Introduction to projects directly to claude.ai

What are Projects?

Projects are ideal for storing knowledge that Claude should reference, organising related chats around a specific topic or work area, and collaborating with team members who need access to the same shared context.

When to use Projects

Projects are particularly valuable when you're working on something ongoing—not just a one-off question. Consider creating a project when you have a workflow with:

1. Reference materials you'll use repeatedly (meeting notes, survey results, reports, historical data, etc.)

2. Consistent requirements for how Claude should respond (always use formal language, always cite sources, always follow our template)

3. Team collaboration needs where multiple people should work from the same foundation

Creating your first project

Setting up a project takes just a few minutes. Here's how to get started:

Step 1: Set up your project

1. Hover over the left sidebar and click "Projects," or navigate directly to claude.ai/projects

2. Click "+ New Project" in the upper right corner

3. Give your project a descriptive name (e.g., "Q4 Marketing Campaign" or "Product Documentation")

4. Add a brief description of what you're working on. While Claude doesn't see this description directly, it helps you and your teammates understand the project's purpose.

5. Choose your visibility settings: keep it private or share with your organisation (for Claude for Work users)

Step 2: Add project instructions

Project instructions tell Claude how to behave across all conversations in this project. Click on "Instructions" to open the instructions panel.

Good project instructions typically include:

1. Context about what you're working on: "This project is for creating marketing content for our B2B software product."

2. Process instructions: "First consider a blog structure that will entice this audience, then write the draft."

3. Tone and style preferences: "Use a professional but conversational tone. Avoid jargon when possible."

4. Specific requirements: "Always include a call-to-action at the end of marketing copy."

5. Once you've written your instructions, click "Save instructions." These will apply to every chat in this project and work alongside any user preferences and styles you've set.

You can also use project instructions to automate workflows — for example, "When I upload a meeting transcript, create a structured summary using this template." Think of instructions as programming Claude's behaviour for this project.

Step 3: Build your knowledge base
Your project's knowledge base is where you upload documents that Claude should reference. You'll find the files menu on the right side of your project's main page.

Click the "+" button to add content. You can upload various file types, including PDF, DOCX, CSV, TXT, HTML, and more. You can also connect to Google Drive to link documents directly.

What to upload:

1. Reference documents (brand guidelines, style guides, templates)

2. Background materials (research reports, meeting notes, requirements docs)

3. Examples of work you want Claude to emulate

4. Technical documentation or specifications

Collaboration features
For users on Claude for Work (Team and Enterprise) plans, projects become even more powerful through collaboration features.