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HomeDocsClaude Code CLI 6 Oct 2026
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Set up Claude Code in a monorepo or large codebase changedlarge-codebases

Nearest release: v2.1.291, published 2 hours after upstream edited the page. Shown because the two are within 24 hours of each other. Nothing here says the release caused the edit.

Upstream edited this page at 6 Oct 2026 01:07 UTC, give or take a minute or two: the time comes from Anthropic’s own sitemap rather than from a commit. This site recorded the change at 6 Oct 2026 01:37 UTC.

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First seen 14 Aug 2026 this site's first read of the page
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5656 
5757| Start from | File access | CLAUDE.md loaded at launch | Use when |
5858| :- | :- | :- | :- |
59| Repository root | Every file | Root only; subdirectory files load on demand when Claude reads there | Tasks span multiple packages or subsystems |
59| Repository root | Every file | Root only; subdirectory files load on demand | Tasks span multiple packages or subsystems |
6060| A subdirectory | That subtree only, until you grant more | That directory's plus every ancestor's | Work is scoped to one package or subsystem |
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6262Project settings in `.claude/settings.json` aren't inherited from parent directories the way CLAUDE.md files are. For which directory's `.claude/settings.json` a session reads, see [where Claude Code looks for each file](/docs/en/settings#where-claude-code-looks-for-each-file).
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6868In a large codebase, a single CLAUDE.md at the repository root tends to either grow to cover every subsystem's conventions, costing context on instructions unrelated to the current task, or stay too generic to be useful. Splitting instructions across per-directory files means Claude loads repository-wide rules plus only the conventions for the code you're working in.
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70Claude Code loads every [CLAUDE.md](/docs/en/memory) file from your working directory and every parent directory at launch, then loads each subdirectory's file on demand when it reads files there. A root file sets repository-wide rules and each subdirectory adds its own.
70Claude Code loads every [CLAUDE.md](/docs/en/memory) file from your working directory and every parent directory at launch, then loads each subdirectory's file [on demand](/docs/en/memory#how-claude-md-files-load). A root file sets repository-wide rules and each subdirectory adds its own.
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7272A common split is two levels:
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108108 
109109| Approach | File location | Loads when | Use when |
110110| :- | :- | :- | :- |
111| Per-directory `CLAUDE.md` | Inside the directory, alongside its code | At launch when started from that directory, or on demand when Claude reads a file there | Directory owners maintain their own conventions; instructions are versioned with the code |
111| Per-directory `CLAUDE.md` | Inside the directory, alongside its code | At launch when started from that directory, or on demand | Directory owners maintain their own conventions; instructions are versioned with the code |
112112| Path-scoped rule in `.claude/rules/` | Central `.claude/` at the repo root | When Claude works with a file matching the rule's `paths:` glob | You want all conventions in one place, or the same rule applies to many scattered paths |
113113 
114114For a comparison that also covers skills, see [Compare similar features](/docs/en/features-overview#compare-similar-features).
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115115 
116116### Exclude irrelevant CLAUDE.md files
117117 
118When you start Claude from the repository root, each subdirectory's CLAUDE.md loads as soon as Claude reads a file in that directory. The `claudeMdExcludes` setting skips specific files by path or glob pattern so they never load.
118When you start Claude from the repository root, each subdirectory's CLAUDE.md can [load on demand](/docs/en/memory#how-claude-md-files-load) during the session. The `claudeMdExcludes` setting skips specific files by path or glob pattern so they never load.
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120120Use this for directories you never work in, such as other teams' packages, legacy code, or vendored subtrees. The exclusion list is static, not a per-task switch. To focus on one package today and another tomorrow, [start Claude from that package's directory](#choose-where-to-start-claude) instead of editing exclusions.
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