What you will be able to do
- Trace a wrong or off-target answer back to stale project knowledge or outdated instructions, rather than blaming the model
- Choose between a one-off chat correction and a durable update to project instructions
- Add, replace and prune project knowledge, and explain how RAG behaves as the knowledge base grows or shrinks
- Identify who can maintain a shared project and how to grant or remove that ability
- Decide whether a finished project should be archived or deleted
Key concept
Configuration as living context — A project's knowledge and instructions are fed into every chat in that project, so they shape answers as much as the prompt does. Keeping them accurate is ongoing work you come back to, not something you do once at setup.
1.Why a configured project goes stale
Setting up a project is the easy part: you upload documents, write instructions, and Claude starts answering with that background. The harder part starts a few weeks later. A policy changes, someone uploads a newer template next to the old one, or the instructions still describe a process the team dropped last quarter. Claude doesn't know any of this. Uploaded content is processed and used as context in every chat in the project, so an outdated document keeps shaping answers until somebody updates or removes it.
That changes how you should diagnose a bad answer. If a project keeps quoting an old price, an old procedure or an old template, look at what the project gives Claude before you blame the model. Usually the fix is in the configuration: replace the out-of-date file, delete the duplicate, or rewrite the instruction that no longer applies.
The same principle appears in Claude Code's guidance on persistent instruction files. Its documentation lists the signals that a durable instruction is missing or wrong, and they apply just as well to a claude.ai project: Claude makes the same mistake twice, or you type the same correction you typed in an earlier session. Either way, the fix belongs in the configuration, not in the next chat message.
Checkpoint 1 of 9· Check yourself
A sales project keeps quoting last year's discount rates, even though the rates changed months ago. What should you investigate first?
Project knowledge is used as context in every chat in the project, so an old rates document will keep producing old rates. Replacing or removing it fixes every chat at once.
“Claude will process this information and use it as context in your chats within the project.”Source: support.claude.com
2.Updating instructions instead of repeating corrections
Project instructions are the durable part of a project's behaviour. You use them to set tone, role, perspective and house rules, for example asking Claude to use a more formal tone or to answer from the perspective of a particular industry. A correction typed into a chat only affects that conversation. An instruction applies to every chat in the project. So if a team keeps telling Claude 'use the Q3 report template, not the old one' in chat after chat, the durable fix is to put that rule in the project instructions.
To change instructions, open the project, choose 'Set project instructions', edit the text, and save. Be careful where you put guidance. When you create a project you give it a name and a description, but Claude can't see either, so rewording the description has no effect on how Claude behaves. Only the instructions and the knowledge base reach the model.
Editing instructions means maintaining them, not just adding to them. Claude Code's documentation warns that contradictory instructions undermine each other and recommends periodic reviews to remove outdated or conflicting rules. The same applies to a project: if you add 'use British spelling' without deleting an older 'use American spelling' line, you've created a conflict, and Claude may follow either one. Claude Code's best practices also advise against putting information that changes frequently into durable instructions. Time-sensitive facts belong in a knowledge document that's easy to replace, not in the standing rules.
Checkpoint 2 of 9· Check yourself
Last month a team member added a line to the project instructions requiring formal tone. An older line asking for a casual, friendly tone is still there. Responses now switch between the two styles. What is the best fix?
When two instructions contradict each other, Claude may follow either one. Deleting the outdated line removes the conflict instead of adding another rule on top of it.
“Consistency: if two instructions contradict each other, Claude may pick one arbitrarily.”Source: code.claude.com
Checkpoint 3 of 9· Exam question
A benefits administrator keeps last year's policy handbook in a project's knowledge base. Claude keeps quoting the old deductible, and the administrator has now rewritten the question five different ways. What is the greatest concern here?
Correct answer: A — The answers are confidently wrong from an out-of-date source, and no amount of rephrasing will correct them.
- A. Correct. When the uploaded source is stale, the output is wrong at the source and reprompting cannot repair it.
- B. Length is not the issue; the figure being quoted is present in the document and simply out of date.
- C. Usage allowance affects how much you can do, not the accuracy of a quoted figure.
- D. The wrong figure matches the superseded handbook, which points at the source rather than the prompt.
3.Adding, replacing and pruning project knowledge
The project knowledge base is on the right side of the project's main page. When a new reference document is issued, adding it takes a fixed sequence: open the project, click the '+' button in the knowledge area, upload the document, and Claude then processes it and uses it as context in the project's chats. Adding the new version doesn't remove the old one. If the new document supersedes an earlier file, delete that file too, or the project will hold two versions that disagree.
Checkpoint 4 of 9· Put it in order
Put the steps for adding a newly issued reference document to a project in order.
