Most Claude Code projects start with a CLAUDE.md and nothing else. Here is the full structure that turns Claude from a coding assistant into an engineering partner.

The complete directory

your-project/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── CLAUDE.local.md
├── mcp.json
└── claude/
    ├── settings.json
    ├── rules/
    │   ├── code-style.md
    │   ├── testing.md
    │   └── api-conventions.md
    ├── commands …

Claude Code is not a chatbot. It lives in your terminal, reads your actual files, writes code, runs commands, and executes multi-step workflows — all with your permission. Here are 30 concepts you need to understand it properly. No fluff, no hand-holding.

The 30 Concepts

1. The Terminal — Claude Code doesn't …