diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89045f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# CLAUDE.md
+
+This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with code in this repository.
+
+## Overview
+
+NSchema.Build is the build/release pipeline tool for NSchema, written as a .NET 10 console
+app. It orchestrates `dotnet` CLI steps (clean, format, restore, build, test, pack) and the
+release process (versioning, changelog, git tag, GitHub release, NuGet publish). It is run
+both locally and from CI, and is also packaged/published as the `NSchema.Build` NuGet package.
+
+## Commands
+
+Run the pipeline locally from the repo root:
+
+```bash
+# CI build pipeline (clean → format → extract → version → changelog → restore → build → test)
+dotnet run --project src/NSchema.Build/NSchema.Build.csproj -- build
+
+# Full release pipeline (adds pack → tag → GitHub release → NuGet publish)
+dotnet run --project src/NSchema.Build/NSchema.Build.csproj -- deploy
+```
+
+Plain `dotnet build` / `dotnet test` work too, but there is no test project yet — `Steps/Test.cs`
+just invokes `dotnet test`. `TreatWarningsAsErrors` is on, so warnings fail the build.
+
+Configuration comes from `appsettings.json` under the `Build` section, overridable via
+environment variables using the `Build__<Key>` convention (e.g. `Build__ProjectFile`,
+`Build__SkipVersion`). See `.github/workflows/cicd.yml` for the CI invocation.
+
+## Architecture
+
+The app is built on the **Hamelin** pipeline framework. `Program.cs` is the whole entry point:
+it sets up DI, binds + validates `BuildOptions`, and dispatches the first CLI arg (`build` /
+`deploy`) to an ordered chain of `.UseStep<T>()` calls. To change what a pipeline does, edit the
+step chain in `Program.cs`; to change *how* a stage behaves, edit the corresponding step.
+
+- **Steps** (`Steps/`) — each implements `Hamelin.IPipelineStep` with a single `Run(...)`
+  method and a `[DisplayName]`. They are registered automatically via
+  `AddStepsFromAssemblyContaining<Program>()`, so a new step just needs to be a class in the
+  assembly and then added to a chain in `Program.cs`. Dependencies (logger, options, command
+  runner, pipeline context) are constructor-injected.
+
+- **State passing** — steps share data through `IPipelineContext.State` (typed get/set), not
+  return values. `ExtractProject` parses the csproj and `context.State.Set(projectInfo)`;
+  later steps (`Version`, `Changelog`, etc.) call `context.State.Get<ProjectInfo>()`. The same
+  context exposes `FileSystem` for file access.
+
+- **Shelling out** — all external commands go through `ICommandRunner`
+  (`CliWrapCommandRunner`, backed by CliWrap). Steps never call `Process` directly; inject
+  `ICommandRunner` and call `commands.Run("dotnet", [...], ct)`.
+
+- **Skip flags** — `Version` and `Changelog` honor `SkipVersion` / `SkipChangelog` on
+  `BuildOptions` (CI sets these to `true` since NSchema.Build versions itself manually).
+
+- **NuGet integration** — `Version` uses the `NuGet.Protocol` API directly against the feed
+  to guard that the project's version is new and strictly greater than the latest published
+  version. `NuGetLoggerAdapter` bridges NuGet's `ILogger` to `Microsoft.Extensions.Logging`.
+
+## Conventions
+
+- Central package management: all versions live in `Directory.Packages.props`;
+  `<PackageReference>` entries in the csproj carry **no** `Version` attribute.
+- `BuildOptions` is validated at startup (`ValidateOnStart`) — required config keys must be
+  present or the app fails fast before any step runs.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/NSchema.Build/Program.cs b/src/NSchema.Build/Program.cs
index 2bf9deb..8e3fe3d 100644
--- a/src/NSchema.Build/Program.cs
+++ b/src/NSchema.Build/Program.cs
@@ -35,6 +35,13 @@
         .UseStep<Build>()
         .UseStep<Test>()
         .RunWithExitCode(),
+    ["verify"] => pipeline
+        .UseStep<Clean>()
+        .UseStep<Format>()
+        .UseStep<Restore>()
+        .UseStep<Build>()
+        .UseStep<Test>()
+        .RunWithExitCode(),
     ["deploy"] => pipeline
         .UseStep<Clean>()
         .UseStep<ExtractProject>()
@@ -53,6 +60,6 @@
 
 static int Help()
 {
-    Console.Error.WriteLine("Usage: nschema-build <build|deploy>");
+    Console.Error.WriteLine("Usage: nschema-build <build|verify|deploy>");
     return 1;
 }