CCA Prep
CCAR-FUA

Lesson 3.1Lesson 13 of 30

CLAUDE.md hierarchy and modules

Configure CLAUDE.md files with appropriate hierarchy, scoping, and modular organization

CLAUDE.md hierarchy and modulesWho must follow this instruction?only meUser~/.claude/CLAUDE.mdnot in gitthe whole team and CIProject CLAUDE.md +.claude/rules/committedone folder or packageDirectory-levelCLAUDE.md@import its standardsUnsure what is loaded? /memory lists the active memory files

Key points

  1. 1Three levels: user ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (only you, all your projects), project ./CLAUDE.md or ./.claude/CLAUDE.md (committed, whole team), directory-level CLAUDE.md in a subfolder (loaded when Claude works with files there).
  2. 2The user-level file never reaches teammates or a CI runner through git. If a new hire or the pipeline "doesn't know" a team rule, look for it in someone's ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and move it to the project file.
  3. 3@path/to/file imports another file into CLAUDE.md. Relative paths resolve from the importing file, and an @ inside a code span or block is not an import. Use it to pull in existing docs or only the standards a package needs.
  4. 4Instead of one 1,000-line CLAUDE.md, keep topic files in .claude/rules/ (testing.md, api.md, security.md). They are discovered automatically and are easier to own and review.
  5. 5Behaviour differs between machines or sessions? Run /memory first: it lists the memory files actually loaded, so you compare facts, not guesses.
What the exam guide checks here

Objective wording from the exam guide (English).

  • 3.1.K1Hierarchy: user ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, project .claude/CLAUDE.md or root CLAUDE.md, directory-level CLAUDE.md
  • 3.1.K2User-level instructions are not shared with teammates via version control
  • 3.1.K3@import syntax keeps CLAUDE.md modular
  • 3.1.K4.claude/rules/ holds topic-specific rule files instead of a monolith
  • 3.1.S1Diagnose hierarchy issues (teammate missing instructions that live at user level)
  • 3.1.S2Use @import to include relevant standards per package
  • 3.1.S3Split large CLAUDE.md into .claude/rules/ topic files
  • 3.1.S4Use /memory to see which memory files are loaded

Lock it in

Answer scenario questions on this topic. Every option comes with an explanation.

Practise 3.1 · 21 questions