Overview

In a regular Claude chat, every new conversation starts fresh. You might find yourself constantly re-explaining the same context ("I'm a product marketer at this company working on a new product that does...") or re-uploading the same reference material in every chat.

A project is a dedicated, self-contained workspace with its own instructions, knowledge base, and memory. Everything inside a project is completely isolated: the instructions, knowledge, and memory don't get shared into anything else, and nothing else gets shared in.

Projects are best used for ongoing pieces of work you're managing solo, or something you're collaborating on with a team where everyone needs to work from the same foundation.

The Three Parts of a Project

A project has three components:

Instructions tell Claude how to behave across all conversations in this project. Think of these as the brief Claude reads before every single chat.

A knowledge base is where you upload files you want Claude to reference: documents, brand guidelines, research, examples of work you want Claude to emulate. You can also link Google Drive or other data sources.

Memory is built up over time as you use the project. Claude remembers context from your conversations within the project. Note that this requires "Generate memory from chat history" to be enabled in your settings. If this is turned off, Claude won't build up memory in projects (or regular chats). You can find this under Settings.

Beyond these three parts, a chat inside a project feels just like a regular Claude chat.

Setting Up a Project

To create a project, find Projects in the left sidebar and click "New Project." Give it a clear name and description. Make these self-explanatory so that if you have multiple projects or share with your team, everyone can easily see what each one is for.

You can set visibility at creation: either share with your whole organisation or keep it private (with the option to invite specific people later).

Writing Project Instructions

Instructions shape how Claude thinks and responds in every chat within the project. When writing them, consider including:

• Context about what this project is (e.g. "This project is for creating marketing copy for my business-facing software product")

• Tone and style preferences (e.g. "Use a professional but conversational tone. Avoid technical jargon.")

• Specific requirements or desired outcomes

There's no strict template. Think about everything you want Claude to know going into every chat you create. As with any prompt, the more specific you are, the better the output.

You can also add tools here, giving Claude access to certain connectors you want available in this project.

Building the Knowledge Base

Upload files you want Claude to reference across all chats in the project. This might include reference documents, brand guidelines, research, or examples of work you want Claude to emulate.

Two practical tips:

Name your files descriptively. Claude uses filenames to understand what's in each document. "Claude-Skills-Help-Centre-April-2026.pdf" works much better than "document1.pdf."

Upload generously. You can load thousands of pages or dozens of documents into a project's knowledge base. Upload whatever you think is relevant.

The Iteration Loop

Good project instructions are rarely perfect on the first attempt. The best approach is to use the project, notice what's not right, correct it in the chat, and then update the instructions.

Here's the practical workflow:

1. Start a chat in your project and do some real work.

2. When something isn't right (too long, wrong tone, missing detail), give Claude feedback in that conversation.

3. Once you're happy with how it's responding, ask Claude to update the instructions:

"Based on this conversation and the feedback I've given you, how would you update the project instructions to get this right from the start in future chats? Show me the updated version."

1. Review the suggested update, then paste it into your project instructions.

2. Start a new chat to confirm the improvements carry over.

Every correction you make and fold back into the instructions makes the project stronger. Over time, you'll do this less and less as the instructions get more refined.

The same applies to the knowledge base. When new documentation comes out or you discover something through your work, drop new files in or update existing ones. If you're updating a file, delete the old version when you add the new one. Otherwise Claude could get confused by both versions of the same document.

Sharing Projects

On Team and Enterprise plans, you can share projects with colleagues. Instead of everyone setting up their own version of the same thing, you build one project with the right instructions, knowledge base, and foundation, and everyone works from that.

Three permission levels control access:

• Can view: can view project contents, access knowledge, and chat, but can't make changes to the project itself

• Can edit: can modify instructions, update knowledge, manage members, and actively contribute

• Project creators: control everything, including who sees the project and whether to share with specific people or the whole organisation

In the projects sidebar, you'll see three tabs: "Your projects" (everything you've created), "Team" (projects shared with your whole organisation), and "Shared with you" (projects someone has shared with you specifically).

Project sharing is currently only available on Team and Enterprise plans, and projects can't be shared outside your organisation.

Pause Here

Before you move on, go build a project. Think about a piece of work where you're constantly re-uploading the same documents or re-explaining the same context.

Give it a name, write some simple instructions, upload your key files, then have a few chats and see how it goes. If something's not right, refine the instructions or the knowledge base and keep going.

Key Takeaways

• Projects are isolated workspaces with their own instructions, knowledge base, and memory. Nothing leaks in or out.

• Instructions are the brief Claude reads before every chat in the project. Include context, tone preferences, and specific requirements.

• Name files descriptively and upload generously. Claude uses filenames to understand content, and the knowledge base can handle thousands of pages.

• Iterate on your instructions through real use. Correct Claude in conversation, then ask it to suggest updated instructions. The project gets better every time you use it.

• Share projects on Team and Enterprise plans so your team works from the same foundation instead of everyone building their own.