Claude Code Template

Claude Code Project Template

[](https://github.com/chrismalone617/claude-code-template/generate) [](https://github.com/chrismalone617/claude-code-template/actions/workflows/validate-template.yml) [](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) [](https://github.com/chrismalone617/claude-code-template/stargazers)

A comprehensive, reusable template for configuring Claude Code with personal preferences, project requirements, MCP server examples, and automation scripts.

[Quick Start](#quick-start) • [Features](#features) • [Documentation](#documentation) • [Examples](#examples)

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Features

📋 Personal Preferences

Customize how Claude communicates and codes with you:

• Communication Style - Tone, verbosity, interaction patterns
• Coding Style - Language preferences, formatting, patterns
• Personal Context - Your background, skills, work environment

🎯 Project Requirements

Standardize project-wide practices:

• Testing Standards - Coverage requirements, testing patterns
• Documentation - Code comments, API docs, changelogs
• Security - Authentication, validation, security checklist
• Code Quality - Review standards, error handling, logging

🔌 MCP Server Examples

Pre-configured examples for common integrations:

• GitHub, PostgreSQL, Filesystem access
• Sequential thinking, Web search, Browser automation
• Slack, Memory, and more
• Custom server templates

⚙️ Configuration Templates

Ready-to-use configurations:

• Project memory template (CLAUDE.md)
• Settings with hooks and permissions
• Example skills and hooks
• Path-specific rules

📚 Comprehensive Documentation

Guides for every aspect:

• Quick start and setup instructions
• MCP servers reference
• Customization guide
• Maintenance and sync strategies

Quick Start

1. Clone the Template

# Clone this repository for a new project
git clone https://github.com/chrismalone617/claude-code-template my-new-project
cd my-new-project

# Remove git history (optional - if you want a fresh start)
rm -rf .git
git init

2. Run Setup Script

chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

The setup script will:

• Create necessary directories
• Copy example files
• Guide you through initial configuration
• Help set up environment variables

3. Customize for Your Project

1. Edit .claude/CLAUDE.md - Update project overview, commands, architecture
2. Configure MCP Servers - Edit .mcp.json with servers you need
3. Set Environment Variables - Create .env file with required secrets
4. Customize Rules - Adjust .claude/rules/ to match your preferences
5. Update Project Requirements - Modify .claude/rules/project/ for your standards

4. Start Using Claude Code

claude

Claude will now use your customized configuration!

Features

Modular Rules System

.claude/rules/
  ├── personal/          # Your personal preferences (can be symlinked)
  ├── project/           # Project-specific requirements (shared)
  └── examples/          # Example rules to learn from

Flexible MCP Configuration

• .mcp.json - Active servers (version controlled)
• .mcp.example.json - Comprehensive examples and documentation
• .mcp.local.json - Local overrides (gitignored)

Example Skills

Pre-built skills for common tasks:

• /check-standards - Verify code follows project standards
• Add your own custom skills

Example Hooks

Automation via hooks:

• Auto-format code after edits
• Run tests automatically
• Custom validation

Usage Across Multiple Projects

Option 1: Clone Per Project

Each project gets its own copy of the template, customized for that project.

# For each new project
git clone https://github.com/chrismalone617/claude-code-template my-project
cd my-project
./setup.sh
# Customize for this project

Option 2: Symlink Personal Rules

Share personal preferences across all projects:

# Create a personal rules repo
mkdir -p ~/.claude-personal-rules
# Symlink personal rules in each project
ln -s ~/.claude-personal-rules .claude/rules/personal

Option 3: Template Repository

Use as a GitHub template repository:

1. Click "Use this template" on GitHub
2. Clone your new repository
3. Customize for your project

Directory Structure

claude-code-template/
├── .claude/
│   ├── CLAUDE.md                    # Project memory template
│   ├── settings.json                # Shared settings
│   ├── settings.local.json.example  # Personal settings example
│   ├── rules/
│   │   ├── personal/                # Personal preferences
│   │   ├── project/                 # Project requirements
│   │   └── examples/                # Example rules
│   ├── skills/
│   │   └── examples/                # Example skills
│   └── hooks/
│       └── examples/                # Example hooks
├── docs/
│   ├── mcp-servers-guide.md         # MCP reference
│   ├── customization-guide.md       # How to customize
│   └── maintenance-guide.md         # Keeping updated
├── .mcp.json                        # Active MCP servers
├── .mcp.example.json                # MCP examples
├── .gitignore                       # Excludes sensitive files
├── setup.sh                         # Setup automation
├── README.md                        # This file
└── SETUP.md                         # Detailed setup guide

Documentation

• [SETUP.md](SETUP.md) - Detailed setup instructions
• [MCP Servers Guide](docs/mcp-servers-guide.md) - Complete MCP reference
• [Customization Guide](docs/customization-guide.md) - How to customize everything
• [Maintenance Guide](docs/maintenance-guide.md) - Keeping your config updated

Environment Variables

Common environment variables you'll need:

# GitHub integration
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_...

# Database (if using)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/db

# Web search (if using)
BRAVE_API_KEY=...

# Custom services
API_KEY=...

See [SETUP.md](SETUP.md) for complete environment variable reference.

Examples

Personal Communication Style

# .claude/rules/personal/communication-style.md
- Keep responses concise and technical
- Use examples for complex concepts
- Always explain the "why" behind decisions
- Ask clarifying questions when requirements are ambiguous

Project Testing Standards

# .claude/rules/project/testing.md
- Minimum 85% code coverage
- Unit tests for all business logic
- Integration tests for APIs
- E2E tests for critical user flows

Path-Specific Rules

# .claude/rules/examples/frontend-example.md
---
paths:
  - "src/components/**"
  - "src/pages/**"
---
- Use functional components with hooks
- All components must have TypeScript types
- Include accessibility attributes

Tips

Getting Started

• Start simple - don't over-configure initially
• Gradually add rules as you discover preferences
• Use examples as starting points
• Test configurations with simple requests

Best Practices

• Keep personal rules separate from project rules
• Document why rules exist, not just what they are
• Review and update rules periodically
• Share project rules with your team
• Keep sensitive data in environment variables

Common Patterns

• Symlink personal rules for consistency across projects
• Use .mcp.local.json for machine-specific MCP servers
• Keep .claude/CLAUDE.md updated as project evolves
• Use path-specific rules for different parts of codebase

Contributing

Found a bug or have a suggestion? Please open an issue or submit a pull request!

Ideas for contributions:

• Additional example rules for different tech stacks
• More example skills
• Additional hook examples
• Improved documentation
• Setup script enhancements

License

MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.

Resources

• Claude Code Documentation - Official docs
• Model Context Protocol - MCP specification
• Claude Code GitHub - Source and issues
• MCP Servers - Official MCP servers
• Awesome MCP Servers - Community servers

Changelog

See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for detailed version history and release notes.

Version 1.0.0 (2024-01-22)

• Initial template release with complete structure
• Personal preference templates (communication, coding, context)
• Project requirements templates (testing, docs, security, quality)
• MCP server examples and comprehensive configuration
• Example rules, skills, and hooks
• Interactive setup script with validation
• Comprehensive documentation (8,325+ lines)

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Need Help? See [SETUP.md](SETUP.md) for detailed setup instructions or open an issue.

Source & license

This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: chrismalone617
• Source: chrismalone617/claude-code-template
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.