How Claude remembers your project changedmemory
Nearest release: v2.1.281, published 2 hours before 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 23 Sep 2026 19:37 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 23 Sep 2026 20:07 UTC.
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339339To change the default, for example to have Claude always read both files, read only `CLAUDE.md`, or read only your organization's managed instructions, [change the **Project instructions** setting](#choose-which-instruction-files-load).
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341341<Note>
342 Reading `AGENTS.md` directly requires Claude Code v2.1.277 or later. In some sessions, such as those on Amazon Bedrock or with telemetry disabled, Claude [can't read `AGENTS.md`](#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable), so [import it from a `CLAUDE.md`](#share-one-file-with-other-coding-tools) there instead.
342 Reading `AGENTS.md` directly requires Claude Code v2.1.277 or later. In some sessions Claude [can't read `AGENTS.md`](#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable), so [import it from a `CLAUDE.md`](#share-one-file-with-other-coding-tools) there instead.
343343</Note>
344344
345345### When Claude Code reads AGENTS.md
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390390In these sessions Claude reads `CLAUDE.md` files only, and **Project instructions** doesn't appear in the `/config` settings panel:
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392392* You're on a Claude Code version before v2.1.277
393* Your session doesn't [fetch feature flags from Anthropic](/docs/en/env-vars#features-that-need-feature-flag-fetching), for example because you use Amazon Bedrock or another third-party provider, or you disabled telemetry. The linked section has the full list
394* It's your [first session after you install or upgrade](/docs/en/env-vars#first-session-after-an-install-or-upgrade) to a version with `AGENTS.md` support. Claude reads `AGENTS.md` from your next session on
395393* You disabled the built-in `agents-md` plugin in `/plugin`
394* In some cases, it's your [first session after you upgrade](/docs/en/env-vars#first-session-after-an-install-or-upgrade) from v2.1.276 or earlier. Claude reads `AGENTS.md` from your next session on
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397To give Claude your `AGENTS.md` in these sessions, [import it from a `CLAUDE.md`](#share-one-file-with-other-coding-tools).
396Before v2.1.281, some sessions, such as those on Amazon Bedrock or with telemetry disabled, read `CLAUDE.md` files only. On those versions, update Claude Code. To give Claude your `AGENTS.md` in any of these sessions, [import it from a `CLAUDE.md`](#share-one-file-with-other-coding-tools).
398397
399398### Where AGENTS.md differs from CLAUDE.md
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565564If your repository has an `AGENTS.md` and Claude doesn't seem to know what it says, the usual cause is a `CLAUDE.md` somewhere on the project path. By default Claude reads `AGENTS.md` only when you have no `CLAUDE.md` or `CLAUDE.local.md` in your working directory or above it. Check these in order:
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5675661. Look for a `CLAUDE.md`, `.claude/CLAUDE.md`, or `CLAUDE.local.md` in your working directory or any directory above it, other than your `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md`. If you find one, Claude reads it instead of `AGENTS.md` unless you set **Project instructions** to `claude-md-and-agents-md`.
5682. Run `claude --version` and confirm v2.1.277 or later.
5693. Check whether your session is one that [can't load `AGENTS.md`](#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable), such as a session on a third-party provider or with telemetry disabled.
5704. Type `/config` in your session to open the settings panel and confirm **Project instructions** isn't set to `claude-md` or `managed-only`. If you don't see the setting there at all, your session is one that [can't load `AGENTS.md`](#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable).
5672. Run `claude --version` and confirm v2.1.277 or later. Before v2.1.281, some sessions, such as those on Amazon Bedrock or with telemetry disabled, [couldn't load `AGENTS.md`](#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable) either, so on those versions update to v2.1.281 or later.
5683. Type `/config` in your session to open the settings panel and confirm **Project instructions** isn't set to `claude-md` or `managed-only`. If you don't see the setting there at all, your session is one that [can't load `AGENTS.md`](#when-agents-md-support-is-unavailable).
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572570To check whether Claude read your `AGENTS.md`, run `/memory` and look for its path in the list.
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