This is the most important file in your entire AI workspace. Everything else builds on top of it.

CLAUDE.md is a plain text file you create in your workspace folder. Every time Claude Code starts a session, it reads this file first — before you say a single word. It gives Claude the context it needs to work effectively with your business without you having to explain yourself from scratch every time.

What CLAUDE.md Is

Think of it as a permanent briefing document — the kind of onboarding document you would give a new employee. Except this employee forgets everything when the shift ends, so they read the briefing at the start of every shift.

CLAUDE.md answers the questions Claude would otherwise waste your time asking:

• What is your business?
• What products do you sell?
• What are your goals and benchmarks?
• Who are your key contacts and suppliers?
• What tone should I write in?
• What should I avoid?

Where It Lives

CLAUDE.md lives in the root of your workspace folder — the top-level folder you opened in VS Code. If your folder is called amazon-business, the file path would be:

amazon-business/
└── CLAUDE.md        ← goes here

The name must be exactly CLAUDE.md (all caps) for Claude Code to auto-load it.

What to Put in It

Here is a starter template you can copy and adapt. Replace everything in brackets with your actual information.

# My Amazon Business — AI Context

## Who I Am
- I am an Amazon FBA seller in the [your category] niche
- I sell on Amazon.com (US marketplace)
- My brand name is [Brand Name]
- Business started: [year]

## My Products
- ASIN [B0XXXXXXXX] — [Product Name] — [brief description, launch date]
- ASIN [B0XXXXXXXX] — [Product Name] — [brief description, launch date]
- [Add more as needed]

## PPC / Advertising Goals
- Target ACoS: [X]%
- Max TACoS I will tolerate: [X]%
- Daily budget cap (total): $[X]
- I use [Sponsored Products / Sponsored Brands / both]

## Inventory Goals
- Reorder point: [X] units (enough for [X] days)
- Lead time from supplier: [X] weeks
- FBA warehouse buffer: I try to keep [X]+ days of cover at Amazon

## Key Contacts
- Main supplier: [Name / Company] — contact: [Name], email: [email]
- Freight forwarder: [Name / Company]
- Accountant/bookkeeper: [Name]

## Brand Voice (for writing product copy, emails, etc.)
- Tone: [friendly / professional / casual / expert — choose one]
- Write in second person (you/your) when addressing customers
- Avoid: [any phrases or styles you want Claude to avoid]
- Example sentence that sounds like my brand: "[paste an example]"

## Files and Folders
- Reports are in the /reports folder
- Product notes are in the /products folder
- Email templates are in the /emails folder

## Preferences
- When I ask for analysis, give me specific numbers and actionable recommendations — not general advice
- When I ask for writing, give me complete drafts — not outlines
- Keep responses concise unless I ask for detail
        

How Much Detail Should You Add?

More is better, but do not let perfect be the enemy of done. A basic CLAUDE.md with your top 3 ASINs, your ACoS target, and your brand tone is already 10x better than no CLAUDE.md.

You can always add to it later. In fact, you should — as you discover what context Claude most often needs, add it here.

What CLAUDE.md Is NOT

CLAUDE.md is for stable, long-term context — things that are true about your business for months or years. It is not for:

• Session-to-session notes or evolving details (that is what MEMORY.md is for — next module)
• One-time task instructions (type those in the chat)
• Data files like sales reports (those go in your /reports folder)

Exercise: Write Your First CLAUDE.md

1. In VS Code, create a new file in your workspace folder root named CLAUDE.md
2. Copy the template above and replace the bracketed placeholders with your real information
3. Save the file
4. Open the Claude Code panel and start a new session — you do not need to say anything about your business. Instead, type: “What do you know about my business?” and see what Claude says
5. If Claude describes your business accurately, your CLAUDE.md is working

That last step is important — it confirms Claude is actually reading the file. If it does not mention anything from your CLAUDE.md, check that the file is named exactly CLAUDE.md (all caps) and is in the root of your open workspace folder.