Context Management

Claude Code’s response quality depends on the context it receives.

Initialize Project Understanding

Use /init to help Claude understand your project:

> /init

This generates or updates CLAUDE.md with:

• Project overview and tech stack
• Directory structure
• Common commands and conventions

CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md is your project’s “memory file”. Claude automatically reads it for context.

Create CLAUDE.md:

> Create CLAUDE.md for this project

Recommended contents:

• Build and test commands
• Code style conventions
• Architecture decisions
• Common issues and solutions

Stay Focused

Use /clear to clear context and start fresh:

> /clear

Use when:

• Starting a new task
• Too much irrelevant context accumulated
• Need Claude to re-evaluate the codebase

Specify Files

Reference files directly using Tab completion:

> Look at src/auth/login.ts

Provide External Resources

Let Claude fetch URL content:

> Read https://api.example.com/docs and implement the client

Passing Data

1. Copy/Paste

> Here's the error log: [paste content]

2. Pipe Input

cat error.log | claude "Analyze this log"
git diff | claude "Review these changes"

3. Let Claude Use Tools

> Run tests and analyze failures

4. Read Files

> Read config/database.yml and explain the settings

Interrupt and Redirect

Press Escape to interrupt Claude’s current operation.

> [Press Escape]
> Wait, I forgot to mention this is TypeScript. Please use type annotations.

Best Practices