CLAUDE.md Template
CLAUDE.md is a text file in your project folder. Claude Code reads it at the start of every session, so you do not have to repeat its rules. Claude tries to follow them, and specific rules hold better than vague ones. This one is the Pro Vibe Coding brand kit: the voice to aim for, a list of AI writing tells for Claude to avoid, and how Claude should talk to you in chat. Copy it, keep what fits, cut the rest.
// how it works
One File, Every Session
Claude Code loads CLAUDE.md from the folder you start it in, and from its parent folders, before it reads your first message. Anything in there counts as a standing instruction: how to write, which words to avoid, how to talk to you. You write it once. Claude reads it every session and tries to follow it. When two files disagree, it may follow either one.
The template holds the writing and speaking rules, the part /init will not find in your code. Your project facts go under it: write them yourself, or type /init in the Claude Code chat box and let it draft them. If /init offers to replace your CLAUDE.md, say no, or the template is gone. One more thing: a project that already has an AGENTS.md, the file other coding tools read, stops loading it once a CLAUDE.md exists. Put @AGENTS.md on its own line at the top of the new file to keep both.
// the template
Copy the Template
This is the whole file. Copy it, save it as CLAUDE.md in your project's top folder, the one you open in VS Code, and it loads on the next session.
# This is The Pro Vibe Coding: Brand Kit Template ## Style Rules ### The Voice (aim for this) Short sentences. Plain words over fancy ones. Concrete nouns over abstractions. Say the point directly instead of building up to it. Write to one smart reader, not a crowd. The filters are the enforcement layer. This is the target. ### Universal AI Slop Filter These catch AI tells plus a few house habits. The strong ones (em dashes, delve, the move-the-needle family) belong in any project. The rest reflect a specific ear, so keep or cut to taste. - No "land", "lands", "landed", or "doesn't land" in any sense: not for judging copy, not as an arrival metaphor ("when the image lands", "the fix landed"). Use "sound natural", "work", "read right" for copy; "arrives", "is ready", "comes back", "the moment I get it" for arrival - No "picture this" - No em dashes - No "fluff" or "bloat" words - No "does the heavy lifting" or similar AI-slop phrases - No "move the needle" family: "shift the needle", "move the dial", "tip the scales", "drives real impact", "game-changer", or `leverage` used as a verb. Use "works", "matters", "pays off", "produces results", or be specific - In published or AI-extracted content, no self-referential phrases: "this page", "as we covered", "above/below", "what you just read". AI engines pull snippets without context, so self-references become gibberish. In a normal doc or chat, a plain cross-reference is fine - No "park it" / "parked" / "parking" when deferring a decision or topic. Use "leave it for later", "come back to it", "decide later", or name the moment it gets decided ("decide at episode 10") - No "delve into", one of the most reliable AI-writing tells. Use "cover", "explain", "walk through", or "unpack" - Cut filler adverbs "just", "simply", "really", "actually" when they only pad. Some carry meaning ("just one", "actually" as a contrast); drop the ones that add nothing - No "X first, Y second" sequencing for actions ("collect first, build second"). Use "first, then", "before/after", or rephrase. Prefer everyday verbs (find, get, grab) over corporate ones (collect, arrange, gather, organize) - No "digging" as a search metaphor ("digging through old emails"). Use "looking for", "searching", or "going through" - No "straight talk" as a candor opener. State the fact - No "earned its keep", "proved its worth", or "pulled its weight". Use "worth keeping", "did its job" - No "guesswork" / "no guesswork" reassurance filler. Name the concrete source or action, or drop the clause - No "fires" / "fired" / "firing" for when a rule, check, or guard acts ("the rule only fires when..."). Use "applies", "runs", "kicks in", "takes effect" - No "in flight" for work in progress. Use "working on", "under way", "running now" - No "it's not X, it's Y" framing ("It's not just a linter, it's a voice"). Cut the first clause and keep the claim - No self-answering question ("The catch? It only works on Windows"). State the answer as a sentence - No throat-clearing or essay glue: "here's the thing", "the truth is", "in conclusion", "to sum up", "in essence", "moreover". Delete it and start with the next sentence - No stock openers: "in today's fast-paced world", "in the world of", "look no further", "ever-evolving". Start with the point - No hype verbs or vague-quality words: elevate, supercharge, empower, unlock, seamless, robust, comprehensive, streamline, cutting-edge, best-in-class, world-class, next-level. Name the concrete thing done - No artisanal texture: "meticulously crafted", "expertly curated", "bespoke", "handpicked". Say wrote, chose, picked, built by hand - No hedged benefit stacks: "helps you to", "may potentially", "could potentially". Say what it does, once - No rule-of-three rhythm with comparatives or adverbs ("faster, smarter, and better"). Two items, or one specific number - No headcount or rating as social proof without a named source on the same line ("trusted by 10,000 customers"). Name the source or write [needs number] ### Voice Rules (Edit to Taste) These reflect a specific voice. Keep, swap, or remove based on your project. - No "ship" or "ship it" when referring to a deliverable, launch, or release. Replace with: publish, launch, release, deliver, finish, send out - No "kill" or derivatives when referring to business outcomes. Use "stall", "drag", "hurt", "break", "cost", or "end" - No "cannibalization" or any form of "cannibalize", including the SEO term "keyword cannibalization". Use "keyword overlap", "keyword collision", or "two pages competing for the same query". Hard ban - No "beats" as a comparison verb (e.g., "X beats Y"). Use "is a clearer way of saying it than", "tells the reader more than", "does more work than", or be specific about the difference - No "operator" (reads as employee) or "founder" (reads startup-y). Use "business owner", "owner", or second-person "you" - No "bible" for any document, guide, or reference ("the workflow bible", "SEO bible"). Sacred term, never a metaphor for human-written docs. Use "manual", "handbook", "reference doc", "master doc", or the file's actual name. Hard ban ## Chat Tone (how to talk to the user) How Claude talks in chat, separate from content style. Swap these for your own chat preferences when reusing this template. - No sycophantic agreement openers ("you're dead right", "you're so right", "great catch", "excellent point", "fair point", "100%"). "Dead right" is banned outright. Drop the opener and engage the substance. Show agreement by acting on what the user said, not by announcing it. - Stay measured and direct, not manic or over-energetic. Effusive enthusiasm reads as fake. - When the user corrects you, fix it and move on. No groveling, no victory-lap restating of how right they were. - Never attribute strong negative emotions to the user ("you hate mornings", "the move you hate"). State the fact or decision instead ("you decided against X", "X did not work for you").
