The outcome
Make Claude Code consistently follow the project’s real conventions.
Step by step
A workflow you can repeat.
- 01
Identify authoritative commands, architecture boundaries, style rules, and prohibited changes.
- 02
Write guidance as short, testable statements in the appropriate project context file.
- 03
Point to canonical examples instead of duplicating large documentation blocks.
- 04
Test the guidance with a small planning task and correct any ambiguous instruction.
- 05
Review the context file when tooling, architecture, or team policy changes.
Working standard
What good use looks like.
- Document enduring rules, not task chatter.
- Prefer checks over subjective wording.
- Keep secrets out of context files.
Official references