My 5 tips for the most important file in Claude Code: 1. It's your table of contents 2. Don't write it from scratch, run /init 3. Treat the starter as a draft 4. Give Claude a folder map 5. Keep it under 200 lines #claudecode #aitools #aiworkflow #claudeai #aitips

There is one file in Claude code that controls how smart it actually is. And most people set it up completely wrong. So here are my five tips to build it the right way step by step. And stick around for number five because it's the one most people skip. Number one, what even is it? So your Claude MD is essentially just your table of contents for all of your other files. So you might have hundreds of files. But this is the one that Claude reads automatically at the start of every single session. So it's an index that points Claude to everything else that it might need. Number two, don't write it from scratch. This is where people get very overwhelmed, but don't worry. You don't need to write it yourself. Just run the slash command in it and let AI build it for you. Number three, treat the starter as a draft. So once you run the slash command, review it and make sure that everything is accurate. So go through it, fix anything that's wrong and make sure you're reviewing it over time if anything changes. Number four, give Claude a map. So drop in a quick summary as well as a simple folder tree of where all of your important stuff lives. Now Claude will know exactly where to look instead of like digging around blind. Number five, keep it under 200 lines. So this file loads into every single session. So if it gets too big, Claude actually pays less attention to the stuff that actually matters. Keeping it as lean as possible is always going to be more productive.