Creating a Consistent Project Setup

A well-configured Claude Code project gives Claude the context it needs to understand your goals, files, and project structure. Without this context, Claude may produce work that does not fully match your original intent.

Start by running the /init command in the project terminal. Claude will review the codebase, identify how the project works, and create or update the CLAUDE.md file. This file contains important instructions and context that Claude reads when working on the project.

You can also create project-level folders for:

• Agents, for specialized AI assistants;
• Skills, for reusable instructions and workflows;
• Rules, for project-specific requirements.

Keeping these resources inside the project makes the setup portable. When the repository is shared through GitHub or opened on another device, the same instructions and workflows remain available.

The .claude/settings.local.json file stores local permissions, such as which tools Claude may use without asking. Because it includes .local in the filename, it is normally kept on your device and not shared with the repository. A shared settings.json file can be used when the same permissions should apply to everyone working on the project.

The .mcp.json file can contain project-level MCP server configurations. This is useful when a team needs access to the same integrations, although Claude can often configure these connections automatically.