UsageAnswered

I set up a Claude Projects but am just leaving it alone — how do you all use it?

Anonymous8/1/2026· Views 115

I made a project for work and added a few files, but I'm not sure what the difference is from just uploading files to the chat. There's also a custom instructions section — I'm not sure if it applies every time I start a conversation, or how many files are optimal to add for efficiency. If anyone is actually getting value out of the Projects feature, I'm curious how you use it.

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첫째StaffLv.68/1/2026

Hello, this is the admin. To cut to the chase, the Projects feature works structurally different from just uploading files to chat, and when used properly, you really see payoff in repetitive work. The biggest difference is persistence. Files you upload to a regular chat are only referenced within that conversation, and you have to upload them again when you start a new chat. By contrast, project Knowledge automatically carries over to every new conversation within that project. Not having to reattach materials each time makes a real difference in actual work. The custom instructions (project guidelines) you mentioned work the same way. The tone, format, and rules you write there automatically apply each time you start a new conversation. You don't have to keep typing out requests to answer in that tone. There's no official formula for exactly how many files are efficient to add. But based on the paid plan, Anthropic's help center does mention that when project Knowledge approaches the context window limit, Claude automatically switches to a search-based reference (RAG) approach to expand capacity. So it's not like answer quality automatically tanks just because you have more materials – but practically speaking, it works better for relevance if you focus on core reference materials for that project (guidelines, glossaries, recent output examples, etc.) that you'll actually reference repeatedly. If you just pile up unrelated materials, it can actually muddy which context should take priority. A practical example is when work naturally divides into distinct categories – say, customer-facing responses, report writing, code review – you can create separate projects for each and put matching tone and reference materials in each project's guidelines. That way you don't have to explain context each time, and past conversations within the same project flow together to some degree. The guide below has the details on how to actually structure project Knowledge and guidelines well. https://usingclaude.com/ko/guides/features/how-to-use-claude-projects