Projects
Projects group related conversations. Upload files and set instructions once; every chat in the project uses them. Team Projects share that setup with colleagues.
Organizing conversations
Without Projects, every chat lives in a flat list — fine for one-off questions, harder when you work on the same topic over days or weeks. A Project gives that work a home.
Create a project for each ongoing area — a client account, a product launch, a course you are writing — and start new chats inside it.
Files and custom instructions
Each Project has two setup areas that apply to every chat inside it:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Project files | Upload PDFs, spreadsheets, docs, and images once. Claude can reference them in any conversation within the project. |
| Custom instructions | Set tone, format, role, and rules. Every new chat in the project starts with these instructions already in place. |
Example custom instruction
“You are a legal assistant reviewing contracts for a SaaS company. Flag missing liability clauses, ambiguous payment terms, and non-standard IP language. Always respond in bullet points.”
Persistent context
In a regular chat, uploaded files and custom instructions do not carry over to the next conversation. In a Project, your setup stays put — every new chat inside the project can use it.
| Regular chat | Project chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Uploaded files | Lost when chat ends | Available in every project chat |
| Custom instructions | Must repeat each time | Set once, always active |
| Conversation history | Isolated per chat | Grouped under the project |
| Best for | Quick one-off tasks | Ongoing, multi-session work |
- Monday — upload brand-guide.pdf and set custom instructions.
- Tuesday — start a new chat; Claude already knows the brand voice.
- Friday — another new chat; files and instructions still active.
Team Projects
Team Projects (Team and Enterprise plans) extend Projects to your organization. Multiple people can access the same project, share files and instructions, and see each other's conversations.
| Feature | What it enables |
|---|---|
| Shared files | Upload reference docs once — the whole team uses the same sources. |
| Shared instructions | One set of custom instructions for consistent behaviour. |
| Shared conversations | Team members can read and continue each other's chats. |
| Access control | Project owners manage who can view or edit the project. |
- launch-brief.pdf
- Custom instructions for brand voice
- 12 shared conversations
When to create a Project
Good fit for a Project
- Ongoing client or account work
- Writing a book, course, or doc series
- Repeating tasks with the same reference files
- Team workflows needing shared context
Regular chat is enough
- One-off questions
- Quick code snippets or explanations
- Brainstorming without reference files
- Tasks you won't revisit
Before you continue
- Projects group related conversations under one workspace.
- Upload files and set custom instructions once — they apply to every project chat.
- Projects keep context across sessions; regular chats do not.
- Team Projects let colleagues share files, instructions, and conversations.
- Next lesson: Custom Instructions and Personas.
What's Next
Custom Instructions & Personas — set default tone, format, and role without repeating yourself.