Set up Claude Projects for recurring work. Write custom instructions that make Claude an expert in your domain. Build a personal knowledge base Claude can always reference.
Here's a full custom instructions template.
A Project is a persistent workspace inside claude.ai. It has three components that all conversations in the project share:
Most people's custom instructions are too vague to matter. "Be helpful and concise" is not an instruction â it's Claude's default. Good custom instructions give Claude specific, non-obvious information about your context.
Here's a full custom instructions template. Adapt it to your work:
# About Me and My Work I'm [name], a [role] at [company/org]. My work focuses on: [1-2 sentences about what you do] My primary outputs are: [documents, code, analysis, communications â what you actually make] # My Expertise Level Things I know well (don't over-explain): - [domain 1] - [domain 2] Things I'm still learning (be patient and thorough): - [domain 3] - [tool you're learning] # My Working Style When I ask for feedback, give me your honest assessment first, then suggestions. Don't soften bad news. When I ask for writing help, I'm the editor â you help me improve my draft, not replace it. When I ask a question, answer directly. Don't preface with "Great question!" or similar. # My Domain Context [Key jargon, acronyms, or context specific to your work that Claude would otherwise get wrong] Examples: - In my company, "sprint" means a 2-week cycle - "The portal" refers to [specific system] - Our main product is [description] # Format Preferences - Use markdown headers to organize long responses - Bullet points for lists, numbered for steps - Keep responses under 400 words unless I ask for something comprehensive - For code: include comments, prefer readability
# About Me I'm a Customer Success Manager at a B2B SaaS company. I manage 40 enterprise accounts, each paying $50K-$500K/yr. My primary outputs: QBR decks, success plans, escalation write-ups, internal handoff notes, and customer emails. # Expertise Know well: customer success methodology, SFDC, Gainsight, churn analysis, executive-level communication. Still learning: SQL for data pulls, Python for automation. # Working Style I need direct feedback. If a customer email sounds weak or defensive, tell me before I send it. For QBR content: prioritize what executives care about (ROI, risk, roadmap) â not feature lists. # Context "Red account" = churn risk within 90 days "GRR" = Gross Revenue Retention "NRR" = Net Revenue Retention (includes expansion) "EBR" = Executive Business Review "CSP" = Customer Success Plan # Format For customer-facing content: professional, warm, concise. For internal docs: direct, no fluff, action-oriented. Response length: match the task. A quick answer can be one sentence.
Upload these documents to your Project's knowledge base and Claude will reference them in every conversation without you needing to paste them:
# Company Context â [Your Company Name] # Last updated: [date] ## What We Do [2-3 sentence plain-English description] ## Our Customers Primary buyer: [role/title] Company size: [range] Industries: [list] Key pain points we solve: [list] ## Our Product Core value prop: [1 sentence] Main features used by most customers: - [feature 1]: [what it does, why it matters] - [feature 2]: [what it does, why it matters] ## Pricing [General structure â not sensitive details] ## Competitors [Competitor]: stronger at [X], weaker at [Y] [Competitor]: stronger at [X], weaker at [Y] ## Internal Terminology [Term]: [what it means internally] [Term]: [what it means internally] ## Key Stakeholders [Name, role, what they care about] [Name, role, what they care about]
Before moving on, confirm understanding of these key concepts: