Claude

Tool class: AI agent workspace

In Claude, the AI assistant made by Anthropic, a topic’s AI agent workspace is one project. A Claude project has a name, a description, project instructions that apply to every conversation in the project, and project knowledge: files and other content that Claude can read in those conversations.

Set up the surface for one topic

These steps use the example topic Example Co Operations (topic code EXOP).

1. Confirm the topic in the registry. Use the exact topic code and name.
2. Search the projects in your organization’s Claude account for EXOP and for the topic name. If a project for the topic already exists, use it. If two exist, record a provisioning gap.
3. Create the project in the organization’s Claude account, not in a personal account. Name it EXOP Example Co Operations.
4. Write the description: one sentence that names the topic code and the purpose, for example “AI agent workspace for EXOP Example Co Operations.”
5. Write the project instructions (see Settings).
6. Add reference material to the project knowledge only if it is stable, it improves the agent’s work, and it is allowed inside the topic’s access boundary.
7. Share the project with the topic’s participants (see Permissions).
8. Add the project link to the topic profile and to the Topic Surfaces table of the purpose page.

Settings

• Name. The topic code and the canonical name: EXOP Example Co Operations.
• Project instructions. Short and specific to the topic. They state the topic, its purpose, the terms it uses, the limits on what Claude may do, and where the topic’s records are. They link to the records instead of copying them. A starting point:

This project is the AI agent workspace for the topic EXOP Example Co Operations
(venture Example Co, unit Operations, topic code EXOP).

Purpose of the topic: [one or two sentences from the Space Purpose and Usage page]

Records of the topic (the source of truth):
- Accountable work and the Focus System: [link to the EXOP project]
- Durable knowledge: [link to the Space Purpose and Usage page]
- Files: [link to the shared drive EXOP Example Co Operations]
- Topic profile: [link]

Method: Topic Focused Workflow. Read https://tfw.how/llms.txt for the terms.

Rules:
- Your output is a draft. Propose changes; do not present a proposal as a decision.
- Look up topic codes in the registry: [link]. Do not rely on a list in these instructions.
- Change other tools only for these approved actions: [list, or "none"].
- Do not store credentials or material outside the EXOP access boundary here.

• Project knowledge. Stable material only, for example a glossary of the topic’s terms or a style guide. Do not upload a copy of a task list, a page, or a spreadsheet that changes; link to it instead. Where Claude can connect project knowledge to a source, such as a document storage folder or a code repository, connect it to the topic’s own surface rather than uploading a copy.
• Memory. Where memory is turned on, Claude keeps a separate memory for each project. Memory is not a record of the topic. A fact that must last is written to its source of truth.
• Connectors. Connectors give Claude access to other tools. They are set up for the user or the organization, not for one project. Before you use a connector in a topic’s project, confirm that it reaches only what the topic’s access boundary allows, and that it has only the permissions the approved actions need.
• Skills. Agent Skills that are added to Claude can be used in every project. Keep topic-specific instructions in the project instructions, not in a skill.
• Claude Code. When Claude Code works in a repository, it reads the repository’s CLAUDE.md file. That file belongs to the code repository surface, not to the Claude project. Keep it short and link to the topic’s records, as described on the GitHub page.

Permissions

• A new project is private to the person who created it. On plans that allow sharing, share the project with the topic’s participants, and give edit access to the maintainer and one backup. Other participants can use the project without changing its instructions and knowledge.
• Where the product supports groups, share the project with the topic’s access groups. Otherwise, share it with each participant and check the list against the access groups during maintenance.
• Everyone who can use the project can read its project knowledge through Claude. Add only material that every one of them may read.
• Turn on a connector for the topic’s work only when the topic needs it. A connection to a tool does not authorize Claude to change records there.

Maintenance

The maintainer checks the project on a regular schedule:

• The name still matches the topic code and the canonical name.
• The project instructions still describe the topic, the links still work, and they point to the current surfaces.
• Project knowledge has no copies that went out of date, no credentials, and no material outside the access boundary.
• Sharing still matches the topic’s participants and access groups.
• Results from recent conversations were written to the source of truth.

When the topic becomes inactive:

1. Add a first line to the project instructions that states that the topic is inactive and links to any topic that took over the work.
2. Remove sharing for most participants, or archive the project if your plan supports it.
3. Remove project knowledge that should not be kept, according to the retention rule.
4. Update the topic profile and the purpose page.

Agent notes

• Read the project instructions before you start. If the conversation is about another topic, say so, and suggest that the person use that topic’s project.
• Treat your output as a draft. Write a result that must last to its source of truth only when a person asks you to, and post the link back in the conversation.
• Use the links in the instructions to read current records. Do not rely on a copy in project knowledge when the record is available.
• Use connectors only for the actions that the instructions allow. Confirm before every write to another tool.
• Do not repeat credentials or personal data from a record in your answer unless the task needs it.
• Mark statements that you have not checked against a record as unverified.