Claude Code Memory Reference

Memory files (CLAUDE.md) provide persistent instructions that Claude loads every session.

Memory Hierarchy (Priority Order)

Priority	Location	Purpose	Shared With
1 (highest)	Enterprise policy	Organization rules	All users
2	`./CLAUDE.md`	Project instructions	Team via git
3	`./.claude/CLAUDE.md`	Alternative project location	Team via git
4	`./.claude/rules/*.md`	Modular project rules	Team via git
5	`~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`	Personal preferences	Just you
6	`./CLAUDE.local.md`	Personal project prefs	Just you (gitignored)

File Locations

code

/Library/Application Support/ClaudeCode/CLAUDE.md  # Enterprise (macOS)
./CLAUDE.md                                         # Project root
./.claude/CLAUDE.md                                 # Alternative project
./.claude/rules/*.md                                # Modular rules
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md                                 # User global
~/.claude/rules/*.md                                # User modular rules
./CLAUDE.local.md                                   # Project personal

Basic CLAUDE.md

markdown

# Project Instructions

## Code Style
- Use TypeScript for all new files
- Prefer functional components in React
- Use ESLint and Prettier for formatting

## Commands
- Build: `npm run build`
- Test: `npm test`
- Lint: `npm run lint`

## Architecture
- Components in `src/components/`
- API routes in `src/api/`
- Types in `src/types/`

Importing Files

Use @path/to/file to import other files:

markdown

# Project Memory

See @README.md for project overview.
See @package.json for available commands.

## Team Guidelines
@docs/guidelines.md

## Personal Preferences
@~/.claude/my-prefs.md

Import rules:

•Relative and absolute paths allowed
•Max depth: 5 hops
•Not evaluated in code blocks

Modular Rules (.claude/rules/)

Organize rules by topic:

code

.claude/rules/
├── code-style.md
├── testing.md
├── security.md
└── api-design.md

Path-Specific Rules

Use frontmatter to scope rules:

markdown

---
paths: src/api/**/*.ts
---

# API Development Rules

- All endpoints must validate input
- Use consistent error response format
- Document with OpenAPI comments

Glob Patterns

Pattern	Matches
`*/.ts`	All TypeScript files
`src/*/`	All files under src/
`*.md`	Markdown in root
`src/components/*.tsx`	React components
`src/*/.{ts,tsx}`	TS and TSX in src/

Memory Commands

Command	Description
`/memory`	View/edit memory files
`/init`	Bootstrap CLAUDE.md
`/memory user`	Edit user memory
`/memory project`	Edit project memory

Best Practices

Be Specific

markdown

# Good
- Use 2-space indentation
- Name React components with PascalCase

# Bad
- Format code properly
- Use good naming

Use Structure

markdown

# Build Commands
- `npm run build` - Production build
- `npm run dev` - Development server

# Test Commands
- `npm test` - Run all tests
- `npm test:watch` - Watch mode

Keep Updated

Review and update memory as project evolves.

Example: Full Project Memory

markdown

# MyApp Project

## Overview
React + TypeScript web application with Express backend.

## Quick Commands
- Dev: `npm run dev`
- Test: `npm test`
- Build: `npm run build`
- Deploy: `npm run deploy`

## Code Style
- TypeScript strict mode
- Functional React components
- CSS Modules for styling
- Jest for testing

## Architecture
- `src/client/` - React frontend
- `src/server/` - Express backend
- `src/shared/` - Shared types

## Common Patterns
- Use `useQuery` for API calls
- Validate props with Zod schemas
- Log errors to Sentry

## Git Workflow
- Feature branches from `main`
- Squash merge PRs
- Conventional commit messages

Symlinks

Share rules across projects:

bash

# Symlink shared rules
ln -s ~/shared-rules .claude/rules/shared

# Symlink specific file
ln -s ~/company-security.md .claude/rules/security.md

Symlinks are followed during loading.

Debugging

bash

# View loaded memory
/memory

# Check what files are loaded
# Memory command shows all active files

For complete documentation, see:

•memory-full.md - Complete memory reference