diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 4792fef8..7e2713f1 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ Vite SPA. Code is organized by feature under `apps/client/src/features/*` (mirro
 ## Conventions
 
 - **Code comments must be in English.**
+- **Errors must never be swallowed or shown as generic messages.** Every caught error MUST (1) be logged in full to the console/logger — error name, message, stack, `cause`, and (for HTTP/provider failures) the status code and response body — and (2) be surfaced to the user with a *specific, human-readable explanation of what actually went wrong*, never a bare generic string like "Something went wrong" / "Could not start recording" / "Transcription failed". Include the real reason (the underlying error/provider message) in the user-facing text. On the server, wrap third-party/provider failures with `describeProviderError` (or equivalent) and rethrow as a meaningful HTTP status + message — never let them collapse into an opaque 500. On the client, `console.error(<context>, err)` the raw error AND show the extracted reason (e.g. `err.response?.data?.message`, or the error `name: message`) in the notification.
 - The version string shown in the UI comes from `APP_VERSION` (CI/Docker) or `git describe --tags --always` (local), resolved in `vite.config.ts` — not from `package.json`.
 - Server TS config is permissive (`noImplicitAny: false`, `strictNullChecks: false`, `no-explicit-any` lint disabled). Follow the existing relaxed style rather than tightening types broadly.
 - Dependency versions are heavily pinned via `pnpm.overrides` and `pnpm.patchedDependencies` (`scimmy`, `yjs`) in the root `package.json`. Don't bump pinned/patched deps casually; the patches and overrides exist for compatibility/security reasons.