CLAUDE.md examples from real projects

How real projects brief Claude Code: the commands, conventions and warnings they put in CLAUDE.md.

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GitHubCLAUDE.md

awesome-copilot / templates

github/awesome-copilot/skills/repo-standardizer/templates/CLAUDE.md

Telegraph style. Root rules only.

39k8d agoDiscuss

GitHubCLAUDE.md

gh-aw / engines

github/gh-aw/docs/src/content/docs/engines/claude.md

Select and authenticate Claude Code as the AI engine for GitHub Agentic Workflows, understand its capabilities and limitations, and start from an example.

5.2k4mo agoReads credentialsDiscuss

GitHubCLAUDE.md

gh-aw / engines

github/gh-aw/pkg/workflow/data/engines/claude.md

Shared engine configuration for Claude Code. -->

5.2k4mo agoDiscuss

About CLAUDE.md

What is CLAUDE.md?

A file Claude Code reads at the start of every session. It holds the commands, conventions and warnings the agent needs for this project.

Where does it go?

At the repository root. Claude Code also reads CLAUDE.md files in subdirectories when it works there.

What should it contain?

Build and test commands, the project's layout, conventions that aren't obvious from the code, and mistakes to avoid. Short files tend to work better than long ones.

CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md?

Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md; most other agents read AGENTS.md. Many projects keep one and point the other at it.