Claude Projects Tutorial: Create projects, add materials, and reuse pinned instructions

If you want Claude to remember your materials and work rules long-term, the easiest way is to use Projects. Below, in the order of actual steps, I’ll walk you through setting up a project, putting materials into it, and pinning commonly used instructions.

Find Projects in Claude and create a new project

After logging in to Claude, first look for “Projects” in the left navigation. Click “New project,” and give the project an easy-to-recognize name, such as “Legal Contract Review” or “Operations Weekly Report.”

After the project is created, it’s recommended to immediately start a new conversation within the project, rather than continuing in a regular chat. This way, Claude’s subsequent answers will, by default, reference the project’s materials and rules, reducing the need to repeatedly explain.

Add materials to the project: files, text, and commonly used background

After entering the project, find where to add materials (usually under a section like the project’s resources area or a “Knowledge” entry). You can upload common documents, or directly paste a “background brief,” “glossary,” or “brand guidelines.”

The more “structured” the materials are, the more useful Claude becomes: use subheadings, lists, clear definitions, and avoid scattered long paragraphs. If the materials contain sensitive information, it’s recommended to anonymize/redact it before giving it to Claude, to avoid adding content that shouldn’t appear in the project.

Pin project instructions: make Claude output to your standards

In the project settings, find “Project instructions” and write in the rules you want Claude to follow over the long term. For example: output format, tone, whether to give conclusions first, and how to label citations when referencing materials.

When writing instructions, be as specific as possible and provide templates directly. For example: “Give 3 key conclusion bullets first, then provide supporting rationale item by item; when citing project materials, label as 【Material Name–Paragraph】.” This significantly improves consistency each time Claude answers within that project.

Reuse and maintenance within the project: key habits to reduce rework

For all related tasks going forward, try to start new conversations within the same Claude project, and don’t mix different topics in one project. When you need to reuse prompts, you can also put your “standard way of asking” into the project materials so your team—or you—can quickly copy and use it.

If you find Claude starting to “drift off,” check two things first: whether the project materials are outdated, and whether the project instructions are contradictory. Regularly replacing expired files saves more time than repeatedly correcting Claude in conversation.