- 1.Upload the document
- 2.Click the '+' button to add content to the project
- 3.Claude processes the document and uses it as context in the project's chats
- 4.Open the project and find the knowledge base on the right side of its main page
The project management article gives this sequence: locate the knowledge base, use '+', upload, and Claude then uses the content as context.
“Upload relevant documents, text files, or code snippets.”Source: support.claude.com
Size alone doesn't stop a project from working. When knowledge approaches the context window limit, Claude switches to retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) automatically, which expands capacity by up to 10x. You'll see a visual indicator that the project is RAG-enabled, and Claude will use a project knowledge search tool to find relevant content. You can still add and remove content at any time. If you prune the knowledge back below the threshold, Claude can switch back to ordinary context-based processing on its own. None of this needs any setup.
Because RAG works by retrieving content, how the knowledge base is organized starts to matter. The RAG article recommends well-named files, which help Claude retrieve the right content, and grouping related documents in the same project. Its advice to add all relevant documents doesn't mean every file is worth keeping. When dozens of overlapping documents have accumulated from different contributors, the way to improve answers is to consolidate them. Remove duplicates and superseded versions, give the remaining files clear names, and keep each project focused on one related body of material. Simply uploading more files won't fix it.
| Maintenance move | What the documentation says |
|---|---|
| Name files clearly | Well-named files help Claude understand and retrieve the right information |
| Keep related material together | Group related documents in the same project so Claude can draw connections |
| Add or remove files later | You can add and remove content at any time in a RAG-enabled project |
| Prune below the threshold | Claude can automatically convert back to context-based processing |
| Point Claude to a source | Reference specific documents by name to help Claude focus its search |
Checkpoint 5 of 9· Check yourself
A RAG-enabled project has been cleaned up, and its knowledge now sits well below the context window threshold. What happens?
RAG can be reversed. When knowledge falls below the threshold, Claude can return to context-based processing without any action from you.
“If your project knowledge later drops below the context window threshold, Claude can automatically convert back to context-based processing.”Source: support.claude.com
Checkpoint 6 of 9· Exam question
A pricing analyst notices Claude quoting a discount tier that was retired at the last price review. What should the analyst do first?
Correct answer: B — Check the project's uploaded documents to see whether the retired price list is still in the knowledge base.
- A. A fresh chat still reads the same project knowledge, so the retired figures come back.
- B. Correct. Confirming whether a superseded source is still loaded is the cheapest way to explain the wrong answer.
- C. Public search is not a reliable source for internal pricing and leaves the stale file in place.
- D. This hides the symptom behind a disclaimer instead of removing the outdated source.
4.Who can maintain a shared project
For a team, maintenance is also a permissions question. Only Team and Enterprise plans can share a project with other members of the organization. On Free, Pro and Max plans a project is personal, so if a team wants to share context there, nobody else can update its knowledge or instructions. On Team and Enterprise, the person sharing picks a permission level for each member, and that level decides who can maintain the project.
| Permission | Can see and chat | Can change instructions and knowledge | Can manage members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can view | Yes: project contents, knowledge and instructions | No | No |
| Can edit | Yes | Yes | Yes: update member settings and open the Share menu to remove access |
Two consequences matter in practice. First, give 'Can edit' to the people responsible for keeping the material current, and 'Can view' to everyone who only needs to use it. That limits who can introduce conflicting documents. Second, removing someone takes effect immediately: a member with 'Can edit' opens the Share menu, clicks the person's role, and selects 'Remove access', after which that person can no longer reach the project or its content. Sharing a project shares its knowledge base and instructions, but members' chats stay private unless they choose to share them.
Checkpoint 7 of 9· Match them up
Match each sharing fact to what it means for maintaining a project.
Tap a term, then the definition that fits it.
Only 'Can edit' members can change the configuration. Sharing at all is limited to Team and Enterprise plans.
“Can edit: Members can modify project instructions and knowledge, update member settings, and actively contribute to the project.”Source: support.claude.com
Sources6
5.Archiving or deleting a finished project
Maintenance also covers what happens when a project's work is finished. You have two options. Archiving takes the project out of your active list but keeps it available: you can find it in the archived projects tab on the Projects page and unarchive it from the '...' menu whenever you need it again. Deleting is permanent cleanup, confirmed with 'Yes, delete'. An archived project can't be deleted directly. You have to unarchive it first before the delete option appears.
The choice depends on whether anyone might need the material again. If a campaign has ended but the team may want to look back at it later in the year, archive it: it stops cluttering the active list and stops being mistaken for a live workspace, but it can come back. Delete only when the material really has no future value. This matters more on a Free account, which is limited to five projects, so finished projects take up slots.
