How to Set Up Your Claude Code Workspace

Why Your Workspace Matters

Most people install Claude Code, open a random folder, and start asking it to build things. It works, but it's messy. Files end up everywhere. Claude doesn't remember your preferences. Every new session starts from scratch.

A proper workspace fixes all of that. It gives Claude Code a home. A place where it knows where to put things, what you've already built, and how you like things done.

The difference is like the difference between dumping everything on your desktop vs having a filing system. Both work. One saves you hours.

Create the Base Folder Structure

You can create these folders yourself, or just ask Claude to do it. I'll show you both ways.

Option A: Ask Claude to do it. Open your workspace folder in VS Code, open the terminal, type claude, and paste this:

Option B: Create them manually. Right-click in the VS Code sidebar and create each folder yourself. Either way, you'll end up with this:

The CLAUDE.md File (Your Secret Weapon)

This is the single most useful thing you can add to your workspace. It changes everything.

CLAUDE.md is a file that sits in the root of your workspace. Every time Claude Code starts a new session, it reads this file first. It's like a briefing document. It tells Claude who you are, what this workspace is for, how you like things done, and any rules you want it to follow.

Without it, every session starts from zero. Claude doesn't know your preferences, your style, your projects, or your rules. With it, Claude already knows all of that before you type your first prompt.

Claude will create the file. Now you just need to fill it in. The next section tells you exactly what to include.

What to Put in CLAUDE.md

Here's a starter template. Copy this into Claude Code and ask it to save it as your CLAUDE.md. Change the bits in [brackets] to match you.

Set Up a Context Folder

CLAUDE.md tells Claude how to behave. The context folder tells Claude what it needs to know about your world.

Think of it like this: if you hired a new assistant, you'd give them a briefing pack. Your goals. Your current projects. Your priorities. The context folder is that briefing pack.

Create a few simple files inside your context/ folder:

You can create these yourself or ask Claude to interview you and build them. Here's a prompt:

Once these files exist, you can tell Claude to read them at the start of a session. Or better yet, add a line to your CLAUDE.md that says:

Create Custom Commands

Custom commands let you run a complex prompt with a single word. Instead of typing a long instruction every time, you type /start or /plan and Claude knows exactly what to do.

Commands live in a special folder called .claude/commands/ in your workspace. Each command is a small text file that contains the prompt Claude should run.

Let's create your first one. Ask Claude:

Now every time you open Claude Code, you just type /start and it loads everything automatically. No need to explain your setup every session.

Here are a few more commands worth creating:

• //plan -- "Read my goals and the request I'm about to give you. Before building anything, create a step-by-step plan. Save it in plans/ with today's date. Wait for my approval before starting."
• //tidy -- "Look through the outputs/ folder. Organise any loose files into subfolders by project or type. Don't delete anything, just reorganise."
• //recap -- "Summarise everything we've done in this session. List what was built, what was changed, and any decisions we made. Save it as a recap file in outputs/."

Let Claude Build the Rest

You don't need to plan everything upfront. Start with the basics and let your workspace grow naturally as you use it.

Here's what typically happens: you start a project. Claude creates files. You realise you need a subfolder. You ask Claude to create it. Over time, your workspace fills up with useful structure that matches exactly how you work.

Things Claude can set up for you when you're ready:

• 1Subfolders in outputs/ -- As you build different types of things (websites, documents, tools), ask Claude to create subfolders: outputs/websites/, outputs/content/, outputs/tools/. Or just tell Claude "organise my outputs folder" and it'll suggest a structure based on what's already in there.
• 2Templates in reference/ -- If you find yourself asking for the same type of thing repeatedly (like a specific email format, or a particular style of webpage), ask Claude to save a template: "Save this as a template in reference/ so we can reuse it next time."
• 3Automations in scripts/ -- When you have a process that runs regularly, Claude can build a script for it and save it in scripts/. Things like renaming files, generating reports, or sending emails.
• 4More custom commands -- As you notice yourself repeating the same prompts, turn them into commands. Ask Claude: "I keep asking you to do [this thing]. Create a custom command for it."

My Actual Setup (and How Yours Will Grow)

Here's what my workspace looks like after a few months of use. Yours won't look like this on day one. It grew into this over time.

Some of these folders I created on day one. Others, Claude created for me as I needed them. The knowledge/ folder came about when I started saving notes from things I was reading. The scripts/ folder grew when I started automating recurring tasks.

Your workspace will be different because your work is different. The structure should reflect how you think, not how I think. Start with the basics from this guide, then let it evolve.