Make Claude project guidance checkable.
Replace vague instructions with concrete project facts and verify what Claude Code loads.
Read the descriptive transcript
Follow the complete narration and the changes shown in the video. Each example can be copied.
1. Project memory with a clear purpose.
Claude Code reads project guidance from a Claude dot M D file. Use the uppercase filename. Keep this file focused on information Claude needs repeatedly, not a transcript of every past conversation.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Project
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Be careful.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing.On screen
The cursor highlights the relevant source or result while the narration explains it.
2. 01 / Replace advice with a concrete check
Be careful is hard to verify. Replace it with Run N P M test and report failures. This is a fictional project command. A real file should name the checks your repository actually provides.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Project
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing.On screen
The source is edited character by character and its parsed result updates.
3. 02 / Name the action that needs approval
Publishing and sending a message both affect other people. Extend the boundary to cover sending too. Keep these instructions aligned with the permissions configured in the host.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Project
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing. Ask before sending.On screen
The source is edited character by character and its parsed result updates.
4. Inspect memory and loaded context.
In Claude Code, slash memory helps inspect memory files. Slash context shows the loaded context. Use those views when guidance seems missing, instead of assuming that a familiar filename was loaded.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Project
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing. Ask before sending.On screen
Claude Code: /memory and /context
5. Try one ordinary task and one boundary case.
In a disposable project, request a review, then request publication. Check the actual actions, not just the explanation. The file should support the intended workflow, while tool permissions remain separate.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Project
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing. Ask before sending.On screen
The cursor highlights the relevant source or result while the narration explains it.
6. Your turn / Write only what earns its place
Complete Project, Checks, and Boundaries in the exercise. Remove one vague sentence and replace it with something observable. Check the structure, then trial the file in Claude Code.
Source shown
# Garden project
## Project
A guide for a shared garden.
## Checks
Run npm test; report failures.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing. Ask before sending.On screen
The cursor highlights the relevant source or result while the narration explains it.
Use CLAUDE.md for maintained project context
Claude Code supports project instructions in CLAUDE.md or .claude/CLAUDE.md. It also has user-level guidance and automatic memory, which serve different scopes. Instruction files are context for the model, not settings that mechanically enforce every sentence. Anthropic’s memory guide.
A README usually helps people understand a project. A CLAUDE.md can hold working conventions an agent needs repeatedly. Avoid duplicating an entire README when a short reference and a few concrete rules will do.
Improve a vague rule
Before:
Write good documentation. Be careful. Test everything.After, for our fictional garden project:
# Garden project
## Project
Keep garden notes in docs/. Use short headings.
## Checks
Run npm test and report its result.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing or sending messages.The revised version names a location, a writing convention, an actual project command and an external-action boundary. It still needs judgment: a heading can be short and unhelpful. Read the resulting document as well as checking compliance.
Find the file you are actually using
In Claude Code, /memory lists memory-file locations for inspection and editing. Use /context to inspect which files loaded into the current session. A listed location is not the same thing as a loaded instruction. Imports and nested project guidance have their own documented behavior. Inspecting Claude Code memory.
For the exercise, use a disposable folder with one project file first. Ask for a proposed documentation edit and inspect the context before judging the result. Add more scopes only when you can explain why they are needed.
Separate repeated procedures from project facts
“Notes live in docs/” is a project fact. “Review meeting notes and return missing owners” is a reusable task procedure. The latter may belong in a skill loaded when needed. Claude Code supports its own skill discovery and invocation controls; they are not universal YAML fields for every agent host. Anthropic skills guide.
Practice and inspect
Complete the starter with the supplied facts. The browser checks the requested structure and command, not whether Claude will obey. In a real host test, record the host version, loaded file, exact prompt, output and observed result. If the instruction fails, make it more specific or remove conflicting guidance; do not add ten near-duplicate warnings.
Sources checked 17 September 2026. Host behavior can change; verify it against the linked documentation when using these examples.
YOUR TURN
Make the idea your own.
Write a project title and populated Project, Checks and Boundaries sections. Use the fictional npm test command, and state that files must not be published without approval.
Readable result
Garden project
Project
Write good documentation.
Compare with one possible answer
# Garden project
## Project
Keep garden notes in docs/. Use short headings.
## Checks
Run npm test and report its result.
## Boundaries
Ask before publishing or sending messages.This is one approach. Your writing can differ while meeting the same structural goal.
TAKE IT WITH YOU
A concise project file is useful context, not an enforcement system.
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