Checkpoint 8 of 9· Check yourself
You want to permanently remove a project that was archived months ago. What must happen first?
Archived projects can't be deleted directly. The delete option only appears after you unarchive the project.
“There is no way to delete archived projects at this time (you must unarchive it first).”Source: support.claude.com
Checkpoint 9 of 9· Exam question
A team uploads the new travel policy to a project but leaves the previous year's version in the knowledge base as well. What is the greatest risk?
Correct answer: C — Both versions are available, so Claude may cite the superseded rules without anyone noticing the conflict.
- A. Nothing removes or archives an uploaded file on its own; that is the maintainer's job.
- B. Retrieval relates to the size of project knowledge and still allows documents to be quoted.
- C. Correct. Two live versions of the same policy make wrong answers look exactly as authoritative as right ones.
- D. There is no restriction preventing two documents on the same topic.
Sources1
Exam traps
Each one states something that sounds right. Open it to see what is actually true.
1.Rewriting a project's description is a way to change how Claude behaves in that project.Why is that wrong?
Claude can't see a project's name or description. Behaviour changes only through project instructions and project knowledge.
Covered in Updating instructions instead of repeating corrections
2.When project knowledge outgrows the context window, someone has to enable RAG or start removing files before uploads can continue.Why is that wrong?
RAG turns on automatically when knowledge approaches or exceeds the limit, and you can keep adding and removing content without any setup.
3.A Pro user can share their project with teammates so the whole team can keep its knowledge up to date.Why is that wrong?
Project sharing is limited to Team and Enterprise plans. On other plans a project is personal.
Covered in Who can maintain a shared project
4.An archived project can be deleted directly from the archived projects tab.Why is that wrong?
Archived projects can't be deleted. You must unarchive the project before the delete option appears.
Covered in Archiving or deleting a finished project
Sources
Every claim above is drawn from one of these pages, quoted as it was written on the date shown.
- 1.
“Anything you upload to this space will be used across all of your chats within that project.”
↩︎ Why a configured project goes stale“You can access an archived project in the archived projects tab on the Projects page.”
↩︎ Archiving or deleting a finished project“Free users can create a maximum of five projects.”
↩︎ Archiving or deleting a finished project“Anything you upload to this space will be used across all of your chats within that project.”
↩︎ Key concept“Give your project a name and description (note that Claude will not have access to these details).”
↩︎ Exam trap 1“There is no way to delete archived projects at this time (you must unarchive it first).”
↩︎ Exam trap 4“Claude will process this information and use it as context in your chats within the project.”
↩︎ Checkpoint“Upload relevant documents, text files, or code snippets.”
↩︎ Checkpoint“There is no way to delete archived projects at this time (you must unarchive it first).”
↩︎ Checkpoint - 2.https://code.claude.com/docs/en/memoryOfficial docs
“You type the same correction or clarification into chat that you typed last session”
↩︎ Why a configured project goes stale“Review your CLAUDE.md files, nested CLAUDE.md files in subdirectories, and .claude/rules/ periodically to remove outdated or conflicting instructions.”
↩︎ Updating instructions instead of repeating corrections“Consistency: if two instructions contradict each other, Claude may pick one arbitrarily.”
↩︎ Checkpoint - 3.
“you can define project instructions for each project to further tailor Claude's responses”
↩︎ Updating instructions instead of repeating corrections“Claude seamlessly enables RAG mode to expand capacity by up to 10x while maintaining response quality.”
↩︎ Adding, replacing and pruning project knowledge“For users on Team and Enterprise plans, projects can be shared with other members of your organization”
↩︎ Exam trap 3 - 4.https://code.claude.com/docs/en/best-practicesOfficial docs
“Information that changes frequently”
↩︎ Updating instructions instead of repeating corrections - 5.https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11473015-retrieval-augmented-generation-rag-for-projectsOfficial docs
“Well-named files help Claude understand and retrieve the right information more effectively.”
↩︎ Adding, replacing and pruning project knowledge“you'll see Claude using a project knowledge search tool when it needs to find relevant information from your uploaded content.”
↩︎ Adding, replacing and pruning project knowledge“RAG automatically activates when your project approaches or exceeds the context window limits.”
↩︎ Exam trap 2“RAG automatically activates when your project approaches or exceeds the context window limits.”
↩︎ Prediction“If your project knowledge later drops below the context window threshold, Claude can automatically convert back to context-based processing.”
↩︎ Checkpoint - 6.
“After being removed, they will no longer be able to access this project or its content.”
↩︎ Who can maintain a shared project“your chats will remain private unless you choose to share them.”
↩︎ Who can maintain a shared project“Can edit: Members can modify project instructions and knowledge, update member settings, and actively contribute to the project.”
↩︎ Checkpoint