Your AI Has Amnesia — Build the Command Center That Fixes It
Part 2 of 11 — A Practical Guide to Claude Setup
Every system needs a command center. Claude is no exception.
In a well-built Claude setup, that command center is a single file called CLAUDE.md. It loads first, always. It tells Claude who you are, what you do, and which specialized files to pull in depending on the task at hand.
Get this file right and everything else in this series clicks into place. Skip it and your specialized files are orphaned documents that never get used. Without it and you end up getting generic, AI slop.
What CLAUDE.md Actually Does
Think of it less like a document and more like a briefing. Before a meeting, a good assistant reviews the file and arrives prepared. CLAUDE.md is that file.
It answers three questions:
Who is this person and what do they care about? Your name, your role, your organization, your mission, your non-negotiable values.
What kinds of work will we do together? Writing, coding, strategy, communication, facilitation, etc.. Whatever your actual workflow requires.
What specialized file should Claude load for each type of work? This is the routing table. It’s the map that tells Claude what to do. If the task involves writing, load CLAUDE_WRITING.md first. Without this, you have a bio. With it, you have a system.
CLAUDE.md - The Four Sections
Section 1 — Core Identity
Your name. Your role. Your organization. Two or three sentences about what you’re trying to accomplish and why it matters. Write this out in plain language. Claude uses this to gain context about you.
Section 2 — The Routing Table
A simple two-column Markdown table. The task on the left and file to load on the right. This is the most important element in the orchestrator. When Claude sees your request, it checks this table and pulls the right context before responding.
Example:
Task Load This File Writing, articles, content @CLAUDE_WRITING.md Internal memos, leadership emails @CLAUDE_COMMS.md Coding, automation, technical work @CLAUDE_CODING.md Strategy, planning, frameworks @CLAUDE_STRATEGY.md
Section 3 — Core Principles
Four to six non-negotiables that apply to everything. These are the values Claude should never compromise regardless of the task. They should reflect your actual operating philosophy, not generic platitudes. They’re your values!
Section 4 — Quick Reference
Frequently needed context that doesn’t fit cleanly into a specialized file. This section includes your primary tools, your publishing cadence, your active projects, your key relationships, etc...
A Fictional Example
Meet Sarah. She’s the Executive Director of a nonprofit focused on workforce development in underserved communities. Here’s a sketch of her CLAUDE.md:
Core Identity: Sarah Chen, Executive Director of Pathways Forward. We help adults in underserved communities access skills training and employment. Our work is relational, community-rooted, and evidence-based. Success means people getting jobs that change their economic trajectory — not metrics on a dashboard.
Core Principles: Community first. Data informs all our decisions. We measure what matters, but speed without relationship isn’t progress.
Routing Table:
Task Load This File Writing @CLAUDE_WRITING.md Donor communications @CLAUDE_COMMS.md Grant reports @CLAUDE_CODING.md + CLAUDE_WRITING.md Program strategy @CLAUDE_STRATEGY.md
Notice what’s not there: long explanations of her programs, exhaustive background, internal politics. The orchestrator is lean. It routes. The detail lives in the specialized files.
What to Avoid
Too much. CLAUDE.md should be the map, not the territory. If you’re writing more than 600 lines here, you may be putting content that belongs in a specialized file. Keep it lean.
Too vague. “I care about quality” is useless. “I write in short paragraphs, challenge conventional thinking, and always connect back to community impact” is useful.
No routing table. This is the failure mode. Without the routing table, you have to re-explain your context every session. The whole point of the system is that you build it once.
You’ll need a Markdown editor to create/edit .md files. There are lots of options to choose from. If you don’t have one and use a Mac, you can use the free version of bbedit. Any Markdown editor will work.
Your CLAUDE.md Starter Template
# [Your Name] — Claude Setup
## Who I Am
[Name]. [Role] at [Organization].
[One or two sentences about your work and why it matters.]
## Auto-Load Routing
| Task | Load This File |
|------|----------------|
| Writing, content, articles | @CLAUDE_WRITING.md |
| Internal comms, emails, memos | @CLAUDE_COMMS.md |
| Coding, automation | @CLAUDE_CODING.md |
| [Your domain] | @CLAUDE_[DOMAIN].md |
## Core Principles
- [Non-negotiable 1]
- [Non-negotiable 2]
- [Non-negotiable 3]
- [Non-negotiable 4]
## Quick Reference
- Primary tools: [list]
- Active projects: [list]
- Publishing cadence: [if applicable]
Next: Article 03 — the living context document. The file most people never build, and the one the whole system depends on.
