aid: claude-md
name: CLAUDE.md
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/claude-md/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2025-01-01'
modified: '2026-04-23'
kind: standard
access: Open
position: Standard
specificationVersion: '0.19'
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
  - AI Agents
  - Claude Code
  - Coding Standards
  - Configuration
  - Developer Workflow
  - Markdown
  - Memory
  - Project Configuration
  - Standard
description: >-
  CLAUDE.md is the markdown-based project memory format used by
  Anthropic's Claude Code CLI to give the model persistent,
  session-spanning instructions about a codebase. CLAUDE.md files are
  plain markdown that Claude Code loads at the start of every session
  by walking up the directory tree from the working directory, picking
  up files at organization-managed, user (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), project
  (./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md), and local (./CLAUDE.local.md)
  scopes. The format supports an @path import syntax for composing
  files together (up to five hops, relative or absolute), HTML block
  comments that are stripped before injection, an AGENTS.md import
  pattern for compatibility with other agents, and a complementary
  .claude/rules/ directory of path-scoped markdown rules with YAML
  frontmatter. CLAUDE.md is the human-authored counterpart to Claude
  Code's auto memory at ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/MEMORY.md,
  which Claude writes itself.
apis: []
artifacts:
  - aid: claude-md:format
    name: CLAUDE.md File Format
    tags:
      - Format
      - Markdown
      - Memory
    image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
    properties:
      - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
        type: Specification
      - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#claude-md-files
        type: Documentation
    description: >-
      Plain-markdown file containing project, user, or organization-wide
      instructions that Claude Code loads as a user message at session
      start. Recommended size is under 200 lines per file with concrete,
      verifiable instructions and markdown headers and bullets for
      structure.
  - aid: claude-md:imports
    name: CLAUDE.md @path Imports
    tags:
      - Composition
      - Imports
    image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#import-additional-files
    properties:
      - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#import-additional-files
        type: Documentation
    description: >-
      The @path/to/file syntax expands and inlines another file into a
      CLAUDE.md at load time. Imports support relative and absolute
      paths, recursive imports up to five hops, and are commonly used
      to pull in README, AGENTS.md, package.json, or shared instruction
      files from a user's home directory.
  - aid: claude-md:scopes
    name: CLAUDE.md Scope Hierarchy
    tags:
      - Hierarchy
      - Scope
    image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#choose-where-to-put-claude-md-files
    properties:
      - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#choose-where-to-put-claude-md-files
        type: Documentation
    description: >-
      CLAUDE.md resolves through four scopes: managed policy
      (organization-wide, distributed via MDM/Group Policy), user
      (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), project (./CLAUDE.md or
      ./.claude/CLAUDE.md checked into source control), and local
      (./CLAUDE.local.md, gitignored). All discovered files are
      concatenated into context rather than overriding each other.
  - aid: claude-md:rules
    name: .claude/rules/ Directory
    tags:
      - Path-Scoped
      - Rules
    image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#organize-rules-with-claude/rules/
    properties:
      - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#organize-rules-with-claude/rules/
        type: Documentation
    description: >-
      The .claude/rules/ directory holds modular markdown rule files
      with optional YAML frontmatter declaring a paths list of glob
      patterns. Rules without paths load at launch alongside CLAUDE.md;
      path-scoped rules load only when Claude reads matching files.
  - aid: claude-md:auto-memory
    name: Claude Code Auto Memory
    tags:
      - Auto Memory
      - MEMORY.md
    image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
    humanURL: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#auto-memory
    properties:
      - url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#auto-memory
        type: Documentation
    description: >-
      Auto memory is the machine-managed companion to CLAUDE.md. Claude
      Code maintains ~/.claude/projects/<project>/memory/MEMORY.md as a
      concise index plus topic files written and read by the agent
      across sessions. The first 200 lines or 25 KB of MEMORY.md load
      at session start.
common:
  - type: Specification
    url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memory#claude-md-files
  - type: Vendor
    url: https://www.anthropic.com/
  - type: Tools
    url: https://code.claude.com/
  - type: Settings Reference
    url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings
  - type: Hooks Reference
    url: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/hooks
  - type: JSONLD
    url: json-ld/claude-md-context.jsonld
  - type: X-NaftikoCapabilities
    url: capabilities/claude-md-capabilities.yml
  - type: LlmsText
    url: https://claude.com/llms.txt
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com