CLAUDE.md

aid: claude-md
name: CLAUDE.md
x-type: convention
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/claude-md/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
deliveryModel:
  model: unknown
  open_source: false
  commercial: false
  callable_host: false
  label: Delivery model not determined — needs a product licence on record
  confidence: low
  source:
  - none
  generated: '2026-08-28'
  method: derived
accessModel:
  pricing: unknown
  onboarding: unknown
  trial: false
  try_now: false
  public: false
  label: Unknown
  confidence: low
  source: []
  generated: '2026-07-22'
  method: derived
created: '2025-01-01'
modified: '2026-04-23'
kind: standard
access: Open
position: Standard
specificationVersion: '0.23'
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/claude-md.png
tags:
- AI Agents
- Claude Code
- Coding Standards
- Configuration
- Developer Workflow
- Markdown
- Memory
- Project Configuration
- Standard
description: CLAUDE.md is the markdown-based project memory format used by Anthropic's Claude Code CLI to give the model persistent,
  session-spanning instructions about a codebase. CLAUDE.md files are plain markdown that Claude Code loads at the start of
  every session by walking up the directory tree from the working directory, picking up files at organization-managed, user
  (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), project (./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md), and local (./CLAUDE.local.md) scopes. The format supports
  an @path import syntax for composing files together (up to five hops, relative or absolute), HTML block comments that are
  stripped before injection, an AGENTS.md import pattern for compatibility with other agents, and a complementary .claude/rules/
  directory of path-scoped markdown rules with YAML frontmatter. CLAUDE.md is the human-authored counterpart to Claude Code's
  auto memory at ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/MEMORY.md, which Claude writes itself.
apis: []
artifacts:
- aid: claude-md:format
  name: CLAUDE.md File Format
  tags:
  - Format
  - Markdown
  - Memory
  image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
  humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
  properties:
  - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
    type: Specification
  - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#claude-md-files
    type: Documentation
  description: Plain-markdown file containing project, user, or organization-wide instructions that Claude Code loads as a
    user message at session start. Recommended size is under 200 lines per file with concrete, verifiable instructions and
    markdown headers and bullets for structure.
- aid: claude-md:imports
  name: CLAUDE.md @path Imports
  tags:
  - Composition
  - Imports
  image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
  humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#import-additional-files
  properties:
  - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#import-additional-files
    type: Documentation
  description: The @path/to/file syntax expands and inlines another file into a CLAUDE.md at load time. Imports support relative
    and absolute paths, recursive imports up to five hops, and are commonly used to pull in README, AGENTS.md, package.json,
    or shared instruction files from a user's home directory.
- aid: claude-md:scopes
  name: CLAUDE.md Scope Hierarchy
  tags:
  - Hierarchy
  - Scope
  image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
  humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#choose-where-to-put-claude-md-files
  properties:
  - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#choose-where-to-put-claude-md-files
    type: Documentation
  description: 'CLAUDE.md resolves through four scopes: managed policy (organization-wide, distributed via MDM/Group Policy),
    user (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), project (./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md checked into source control), and local (./CLAUDE.local.md,
    gitignored). All discovered files are concatenated into context rather than overriding each other.'
- aid: claude-md:rules
  name: .claude/rules/ Directory
  tags:
  - Path-Scoped
  - Rules
  image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
  humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#organize-rules-with-claude/rules/
  properties:
  - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#organize-rules-with-claude/rules/
    type: Documentation
  description: The .claude/rules/ directory holds modular markdown rule files with optional YAML frontmatter declaring a paths
    list of glob patterns. Rules without paths load at launch alongside CLAUDE.md; path-scoped rules load only when Claude
    reads matching files.
- aid: claude-md:auto-memory
  name: Claude Code Auto Memory
  tags:
  - Auto Memory
  - MEMORY.md
  image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
  humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#auto-memory
  properties:
  - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#auto-memory
    type: Documentation
  description: Auto memory is the machine-managed companion to CLAUDE.md. Claude Code maintains ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/MEMORY.md
    as a concise index plus topic files written and read by the agent across sessions. The first 200 lines or 25 KB of MEMORY.md
    load at session start.
common:
- type: Website
  url: https://www.claude.com/
- type: Specification
  url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
- type: Documentation
  url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#claude-md-files
- type: Vendor
  url: https://www.anthropic.com/
- type: Tools
  url: https://code.claude.com/
- type: Settings Reference
  url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings
- type: Hooks Reference
  url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/hooks
- type: JSONLD
  url: json-ld/claude-md-context.jsonld
- type: LlmsText
  url: https://claude.com/llms.txt
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com