CLAUDE.md
May 4, 2026 · View on GitHub
Project Overview
- Name: my-claude-code-setup
- Description: Template repository providing CLAUDE.md templates, memory bank system, hooks, skills, subagents, and MCP server configurations for Claude Code projects
- This is a template repo — no application code. Users fork/copy files to their own projects.
CLAUDE.md Templates
This repo provides 3 CLAUDE.md templates following official Anthropic best practices:
| Template | Lines | Philosophy |
|---|---|---|
CLAUDE-template-1.md | ~101 | Compact self-contained + memory resilience |
CLAUDE-template-2.md | ~153 | Memory bank headline + dual memory |
CLAUDE-template-3.md | ~105 | Progressive disclosure native (this file's format) |
For migrating an existing CLAUDE.md to a new template, see CLAUDE-migrate-to-new-template.md.
Tools
Use rg not grep, fd not find. tree is not installed.
- Ignore GEMINI.md and GEMINI-*.md files
Rules Dependency
This template requires .claude/rules/core-rules.md for behavioral rules. If .claude/rules/ is missing or empty, alert the user and direct them to https://github.com/centminmod/my-claude-code-setup to obtain the companion rules files.
Memory System
This project uses a dual-memory architecture:
Primary (git-shared): CLAUDE-*.md files in repo root — read on demand:
| File | Read When |
|---|---|
| CLAUDE-activeContext.md | Session start (state and goals) |
| CLAUDE-patterns.md | Before implementing (code patterns) |
| CLAUDE-decisions.md | Before design choices (ADRs) |
| CLAUDE-troubleshooting.md | When debugging (known fixes) |
| CLAUDE-config-variables.md | When touching config |
Shadow (machine-local): Native auto memory mirrors key content for resilience:
| Auto Memory File | Mirrors | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| memory/MEMORY.md | Index of all memory bank files | Always loaded (200 lines) |
| memory/patterns.md | CLAUDE-patterns.md | Survives CLAUDE.md reset |
| memory/architecture.md | CLAUDE-decisions.md | Survives CLAUDE.md reset |
| memory/build.md | Build, Test & Verify section | Survives CLAUDE.md reset |
All optional — check existence first. Exclude CLAUDE.md and CLAUDE-*.md from commits.
Sync Workflow
After significant work: update CLAUDE-*.md files, then sync key content to auto memory topic files.
If CLAUDE.md is ever reset or wiped, auto memory retains project knowledge — check /memory to recover context.
Backups
When asked to backup, copy CLAUDE.md, CLAUDE-*.md files, and .claude/ settings to the specified backup directory.
Context Layers
| Layer | Location | Loads | Shared | Resilient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project context | This file | Always | Git | No |
| Core rules | .claude/rules/core-rules.md | Always | Git | Yes |
| Auto memory | memory/MEMORY.md | Always (200 lines) | No | Yes |
| Auto memory topics | memory/*.md | On demand | No | Yes |
| Path-scoped rules | .claude/rules/*.md | Matching files | Git | Yes |
| User rules | ~/.claude/rules/*.md | Always | No | Yes |
| Skills | .claude/skills/ | On demand | Git | Yes |
| Personal overrides | CLAUDE.local.md | Always | No | Local |
| Memory bank | CLAUDE-*.md | On demand | Git | No |
Use /memory to inspect loaded files. Root CLAUDE.md survives /compact.
Claude Code Official Documentation
When working on Claude Code features (hooks, skills, subagents, MCP servers), use the claude-code-guide subagent (natively built into Claude Code) for questions about Claude Code CLI features, hooks, slash commands, MCP servers, settings, IDE integrations, Claude Agent SDK, and Claude API usage.