Module 17 · Lesson 02
CLAUDE.md for Client Organizations — Context Architecture
Reading time: 15 minutes Track: Yungsten Tech Employee Curriculum · Required for all staff
The organizational CLAUDE.md
Just as developers use CLAUDE.md to give Claude persistent project context, Yungsten uses CLAUDE.md files to give client agents persistent organizational context. Every client organization gets a CLAUDE.md in the root of their Obsidian vault.
This file is automatically read when Claude Desktop connects to the vault via MCP, giving every agent session immediate organizational context without the client having to re-explain their situation.
What goes in the organizational CLAUDE.md
Organization overview (5-10 sentences)
The facts Claude needs to understand who the client is and what they do:
- Industry and what they do
- Size and team structure
- Who their customers are
- Current AI initiative context and goals
AI stack summary
What agents are deployed, what each does, and who operates them:
Current AI stack (as of [date]):
- Scout (Claude Desktop): BD proposal executive summaries. Operator: [Name]
- Mia (Claude Desktop): Vendor contract review. Operator: Legal team
- [Next agent]: In development, target deployment [date]
Data classification
What data is and isn't acceptable in AI tools:
Data classification for AI use:
- Approved for Claude: [categories]
- Approved with anonymization: [categories]
- Never in Claude: [categories] — contact [name] with questions
Team and contacts
Who's who for AI-related decisions:
AI initiative lead: [Name], [Role]
Technical contact: [Name], [Role]
Data/compliance questions: [Name], [Role]
Yungsten contact: [Name]
Current focus
What the organization is working on right now — updated at each session:
Current quarter focus: [description]
In-progress Yungsten work: [what's being built]
Recent changes: [anything that affects how Claude should respond]
Keeping CLAUDE.md current
The organizational CLAUDE.md should be updated at every Yungsten session. In the session notes template, include a section: "CLAUDE.md updates this session." This creates a habit of keeping context fresh.
Stale CLAUDE.md is a trust issue: if the file says something that's no longer true, operators lose confidence in the wiki system overall. Keep it accurate or it creates more confusion than it resolves.
Layered context architecture
For larger engagements, use layered CLAUDE.md files:
- Root (
/CLAUDE.md): Organization-wide context - Agent-specific (
/02 - Agents/Scout/CLAUDE.md): Context specific to Scout's operating environment - Process-specific (
/04 - Processes/Contract Review/CLAUDE.md): Context for the contract review workflow
When Claude reads via MCP, it reads the vault root CLAUDE.md first, then any subdirectory CLAUDE.md files relevant to the session. The layered architecture keeps each file focused without repetition.