title: "Starter CLAUDE.md Template" tested_with: claude-code: "1.0.x" last_updated: 2026-03-21 status: battle-tested difficulty: beginner prerequisites: []
Starter CLAUDE.md Template
What This Config Does
A minimal but effective CLAUDE.md that gives Claude Code essential context about your project. This is the "first 5 minutes" config — enough to see immediate improvement in agent output quality.
The Config
# Project: [Your Project Name]
[One sentence describing what this project does.]
## Tech Stack
- Language: [e.g., TypeScript]
- Framework: [e.g., Next.js 14]
- Database: [e.g., PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM]
- Testing: [e.g., Vitest]
## Key Conventions
- [Your most important convention, e.g., "Use functional components with hooks, not class components"]
- [Your second most important convention, e.g., "All API routes go in src/app/api/"]
- [Your third most important convention, e.g., "Run `npm test` before committing"]
## Common Commands
- Build: `npm run build`
- Test: `npm test`
- Dev server: `npm run dev`
# Adapt this by:
# - Replace all bracketed placeholders with your project's actual details
# - Start with 3-5 conventions max — add more over time as you notice repeated corrections
# - Keep the whole file under 50 lines to start
Where to Put It
Place at the root of your project directory as CLAUDE.md. Claude Code automatically reads it at the start of every session.
How to Verify It Works
After creating the file, start a new Claude Code session and ask:
What are the key conventions for this project?
The agent should recite your conventions back to you. If it doesn't mention them, check that the file is named exactly CLAUDE.md (case-sensitive) and is in the directory where you launched Claude Code.
Notes
- This is a starting point. See Module 02: Project Memory for the full progression from starter to advanced CLAUDE.md.
- Don't try to document everything upfront. Add conventions as you notice the agent making the same mistake twice.
- Keep it concise — CLAUDE.md is loaded into every session's context window.