Capture what to remember for next time
At the end of a session, have Claude Code summarize the work and propose short CLAUDE.md lines, each with a reason, before anything is edited.
Task: Capture what to remember for next time · Other tasks
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When to use this template
- You are wrapping up a session in which Claude Code had to discover something about the project, such as a non-obvious test command or a convention it got wrong at first.
- You noticed yourself correcting Claude in the same way you did in an earlier session, and want the correction written down once.
- A teammate will continue the work, and you want the useful context in the shared project file rather than in your head.
When not to use it
- The session was short and routine, with nothing Claude had to figure out. Adding lines anyway makes CLAUDE.md longer without making it more useful.
- You only want Claude to remember a personal preference. With auto memory turned on, asking Claude to remember it saves it there, with no CLAUDE.md edit.
- The rule must hold every single time, such as never editing a protected file. CLAUDE.md is context, not enforcement; use a hook for that.
Why this structure
- The focus field reminds Claude what the session was for, so the summary and suggestions stay on that work even after a long, wandering session.
- The target choice matches where CLAUDE.md files live: the project file is shared through the repository, CLAUDE.local.md is personal for one project, and ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md applies to all your projects.
- Each suggestion must come with the session event that justifies it, which filters out generic advice and lets you judge every line quickly.
- Telling Claude to leave out what it can read from the code and to check for duplicates and conflicts helps keep the file short and consistent.
- The final rule makes this a proposal. Nothing changes until you pick the lines, so the file only grows with entries you agree with.
Example input (fictional)
- What the session was about
adding rate limiting to the public API
- Which file to suggest for
the project CLAUDE.md, which the team shares
Follow-ups to send Claude
- Apply suggestions 1, 3 and 4, and show me the diff of the file.
- Turn the multi-step procedure you mentioned into a project skill instead of a CLAUDE.md entry.
- Read the whole CLAUDE.md and suggest lines to remove because they are outdated or Claude already follows them without being told.
Common mistakes
- Accepting every suggestion. A long CLAUDE.md costs context in every session and important rules get lost; keep only lines that would change what Claude does.
- Adding vague lines such as "write clean code". Prefer concrete ones, such as the exact command to run before committing.
- Running this after the session has been cleared or compacted. Ask while the details are still in the conversation.
Related templates
- Turn a repeated task into a skill: Describe a workflow you repeat and have Claude Code save it as a skill, so you or your team can run it later as a slash command.
- Add a hook for repeat behavior: Describe an action and when it should run; Claude Code writes the hook into your settings, tries it once and shows you how to check or remove it.
- Turn meeting notes into action items: Turn rough meeting notes into a clear list of action items with owners and due dates, plus decisions made and questions left open.
Sources
- Claude Code docs: Prompt library (Anthropic documentation)
- Claude Code docs: How Claude remembers your project (Anthropic documentation)
- Claude Code docs: Write effective instructions (Anthropic documentation)
- Claude Code best practices: Avoid common failure patterns (Anthropic documentation)