure all tests pass__

HotMarks automatically tells Claude:

• "do not change the public API" is a hard rule — follow it exactly
• "ensure all tests pass" is critically important — prioritize it

No extra steps. No setup menus. Just type your markers and submit.

Install

Step 1: Add the plugin

Open Claude Code and run:

claude plugin add hotmarks

Step 2: Create your config (optional)

npx hotmarks setup

This creates a .hotmarks file in your project folder. You can skip this — HotMarks works with sensible defaults out of the box.

That's it. HotMarks is now active on every prompt you submit.

How to Use

Marking a directive (hard rule)

Wrap text in double asterisks — **like this**:

Build the payment API **never log credit card numbers**

Claude will treat "never log credit card numbers" as an absolute constraint it cannot violate.

Marking critical emphasis (top priority)

Wrap text in double underscores — __like this__:

Fix the login bug __this is blocking production__

Claude will treat "this is blocking production" as the highest-priority concern.

Using both together

Migrate the database **do not drop any tables** and __zero downtime required__

Claude knows:

• "do not drop any tables" → hard rule, must obey
• "zero downtime required" → most important concern

What about code blocks?

HotMarks is smart — it ignores markers inside code blocks. So this:

Show me how to use `**bold**` in markdown

won't trigger a directive. Only markers in your regular prompt text are detected.

Configuration

HotMarks works without any configuration. If you want to customize behavior, edit the .hotmarks file in your project root:

{
  "mode": "reminder",
  "skipCodeBlocks": true
}

Modes

| Mode | What it does | |------|-------------| | reminder | Adds context explaining your markers to Claude (default) | | transform | Replaces markers with explicit tags like [DIRECTIVE: ...] | | both | Does both |

Where HotMarks looks for config

1. .hotmarks in your current project folder
2. .hotmarks in your home directory (~/.hotmarks)
3. Built-in defaults (if no file found)

Update

To update HotMarks to the latest version:

claude plugin remove hotmarks
claude plugin add hotmarks

Uninstall

Remove the plugin

claude plugin remove hotmarks

Remove the config file (optional)

npx hotmarks uninstall

Or just delete the .hotmarks file from your project folder manually.

How It Works (Technical)

1. You type **text** or __text__ in your prompt
2. On submit, the UserPromptSubmit hook fires
3. HotMarks parses your prompt for markers (skipping code blocks)
4. Based on your config mode, it injects semantic context via additionalContext
5. Claude receives structured priority information alongside your prompt

The plugin runs entirely locally. No data is sent anywhere. No network requests.

Development

npm install       # install dependencies
npm run build     # compile TypeScript
npm test          # run all 31 tests

Run locally

claude --plugin-dir .

Requirements

• Node.js 18 or newer
• Claude Code CLI
• Zero runtime dependencies

Star History

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Security

See SECURITY.md for reporting vulnerabilities.

License

MIT — see DISCLAIMER.md for full terms of use.

Built by Tawaar Technologies with Claude Code