Module 3: Working with ProjectsLesson 1 of 6

Lesson 1·3 min

Creating a Project Folder

Set up a proper project structure

Creating a Project Folder

Good project structure helps both you and Claude. Let's set up a project properly.

Starting Fresh

Terminal

$ cd ~/projects # or wherever you keep projects

$ mkdir my-saas-app

$ cd my-saas-app

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Initialize Git (Important!)

Terminal

$ git init

Initialized empty Git repository in /Users/john/projects/my-saas-app/.git/

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Tip

Always use git! It's your safety net. If Claude makes a mistake, you can easily revert.

Create Core Files

Terminal

# Project documentation

$ touch README.md

$ touch CLAUDE.md

# Git ignore file

$ touch .gitignore

# Check structure

$ ls -la

total 0

drwxr-xr-x 6 john staff 192 Apr 30 10:00 .

drwxr-xr-x 5 john staff 160 Apr 30 09:00 ..

drwxr-xr-x 9 john staff 288 Apr 30 10:00 .git

-rw-r--r-- 1 john staff 0 Apr 30 10:00 .gitignore

-rw-r--r-- 1 john staff 0 Apr 30 10:00 CLAUDE.md

-rw-r--r-- 1 john staff 0 Apr 30 10:00 README.md

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Initial .gitignore

Terminal

$ cat > .gitignore << 'EOF'

node_modules/

.env

.env.local

.DS_Store

*.log

dist/

build/

EOF

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Warning

Never commit .env files with secrets! The .gitignore protects you.

Initial Commit

Terminal

$ git add .

$ git commit -m "Initial project setup"

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Why Structure Matters

Claude reads your project structure:

plaintext

Good:                          Bad:
my-project/                    stuff/
├── src/                       ├── code.js
│   ├── components/            ├── other-code.js
│   └── utils/                 ├── test.js
├── tests/                     └── random-file.txt
├── docs/
├── CLAUDE.md
└── README.md

Aussie Note

Think of it like organizing your shed. Claude can find things faster when everything has its place! 🔧

Common Project Structures

Web App

plaintext

my-app/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   ├── pages/
│   ├── utils/
│   └── styles/
├── public/
├── tests/
├── CLAUDE.md
└── package.json

API/Backend

plaintext

my-api/
├── src/
│   ├── routes/
│   ├── models/
│   ├── services/
│   └── middleware/
├── tests/
├── CLAUDE.md
└── package.json

Key Takeaways

Always initialize git first
Create CLAUDE.md for AI context
Use clear folder names
Add .gitignore immediately
Make an initial commit before coding

Module 2 Quiz

The CLAUDE.md File