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Module 4 · Lesson 4.2 · 14 min

CLAUDE.md as Your Company Handbook

Create a company CLAUDE.md that tells Claude who you are, what you sell, who you serve and how you sound.

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Module 4
Your Business Brain

Write your business down once. Every session starts knowing it.

Bruno Ashford
Bruno Ashford · Module 401 / 12
The problem
On Monday it wrote in your voice. On Tuesday it had never heard of you.
Bruno Ashford
Bruno Ashford · Module 402 / 12
Why AI forgets

The context window is a desk

If it is not on the desk, Claude does not know it.

  • Every session starts with a clear desk
  • Files, messages and replies fill it
  • When it is full, quality drops
  • /context shows what is on it
Bruno Ashford · Module 403 / 12
Two kinds of memory

What carries over between sessions

CLAUDE.mdAuto memory
Who writes itYouClaude
What it holdsInstructions and factsLearnings and preferences
LoadedEvery sessionEvery session
Edit with/memory or any editor/memory
Bruno Ashford · Module 404 / 12
The handbook

What goes in your CLAUDE.md

  1. 1CompanyWho we are in one paragraph
  2. 2OffersWhat we sell and for how much
  3. 3ClientsWho we serve and who we do not
  4. 4VoiceConcrete rules, real examples
  5. 5Red linesWhat never happens
  6. 6Folder mapWhere everything lives
Bruno Ashford · Module 405 / 12
Guidance from Anthropic's docs

Keep the handbook lean

~200lines per CLAUDE.md, recommended ceiling
1rule per line
@imports for longer documents
Bruno Ashford · Module 406 / 12
Rules

Red lines, standards, quality bars

Three different jobs. Write them separately.

  • Red lines: must never happen
  • Standards: how we always do it
  • Quality bars: checked before you see it
  • Test every red line by breaking it
Bruno Ashford · Module 407 / 12
Guidance vs. enforcement
CLAUDE.md guides the agent. Permissions and hooks lock the door.
Bruno Ashford
Bruno Ashford · Module 408 / 12
Folders

If a new hire could find it, so can the agent

Structure is context you never have to type.

  • One folder per business area
  • Dates first: 2026-09-proposal.md
  • Originals never edited
  • A folder map in CLAUDE.md
Bruno Ashford · Module 409 / 12
Long sessions

Four commands that keep answers sharp

  1. 1/contextSee how full the desk is
  2. 2/compactSummarise and keep going
  3. 3/clearFresh start between tasks
  4. 4Handover noteSave decisions to a file
Bruno Ashford · Module 410 / 12
Your project

A tested company handbook

Write it, then prove it on three real tasks.

  • Loaded and visible in /context
  • Knows your client, offer and voice
  • Refuses two red-line tests
  • Under about 200 lines
Bruno Ashford · Module 411 / 12
Recap
Stop re-explaining your business. Write it down once, and let every session start from there.
Bruno Ashford
Bruno Ashford · Module 412 / 12
01 / 12

Use ← → to move. The marker highlights text and the pencil draws on the slide; navigation locks while you annotate. Undo removes the last mark, Esc exits.

1Know where the file goes

Put CLAUDE.md in the root of your Company folder (it can also live at .claude/CLAUDE.md). It is loaded whenever you start Claude Code in that folder or below it. A personal file at ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md applies to all your projects, which is good for your own preferences but not for company facts.

2Let Claude draft the first version

The /init command asks Claude to explore the folder and create a starting CLAUDE.md. It was designed for software projects, so for a business folder it is often better to ask directly and give it your raw material.

Prompt for Claude
Create a CLAUDE.md in this folder that works as our company handbook. Use the template in materials/04-company-claude-md-template.md as the structure. Fill in what you can from the files in this folder, and leave clear placeholders where you need information from me. Then ask me the questions you need answered, five at a time.
3Fill in the sections that matter most

Start with five: company in one paragraph, offers and prices, ideal clients, voice and tone, and the folder map. Be specific. "Friendly but professional" says nothing. "Short sentences, no jargon, we say fixed fee never estimate" changes the output.

4Keep it short and pull in detail with imports

Anthropic recommends keeping each CLAUDE.md under about 200 lines, because longer files use more context and get followed less reliably. Keep the handbook tight and point to longer documents with @ imports, for example @docs/pricing.md. Imported files load along with the handbook, so link only what Claude needs in most sessions.

5Check it loaded, then run the test again

Restart Claude Code in the folder, run /context and confirm CLAUDE.md appears under memory files. Then ask the question from lesson 4.1 again. The difference is the lesson.

Prompt for Claude
Without looking at any other files, tell me: who is our ideal client, what is our main offer, and how do we sound in emails?
6Update it as you work

When you correct Claude on something that should always apply, tell it to add the rule to CLAUDE.md. You can also open the file any time with /memory and edit it yourself. A handbook that never changes goes stale.

Prompt for Claude
Add this to CLAUDE.md under Voice and tone: we never use the word cheap, we say affordable or fixed fee.
MDCompany CLAUDE.md TemplateTemplateMDAgent-Friendly Folder Structure GuideGuide

Every good company has a handbook, even if it only lives in the founder's head. What we sell, who we sell to, what we never do, how we talk to clients. New hires absorb it over months. Claude can absorb it in seconds, if you write it down.

CLAUDE.md is a plain text file that Claude Code reads automatically at the start of every session in that folder. Put one at the top of your Company folder and every task, from a proposal to a spreadsheet, starts already knowing your business. The complete fill-in template is in this module's materials.

Key points

  • CLAUDE.md is read automatically at the start of every session.
  • Put company facts in the Company folder, personal preferences in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md.
  • Specific beats generic, especially for voice.
  • Keep it under about 200 lines and import longer documents with @.
  • Update it every time you correct something that should always apply.

Avoid

  • Writing a 900-line handbook that nobody, human or AI, will follow.
  • Describing your voice with adjectives instead of concrete rules and examples.
  • Putting client secrets or passwords in the handbook.
  • Writing it once and never updating it.
Real-world example: a roofing contractor

Dave's handbook is 70 lines. It says the company does residential roofing within 40 miles, three offers (repair, full replacement, gutter packages) with typical price ranges, ideal customers (homeowners 35 to 65 with insurance claims), and the voice (plain, reassuring, never pushy, always mention the 10-year workmanship guarantee). Before the handbook, every quote follow-up needed rewriting. After it, his office manager sends most drafts with one or two small edits.

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