diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 9b32b1f..2cd76a9 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ Full guide in `CONTRIBUTING.md`; the operationally important parts (the ones tha
 
 - **Branch off `dev`** (the default branch) and open PRs **against `dev`**. `production` is the maintainer-only stable track — never target it directly.
 - PRs are **squash-merged**, so the **PR title becomes the commit** and must be a [Conventional Commit](https://www.conventionalcommits.org). The title — not the branch commits — is what release-please reads to compute the next version, so it matters even though individual commits are squashed away. A `PR Title` CI check enforces it.
-- Type → bump (pre-1.0, so `feat` and breaking `!` both bump **minor**): `feat` minor; `fix`/`perf`/`deps`/`revert`/`refactor` patch; `docs`/`chore`/`test`/`ci`/`build`/`style` are hidden and bump nothing. Allowed scopes are free-form.
+- Type → bump: `feat` **minor**; `fix`/`perf`/`deps`/`revert`/`refactor` **patch**; `docs`/`chore`/`test`/`ci`/`build`/`style` are hidden and bump nothing. Allowed scopes are free-form.
+- ⚠️ **A `!` (or `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer) bumps the MAJOR — do not use it casually.** The configs set `bump-minor-pre-major: true`, but that only applies **below 1.0.0**; we are on 5.x, so it is inert and a breaking marker means exactly what semver says. A `refactor(cloud)!:` PR title once produced a `6.0.0-beta.1` release PR for what was only a flag rename in an unconsumed beta. Because PRs are squash-merged, **the PR title IS the commit** — the `!` lands even if no branch commit carried it.
 - **Never hand-edit `package.json` version, `CHANGELOG.md`, or the `.release-please-manifest*.json` files** — release-please owns all of them. `src/types/generated/schema.types.ts` is likewise generated (openapi-typescript).
 - A first-time contributor must sign the CLA (the CLA Assistant bot comments on the first PR); the CLA check must be green to merge.
 - **CI (`.github/workflows/cli-ci.yml`) runs on every PR** including forks: gitleaks secret scan, `pnpm lint`, `pnpm typecheck`, `pnpm build`, `pnpm audit --audit-level moderate`. The **integration tests need the private `devicecloud-dev/dcd` mock-api** (cloned via the `DCD_SSH_DEPLOY_KEY` secret), and GitHub withholds secrets from fork and Dependabot PRs — so `pnpm test` is **skipped there** and a maintainer runs the full suite before merge. gitleaks also runs as a pre-commit hook (allowlist in `.gitleaks.toml`); without the binary installed the hook self-skips and CI is the backstop.