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Module 4 · Lesson 4.4 · 11 min

Folder Structure for Agents

Organise your company files so an agent can find the right document on its own, quickly and safely.

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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.

1Use one folder per business area

Inside Company, keep the areas from Module 2: sales, marketing, finance, operations, plus clients, templates, drafts, reports, originals and archive. Each area gets a short README or its own small CLAUDE.md if it has special rules. Subfolder CLAUDE.md files load when Claude works with files there.

Terminal
mkdir -p ~/Company/{sales,marketing,finance,operations,clients,templates,drafts,reports,originals,archive}
2Name files so they sort and explain themselves

Use dates first in YYYY-MM-DD format, lowercase words and hyphens: 2026-09-proposal-hartley-roofing.md. No spaces, no final_v2. Claude can find and sort these instantly, and so can you.

3Keep originals separate and protected

Exports, signed contracts and source data go in originals and are never edited. Working copies and outputs go elsewhere. Add a red line for it in CLAUDE.md, and later lock it with permissions.

4Put a folder map in CLAUDE.md

A short map in the handbook tells Claude where things live, so it goes straight to the right place instead of searching everything.

Prompt for Claude
Look at the folders in this Company directory and add a Folder map section to CLAUDE.md: one line per folder saying what goes in it and what never goes in it. Keep it under 15 lines.
5Let Claude help you tidy, safely

Ask for a reorganisation plan first, in plan mode, and approve it before any files move. Moving files is reversible, but only if you know what moved where.

Prompt for Claude
Propose a plan to reorganise the files in this folder into our structure. Show a table of current path and proposed path. Do not move anything until I approve. Keep a log of every move in reports/reorg-log.md.
MDCompany CLAUDE.md TemplateTemplateMDAgent-Friendly Folder Structure GuideGuide

An agent is only as good as what it can find. If your proposals live in Downloads, your price list is called final_v3_REAL.xlsx and last year's reports sit next to this year's, Claude will waste time and, worse, use the wrong file with total confidence.

The good news: a folder structure that works for agents is simply one that would also work for a new hire. Clear areas, predictable names, originals kept separate from working files, and a map written into your handbook. The full guide is in this module's materials.

Key points

  • An agent is only as good as what it can find.
  • One folder per area, predictable names, dates first.
  • Originals are never edited.
  • A folder map in CLAUDE.md saves searching.
  • Plan before any reorganisation, and log every move.

Avoid

  • Leaving key documents in Downloads or on the desktop.
  • Keeping five versions of the price list with no clear current one.
  • Letting Claude move hundreds of files without a plan and a log.
  • Mixing personal files into the Company folder.
Real-world example: a marketing agency

Tom's agency had client files spread across three shared drives. They created one clients folder with a subfolder per client, each holding a brief.md with the client's goals, voice and do-not-mention list. When Claude drafts anything for a client, it reads that brief first because the folder map says so. Drafts that previously mixed up two clients' product names stopped doing it.

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