{"version":"2.1.288","anchor":"new-instruction-size-warning-system-message-for-desktop","canonical_anchor":"new-instruction-size-warning-system-message-for-desktop","heading":"Claude Desktop warns when CLAUDE.md and rules files are too large","tier":"notice","area":"Memory","scope":"individual","heads_up":false,"url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.288\/e\/new-instruction-size-warning-system-message-for-desktop","release_url":"https:\/\/changelogs.core-directive.com\/v\/2.1.288","markdown":"### Claude Desktop warns when CLAUDE.md and rules files are too large\n\nThe Code tab in Claude Desktop now gets a warning when your CLAUDE.md and rules files together exceed the recommended size\n\n**Unclear.** The recommended size limit itself is not stated.\n\n**What**\n\nClaude Code now sends a warning when your CLAUDE.md and rules files (the instruction files Claude reads at the start of a session) exceed the recommended size. It goes out as a system message through the SDK, the toolkit other apps use to run Claude Code. The message reports:\n\n- `total_chars`: the total size in characters\n\n- `total_limit_chars`: the recommended limit\n\n- `file_count`: how many files were counted\n\n- `largest_chars`: the size of the largest file\n\nIt is sent only to the Code tab in Claude Desktop, once per run, and is never saved in the conversation transcript.\n\n**Why**\n\nDesktop users can find out when their instruction files have grown past the recommended size.\n\n- Area: Memory\n- Names: `CLAUDE.md`\n- Tier: You'll notice\n- Useful: 3\/5\n- Signal: 2\/5\n- Scope: individual\n- Heads-up: no"}