Run /init to Bootstrap a CLAUDE.md Tailored to Your Project
Starting a CLAUDE.md from a blank file means you have to remember every convention, command, and quirk worth documenting. Let Claude figure it out for you.
/init
Claude scans your project — package files, config, directory structure, existing scripts, test setup, linting tools — and generates a CLAUDE.md that captures the important stuff. For a Laravel project, it might include artisan commands, Pest test conventions, and Pint formatting rules. For a Node project, it picks up your npm scripts, test runner, and build pipeline.
The generated file typically includes:
- Project overview — what the app is and the key technologies
- Common commands — dev, test, lint, build, deploy
- Architecture notes — where things live and how they connect
- Conventions — naming patterns, coding standards, file organization
You're meant to edit the result. /init gives you a solid first draft, not a finished document. Review it, trim what's obvious, and add the things only a human would know — why certain decisions were made, what to avoid, which parts are fragile.
# Generate the initial file
/init
# Then refine it over time
# Add domain terms, team conventions, deployment gotchas
If your project already has a CLAUDE.md, /init won't overwrite it — it respects existing files and offers to enhance what's there instead.
The best CLAUDE.md is one you didn't have to write from zero — /init reads your project so you don't have to explain it.
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When Claude writes error messages, button labels, validation text, or onboarding flows, it defaults to generic developer-speak. Add a "Users" section to your CLAUDE.md describing who your actual users are — their technical level, industry jargon, and what they care about — so Claude writes copy that makes sense to THEM, not to developers.
Use the --agent flag with custom markdown files in .claude/agents/ to launch purpose-built Claude sessions with restricted tools and scoped system prompts.
Every project has traps — the billing module that silently fails if you forget to queue the job, the legacy table with column names that don't match the model, the config value that must be set before tests run. Document these gotchas in your CLAUDE.md so Claude avoids the same mistakes your team spent days debugging.