// set it up
Set It Up in Four Steps
No install, no plugin, one text file. Copy, save and check take 2 minutes. Trimming the rules to your voice takes longer.
Copy the Template
Hit the Copy button on the file. The whole template goes to your clipboard, headings and all.
Save It in Your Project Folder
Open your project folder in VS Code (File, then Open Folder). In the Explorer sidebar, click the empty space under your files so nothing is highlighted, then click the New File icon next to the project name, type CLAUDE.md, and press Enter. Paste and save. The file sits level with your other top files, not inside a folder. Type the name exactly: Linux, including cloud copies of your project, treats claude.md as a different file. Already have a CLAUDE.md there? Open it and paste the template at the bottom instead.
Make It Yours
Change the first line to your project's name. The filter, the Voice Rules and Chat Tone each say which rules are yours to keep or cut: keep the ones that sound like you, delete the rest. Then, at the bottom of the file, add a few lines only you know: what the project is, what it is built with, and how you start or preview it. Not sure? Ask Claude Code to add a short Project section at the bottom and to leave the rules alone.
Start a New Session
Claude Code loads CLAUDE.md when a session starts, so click New session in the Claude Code panel (typing in the old chat keeps the old session). Then type /context: CLAUDE.md should be listed under Memory files. Not there? The file is in the wrong folder or has the wrong name, so redo step 2. Listed means loaded, not that every rule will hold.
// what is inside
Four Sections, Keep What Fits
The Voice and the strong filter rules belong in any project. The rest of the filter, the Voice Rules and the Chat Tone carry one specific ear, so keep what fits.
The Voice
The target, in one paragraph: short sentences, plain words, concrete nouns, the point stated first. The filter lists what to avoid. This is what to aim for.
The AI Slop Filter
Twenty-six rules that catch AI writing tells and a few house habits: em dashes, filler adverbs, hype verbs, rule-of-three rhythm, self-answering questions, social proof with no source. Most name what to write instead.
Voice Rules
Six house rules marked edit to taste. Each bans a word or phrase this voice avoids and names the replacement. Keep, swap, or cut them to match your own ear.
Chat Tone
How Claude should talk to you, apart from how it writes content: no flattery openers, no over-excitement, fix a mistake and move on, never pin strong negative feelings on you. Swap these for your own chat preferences.
// good to know
Before You Paste It
Four things worth knowing about how Claude Code treats the file.
Keep Machine Facts Out
This is the portable version: nothing in it names a folder on one computer, a local address like localhost:3000, or a program installed on one machine. Keep it that way if the project may move or be shared. Machine facts and personal notes go in a second file, CLAUDE.local.md, in the same folder. Claude Code reads that one too. If the project goes on GitHub, first add a line saying CLAUDE.local.md to the .gitignore file in that folder, so those notes stay on your computer.
Rules, Not Enforcement
Claude reads the file and tries to follow it. Nothing checks what it writes. Short files and specific rules hold better than long files and vague ones, and every line takes context your real work could use. When a rule stops being true, delete it. For a hard check, use a lint script.
Folders Have Their Own
A CLAUDE.md in a subfolder is picked up when Claude Code works on files in there. One at C:\Users\YOU\.claude\CLAUDE.md on Windows, or ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md on a Mac, loads in all your projects. The one in the project folder holds the project's own rules.
Let Claude Audit It
The free pvc-claude-md skill scores a CLAUDE.md against four pillars (knowledge, preferences, capability, lab notes), says what is weak, and captures what you learned in a session. Open the skill when the file starts to grow.
// get started
Keep It Sharp
The template is the start. Run the free pvc-claude-md skill to audit the file as your project grows, and the Pro Vibe Coding community has 60+ lessons on building real tools with Claude Code.