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Context Management with Claude Code

Reading time: 14 minIntermediate

Learn how to effectively manage context to help Claude Code better understand your projects and deliver more accurate results.

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Understanding Context in Claude Code

Context is the information Claude Code uses to understand your project and provide relevant assistance. Effective context management is crucial for getting accurate, helpful responses that align with your project goals.

What Is Context?

Claude Code's context includes:

  • Current conversation - Your recent interactions with Claude Code
  • Active files - The files you're currently working with
  • Project structure - The organization of your codebase
  • Code relationships - How different parts of your code interact
  • Project documentation - README files, comments, and other documentation

The Context Window

Claude Code has a limited "context window" - the amount of information it can consider at once. Managing this window effectively is key to getting the best results:

  • Too little context: Claude Code may miss important information
  • Too much irrelevant context: May dilute focus and lead to less precise responses
  • Just right: Focused, relevant context leads to the best assistance

Project-Level Context Management

Start by helping Claude Code understand your project at a high level:

Create a CLAUDE.md File

A CLAUDE.md file at your project root provides crucial high-level context:

# Project: MyAwesomeApp

## Purpose
MyAwesomeApp is a React-based web application that helps users manage their personal finances.

## Architecture
- Frontend: React with TypeScript
- State Management: Redux
- API: GraphQL with Apollo Client
- Authentication: Firebase Auth

## Key Directories
- /src/components: Reusable UI components
- /src/pages: Page components
- /src/state: Redux store and slices
- /src/api: GraphQL queries and mutations
- /src/utils: Utility functions

## Coding Standards
- We use ESLint with the Airbnb config
- Component names are PascalCase
- Utility functions are camelCase
- We use functional components with hooks
- Tests are in __tests__ directories

Claude Code automatically reads this file when analyzing your project.

Project Overview Command

When starting a new session, give Claude Code a project overview:

claude "analyze this project and provide a summary of its structure and purpose"

This helps Claude Code build an initial understanding of your codebase.

Define Project-Specific Terminology

Explain domain-specific terms and project jargon:

claude "in our project, 'Workspace' refers to a user's collection of financial accounts, and 'Envelope' means a budget category"

This helps Claude Code understand your domain language for better communication.

Task-Specific Context Management

For individual tasks, provide Claude Code with the specific context it needs:

Reference Relevant Files

Explicitly mention files that are relevant to your current task:

claude "I'm working on the authentication flow. Please analyze src/auth/login.tsx, src/auth/register.tsx, and src/services/authService.js"

This focuses Claude Code's attention on the most relevant parts of your codebase.

Explain Related Components

Provide context about how components interact:

claude "The Dashboard component (src/pages/Dashboard.tsx) displays data from multiple sources: the AccountList component shows accounts from the accountService, and the TransactionList shows recent transactions from the transactionService"

This helps Claude Code understand the relationships between different parts of your code.

Specify Requirements and Constraints

Clearly communicate requirements and limitations:

claude "I need to implement a data export feature. It should support CSV and JSON formats, respect user privacy settings, and work with our existing permissioning system in src/services/permissionService.js"

This ensures Claude Code's suggestions align with your specific requirements.

Advanced Context Management Techniques

These advanced techniques can help you manage context even more effectively:

Create Context-Specific Sessions

Start new Claude Code sessions for different contexts:

  • A session focused on frontend UI components
  • A separate session for backend API development
  • Another session for database schema work

This prevents context mixing and helps Claude Code maintain focus on specific areas.

Use the .claudeignore File

Create a .claudeignore file to exclude irrelevant directories:

# Dependencies
node_modules/
vendor/

# Build artifacts
dist/
build/

# Large data files
data/large-dataset.json
public/assets/videos/

# Testing resources
**/__mocks__/
**/__fixtures__/

This prevents Claude Code from including irrelevant files in its context, improving focus and performance.

Reset Context When Needed

When switching topics or starting a new task, reset the conversation context:

claude "Let's start fresh. I'm now working on the payment processing module."

This signals to Claude Code that previous context may no longer be relevant.

Optimizing Context for Specific Tasks

Different tasks require different types of context. Here's how to optimize for common scenarios:

Debugging Context

❌ Ineffective

claude "fix the bug in my code"

✅ Effective

claude "help debug this issue: users get a 404 when accessing /profile after login. The error occurs in ProfilePage.tsx line 24. The auth flow is handled in AuthContext.tsx and routes are defined in AppRoutes.tsx"

Feature Implementation Context

❌ Ineffective

claude "implement dark mode"

✅ Effective

claude "implement dark mode for our React app. We use Tailwind CSS for styling (see tailwind.config.js), and global state is managed with Redux (see src/state/store.ts). The theme should be persistent using localStorage and respect user OS preferences."

Code Review Context

❌ Ineffective

claude "review my code"

✅ Effective

claude "review src/services/userService.ts focusing on security, error handling, and performance. We follow OWASP security guidelines and use the error handling pattern from src/utils/errorHandling.ts. This service will be used in production with potentially thousands of concurrent users."

Troubleshooting Context Issues

When Claude Code's responses seem off-target, consider these context-related issues and solutions:

Symptoms of Context Problems

  • Outdated information - Claude Code references old code that's been changed
  • Missing references - Claude Code doesn't seem aware of relevant files
  • Misaligned suggestions - Claude Code's suggestions don't match project patterns
  • Confusion about terms - Claude Code misinterprets domain-specific language

Solutions for Context Issues

  • Explicitly refresh context:
    claude "Please re-analyze the current state of src/components/auth/ to ensure you have the latest code"
  • Redirect focus:
    claude "Let's focus specifically on the authentication flow in AuthContext.tsx and LoginPage.tsx"
  • Clarify project patterns:
    claude "Our project uses the repository pattern for data access. See UserRepository.ts for an example of how we structure these components"
  • Start a fresh session for a completely clean context when needed

Next Steps

Now that you've mastered context management, explore these related guides: