Projects deep-dive
Use Projects to carry context, files, and instructions across sessions.
When to use Projects vs Cowork vs Chat
Project = multi-file, persistent context, weeks-long. Cowork = single doc, ad hoc, hours-long. Chat = one-off question, minutes-long.
What goes in a Project
CLAUDE.md (project context), 2-5 context files (data dicts, runbooks, code samples), project-specific instructions.
What does NOT go in a Project
Secrets, large binary files, transient state, anything that changes per-session.
I'm starting a new Project called [project-name] for [purpose]. Help me
write a CLAUDE.md for it. Include: project context, conventions, glossary,
do/don't list. 10-15 lines max. I'll iterate.In your lane
Project for api-refactor. CLAUDE.md = project context, conventions, error-handling rules. Context files = the 3 most-referenced code samples.
Project for q3-dashboard. CLAUDE.md = data sources, metric definitions, stakeholder map. Context files = the 2 data dicts and 1 sample query.
Project for runbook-update. CLAUDE.md = runbook format, escalation paths, on-call rotation. Context files = the 3 most-edited runbooks.
Set up one Project today with CLAUDE.md + 2-3 context files.