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Put shared project guidance in a root CLAUDE.md or .claude/CLAUDE.md, use scoped rules for file-specific guidance, and use settings—not prose instructions—for technical restrictions. Then run /context to check loaded instruction and memory files, and /status to inspect settings sources.
Choose the right place for each instruction
Claude Code can combine guidance from several locations. Choose a file by audience and when its contents should apply, rather than putting every preference into one project file.
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| Location or feature | Best for | Shared? |
|---|---|---|
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md |
Your preferences across projects | Personal to your machine |
./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md |
Durable facts and workflows for the project, such as build commands, conventions, and architecture notes | Usually version-controlled for the team |
./CLAUDE.local.md |
Personal instructions for one project | Keep it out of version control; Anthropic recommends adding it to .gitignore |
.claude/rules/ |
Detailed guidance, including rules scoped to matching paths | Project rules can be shared; user-level rules belong in ~/.claude/rules/ |
.claude/settings.json |
Team-shared settings, including permissions, hooks, and plugins | Usually version-controlled |
.claude/settings.local.json |
Personal project-specific settings overrides | Local rather than team-shared |
Managed-policy CLAUDE.md |
Organization-wide instructions administered by IT or DevOps | Managed by the organization |
Anthropic documents these managed-policy locations: /Library/Application Support/ClaudeCode/CLAUDE.md on macOS, /etc/claude-code/CLAUDE.md on Linux and WSL, and C:Program FilesClaudeCodeCLAUDE.md on Windows. Check the memory documentation for current details.
Create useful project instructions
Start with the shared file
Create CLAUDE.md at the repository root or .claude/CLAUDE.md for guidance that should apply to the whole project. Anthropic describes these files as persistent instructions Claude reads at session start. Run /init to have Claude analyze the codebase and propose a starting file. If one already exists, it suggests improvements rather than overwriting it.
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Keep the always-loaded file focused on durable, broadly useful guidance. Name exact commands and locations—for example, the test command to run or the directory that contains request handlers—rather than relying on vague requests. Use Markdown headings and bullets, and remove conflicting or stale directions. Anthropic recommends targeting fewer than 200 lines per CLAUDE.md; this is guidance, not a hard enforcement threshold.
Keep personal guidance out of team files
Use ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md for preferences you want across projects and CLAUDE.local.md for project-specific guidance that should not be committed. A gitignored local file exists only in the worktree where you create it. For personal instructions that should follow you across worktrees, Anthropic documents importing a file from your home directory into the project instructions.
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Control when additional context loads
Understand startup and directory scope
Project and parent-directory instruction files load at startup. Nested instruction files are discovered as Claude works in the corresponding subdirectories. These files add to the context; they do not replace one another. A nested instruction therefore supplements broader guidance rather than silently cancelling it.
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In a CLAUDE.md, use @path/to/file to import material such as a README, package manifest, or workflow guide. Relative paths resolve from the file containing the import. Imported content is expanded into context, and Anthropic’s current documentation limits recursive imports to four hops. Code spans and fenced code blocks are skipped when parsing imports, so putting a path in backticks keeps it literal. A project-level import that resolves outside the working directory can prompt for approval.
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Imports can organize instructions, but they do not reduce context use when their contents load at launch. For conditional or specialized procedures, put Markdown files in .claude/rules/; rules can be scoped to paths. User-level rules belong in ~/.claude/rules/. The official guide describes how rule discovery and path scoping work.
Separate behavioral guidance from technical controls
CLAUDE.md guides behavior; it does not enforce restrictions. Anthropic puts it this way: “Claude treats CLAUDE.md files as context, not enforced configuration, so how you write instructions affects how reliably Claude follows them.” For tool permissions and technical limits, use settings and organization-managed policy instead of relying on a sentence in a memory file.
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Commit .claude/settings.json when settings should be shared with the team; use .claude/settings.local.json for personal project overrides. Settings files require strict JSON: comments and trailing commas cause errors. After changing settings, run /status to see which settings sources Claude Code loaded. For the available controls and policy options, consult Anthropic’s settings documentation.
Check which instructions and context are active
- Run
/context. Inspect the Memory files list to see which instruction files loaded. Use this after creating or changing a file, and especially when testing whether a nested file or imported file is active. - Run
/status. Review the settings sources Claude Code reports after changing settings. - Resolve missing files at the source. Confirm the file is in a supported location and that its scope matches the directory or files you are working with. For imported files, check the path relative to the importing file and handle any approval prompt.
Check AGENTS.md compatibility before depending on it
Support for AGENTS.md depends on configuration, version, and session. Anthropic’s current documentation says Claude Code reads it by default only when no qualifying CLAUDE.md or CLAUDE.local.md exists in the working directory or its parents. The project-instruction setting can be configured to load both, load only CLAUDE.md, or use managed-only instructions.
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The same documentation says direct AGENTS.md reading requires Claude Code v2.1.277 or later and notes that support may not be available in some sessions. If you need compatibility across versions or sessions, import it from CLAUDE.md using @AGENTS.md, then check the Memory files list with /context. Verify the live documentation and your installed version before treating AGENTS.md as the sole source of project instructions.
Keep automatic memory distinct from team instructions
Automatic memory can retain selected knowledge between sessions without requiring someone to edit CLAUDE.md. Anthropic describes it as a machine-local project memory directory containing an index named MEMORY.md and separate topic files. Only the beginning of the index loads at session start; topic files are accessed as needed. Automatic memory is separate from explicit, shared team guidance and can be disabled for a project with autoMemoryEnabled: false or through the CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_AUTO_MEMORY=1 environment variable. See the memory documentation for current behavior.
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