Overview

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flowchart TB
    subgraph project["Project root (commit to git)"]
        CM[CLAUDE.md]
        subgraph dotclaude[".claude/"]
            SJ[settings.json]
            RL[rules/*.md]
            SK[skills/*/SKILL.md]
            AG[agents/*.md]
            CMD[commands/*.md legacy]
        end
    end
    subgraph local["Personal (gitignored)"]
        CML[CLAUDE.local.md]
        SLJ[settings.local.json]
    end
    subgraph global["~/.claude/ (all projects)"]
        GCM[CLAUDE.md]
        GSK[skills · agents · rules]
    end
    CM --> Claude[Claude Code session]
    dotclaude --> Claude
    local --> Claude
    global --> Claude

Piece	Path	Commit?	Role
Team memory	CLAUDE.md	✓	Loaded every session — stack, workflow, conventions
Personal memory	CLAUDE.local.md	✗	Your overrides on top of team instructions
Permissions	.claude/settings.json	✓	Allow/deny tools, env vars, hooks
Personal permissions	.claude/settings.local.json	✗	Extra allows (Docker, web, etc.)
Rules	.claude/rules/*.md	✓	Modular instructions; can be path-scoped
Skills	.claude/skills/*/SKILL.md	✓	/name workflows; can auto-invoke
Commands	.claude/commands/*.md	✓	Legacy single-file skills (still works)
Agents	.claude/agents/*.md	✓	Isolated subagent personas with own tools

Official reference: Explore the .claude directory.

1. Developer starts claude in the project
2. CLAUDE.md, rules/, and settings.json load into the session
3. Permissions gate which tools can run
4. Claude invokes a skill (/project:code-review) or agent (isolated context)
5. Answer returns in the terminal

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cd guides/claude-code-dot-claude
chmod +x install-template.sh
./install-template.sh /path/to/your-project
cd /path/to/your-project
claude

Inside Claude Code:

/init                    # optional: bootstrap CLAUDE.md from your repo
/project:code-review     # skill from template
/agents code-reviewer    # delegate review to subagent

What's in this guide

Path	Purpose
TUTORIAL.md	Full step-by-step walkthrough
template/	Copy-paste .claude/ layout with working examples
install-template.sh	Install template into any project directory
assets/claude-folder-anatomy.{html,gif,png}	Hand-drawn anatomy diagram source + renders
assets/claude-code-workflow.{html,gif,png}	Qwen-style session workflow source + renders
assets/render_diagrams.py	Regenerate PNG/GIF from HTML

Read the full tutorial →{ .md-button .md-button--primary }