CLAUDE.md — Starter Template

Purpose: The entry point for Claude Code. This file is auto-loaded when Claude Code opens your project. Use it to point to your .agent/ directory where the real rules live.

Copy this file to CLAUDE.md in your project root and customize it.

# Project: [your-project-name]

## GitHub

- **Required gh user:** [your-username]
- Before any `git push`, verify the active gh account: `gh auth status`

## Instructions

All project rules live in `.agent/`. Read on session start:
- `.agent/instructions.md` — project context, tone, workflow
- `.agent/escalation-levels.md` — L0–L3 autonomy boundaries
- `.agent/commands.md` — session commands (start session, end session)

Why Keep CLAUDE.md Thin

CLAUDE.md is loaded automatically on every interaction. Keep it minimal:

  • GitHub/auth config — things Claude needs before pushing
  • Pointers to .agent/ — where the detailed rules live

The .agent/ directory holds the real methodology: instructions, escalation levels, commands, memory, shared context. Those files are modular, code-reviewed, and shared across the team. CLAUDE.md just wires them up.

Other Tools

CLAUDE.md is Claude Code-specific. Other tools have their own entry points:

  • Cursor: .cursorrules
  • GitHub Copilot: Workspace instructions
  • ChatGPT / Claude web: Paste .agent/instructions.md at conversation start

The .agent/ directory works with all of them — only the entry point changes.

Created by Mats Ljunggren — from daily use across 17 repos.