Documenting with CLAUDE.md

Documenting with CLAUDE.md

Purpose

Machine-first documentation that loads automatically with code. Two-level hierarchy: root overview + per-module context.

Not for human browsing - for instant AI understanding.

Templates

Root CLAUDE.md (required):

# Project Name

## Purpose
What this does and why it exists

## Architecture Overview
High-level design, key patterns

## Module Index
- `src/​auth/` - Authentication (see src/​auth/​CLAUDE.md)
- `src/​api/` - REST API (see src/​api/​CLAUDE.md)

## Tech Stack
- Language/​framework
- Key dependencies

## Development
See ~/​.claude/​CLAUDE.md for standard workflow

Module CLAUDE.md (significant modules only):

# Module: Authentication

## Purpose
Handles user authentication and sessions

## Responsibilities
- User login/​logout
- Token generation/​validation
- Session management

## Key Files
- `auth_service.py` - Core logic
- `token_handler.py` - JWT operations

## Dependencies
- **Uses:** db, utils
- **Used by:** api

## Public Interface
- `authenticate(email, password) -> Token`
- `validate_token(token) -> User`

## Architecture Decisions
- JWT for stateless auth (no session storage)
- 24-hour token expiry

When to Create

Significant modules (3+ files, distinct domain):

• Create module CLAUDE.md
• Add to root module index
• Update when responsibilities/​interface change

Don't create for:

• Single-file directories
• Test directories
• Utility folders (<3 simple files)

Code Comments

Comment the "why" not the "what":

# ❌ Bad (obvious)
if user_type == "premium":
    return total * 0.2  # Return 20% discount

# ✅ Good (explains rationale)
if user_type == "premium":
    return total * 0.2  # 20% incentivizes membership

Always comment:

• Non-obvious algorithms
• Performance/​security decisions
• Bug workarounds
• Business logic rationale

Usage Patterns

New module: Create module CLAUDE.md from template, add to root module index, keep updated as code evolves.

Existing code: Start with root CLAUDE.md and module index, then add CLAUDE.md for significant modules along with docstrings and comments.

Maintenance

Keep current:

• Update module CLAUDE.md when responsibilities change
• Update root index when modules added/​removed
• Update docstrings when signatures change
• Outdated docs worse than no docs