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Claude.md Explained: A Beginner’s Guide to Claude Code Project Rules and Memory
With AI, the way we write code and scaffold projects is evolving. Instead of relying solely on manual implementation, many teams are adopting spec-driven development (SDD) alongside AI coding assistants.
In this blog, we’ll explore how to set up a project using Claude. Claude offers several configuration options, including claude.md, skills.md, agents, and rules, plugins . This is the part 1 , where we will go through claude.md and followed by the rest.
1. What is Claude.md
claude.md is a markdown (md) file and acts as a central context file for your project. It can include information about your project’s architecture, coding style, conventions, and important notes or tasks. Think of it as a shared reference that helps Claude understand how to work effectively within your codebase.
You can often generate an initial version using an init command , and then refine it over time.
2. Why we need claude.md?
`Claude.md` makes AI tools aligned with the team or personal standards & preferences, to guide your AI tool — what to do eg: do not say — “as an expert..”, or “ask before any destructive action” and so on.
3. Types of Claude.md
In many workflows, claude.md can exist at multiple levels:
