CLAUDE.md vs memory
You now have two tools that do something that sounds identical: give Claude context that survives between conversations. CLAUDE.md and memory. So which do you use when?
The confusion clears up the moment you ask one question: who writes it, and who’s it for?
CLAUDE.mdis something you write down on purpose and share with your team. Memory is something Claude keeps for you and only you.
Side by side
| CLAUDE.md | Memory | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | You, deliberately | Claude, as it learns |
| Where it lives | In the repo (or your ~/.claude) | Privately on your machine |
| Who sees it | Your whole team (project file) | Only you |
| What it’s good for | Facts about this project | Things about how you work |
| How you change it | Edit the file | /memory, or just tell Claude |
The rule of thumb
Ask yourself: would a new teammate need to know this too?
- “This project uses pnpm and the dev server is
npm run dev.” → Every teammate needs it. CLAUDE.md, in the repo, committed to git. - “I’m still learning, so define jargon when you use it.” → That’s about you, not the project. Memory (or your personal
~/.claude/CLAUDE.md).
The dividing line is shared facts vs. personal context. Project truths go in the file everyone gets. Your own working style is yours to keep.
The overlap that trips people up
Here’s the honest part: there’s a gray zone, and that’s fine.
Your personal ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and your memory overlap a lot — both are private, both are about you. The difference is mostly who maintains it: the personal CLAUDE.md is a file you tend by hand, while memory is something Claude grows on its own and you prune when needed.
Don’t agonize over it. If you’re not sure, ask: do I want to write this down once and forget it (a file), or let it build up as Claude learns me (memory)? Either way the context sticks — you haven’t made a mistake by picking the “wrong” one.
What’s next
You’ve sorted out lasting context. Next up is lasting actions — the slash commands you’ve been typing (/clear, /memory) are a whole toolkit you’ve barely touched. Let’s tour what’s already there.