diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index f73f5b94..0ea420c7 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -221,6 +221,24 @@ Examples of good bisection:
 When the user says "bisect commit" or "bisect and push," split staged/unstaged
 changes into logical commits and push.
 
+## Community PR guardrails
+
+When reviewing or merging community PRs, **always AskUserQuestion** before accepting
+any commit that:
+
+1. **Touches ETHOS.md** — this file is Garry's personal builder philosophy. No edits
+   from external contributors or AI agents, period.
+2. **Removes or softens promotional material** — YC references, founder perspective,
+   and product voice are intentional. PRs that frame these as "unnecessary" or
+   "too promotional" must be rejected.
+3. **Changes Garry's voice** — the tone, humor, directness, and perspective in skill
+   templates, CHANGELOG, and docs are not generic. PRs that rewrite voice to be
+   more "neutral" or "professional" must be rejected.
+
+Even if the agent strongly believes a change improves the project, these three
+categories require explicit user approval via AskUserQuestion. No exceptions.
+No auto-merging. No "I'll just clean this up."
+
 ## CHANGELOG + VERSION style
 
 **VERSION and CHANGELOG are branch-scoped.** Every feature branch that ships gets its