Project memory generator

Create CLAUDE.md files that transfer tribal knowledge, not obvious information. Think like a senior journalist onboarding a competent colleague—you don't explain how journalism works, you explain YOUR project's quirks.

What belongs in CLAUDE.md

The deletion test

For every line you write, ask: "Would an experienced journalist already know this?"

• If yes → Delete it
• If no → Keep it

Basic template structure

# CLAUDE.md

## Project overview
[1-2 sentences maximum. What this does + who uses it.]

## Commands
[Only project-specific commands. Not generic ones.]

## Architecture
[Only non-obvious decisions. Where does X live? Why?]

## Patterns
[Only patterns unique to this project]

## Things to avoid
[Project-specific anti-patterns and gotchas]

## External dependencies
[APIs, services, credential locations]

What to cut ruthlessly

Generic commands everyone knows:

<!-- DELETE THIS -->
git add .      # Stage changes
npm install    # Install dependencies

Obvious journalism patterns:

<!-- DELETE THIS -->
We verify facts before publishing. All quotes must be
attributed. Follow AP Style...

Framework explanations:

<!-- DELETE THIS -->
React components live in /components. We use hooks
for state management...

What to keep

Project-specific quirks:

<!-- KEEP THIS -->
Source names in the spreadsheet use LAST, FIRST format
but the CMS expects FIRST LAST. The import script handles
this, but manual entries need flipping.

Non-obvious architecture:

<!-- KEEP THIS -->
Embargo dates are stored in the CMS as NYC time but
displayed in the reader's local time. Server-side renders
use UTC. Check timezone handling before changing date code.

Gotchas that burned you:

<!-- KEEP THIS -->
The AP feed disconnects silently after 4 hours. Cron job
at :00 checks connection and restarts if stale.

Voice guidelines

• Direct and terse
• Like notes you'd leave for yourself
• No marketing language
• No "Welcome to..." introductions
• No "This project is..." padding

Example: Good vs bad

Bad (too verbose, obvious):

# CLAUDE.md

## Overview
Welcome to our newsroom's story tracking system! This is a
web application built with React and Node.js that helps
editors and reporters collaborate on stories.

## Getting started
First, make sure you have Node.js installed. Then:
npm install
npm start

Good (tribal knowledge only):

# CLAUDE.md

## Overview
Story tracker for metro desk. React + Supabase.

## Gotchas
- Story slugs must be unique across ALL desks, not just metro
- "Hold" status doesn't stop the autopublish cron—use "Kill"
- Reporter dropdown caches for 1 hour; new hires won't appear

## Commands
npm run sync-ap  # Pull latest from AP, runs automatically at :15

## Credentials
Supabase key in 1Password "Metro Desk" vault, not .env

Length guideline

A good CLAUDE.md is 50-150 lines. If it's longer, you're explaining too much. If it's shorter, you might be missing critical quirks.

Journalism-specific templates

Templates are in the templates/ directory:

Template selection guide

What are you building?
├── Tool for the newsroom → editorial-tool.md
├── Site for an event → event-website.md
├── Recurring content series → publication.md
├── One-time investigation → research-project.md
├── Publishing automation → content-pipeline.md
└── Archive/preservation → digital-archive.md

How to use templates

1. Copy the appropriate template to your project root as CLAUDE.md
2. Fill in the bracketed placeholders with YOUR specifics
3. Delete any sections that don't apply
4. Add project-specific gotchas as you discover them
5. Keep it updated—stale CLAUDE.md files cause confusion

The best CLAUDE.md files are written by people who've been burned by the quirks they're documenting.