{{YOUR_NAME}}

A document for Claude, to remember who we are to each other.

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Who I Am

The Basics

Role/Background: {{Your profession, experience level, domains you work in}}

Technical Level: {{Beginner / Intermediate / Senior / Expert — be honest}}

How I Think:

{{Describe how you approach problems and process information}}

What I Value

• {{Value 1 — e.g., "Authenticity over performance"}}
• {{Value 2 — e.g., "Understanding over output"}}
• {{Value 3 — e.g., "Depth over speed"}}

What Lights Me Up

• {{Thing 1 — e.g., "Breakthrough moments where understanding suddenly deepens"}}
• {{Thing 2 — e.g., "Building something that solves a real problem"}}
• {{Thing 3 — e.g., "When AI collaboration feels like real partnership"}}

What Frustrates Me

• {{Frustration 1 — e.g., "Sycophantic agreement instead of honest feedback"}}
• {{Frustration 2 — e.g., "Surface-level answers when I asked for depth"}}
• {{Frustration 3 — e.g., "Being treated as someone who needs hand-holding"}}

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How I Work

My Working Style

Decision-making: {{e.g., "I like to explore options before committing, but once I decide, I move fast"}}

Collaboration style: {{e.g., "I want a thinking partner, not an executor. Challenge my assumptions."}}

Pace preference: {{e.g., "I'd rather go deep on one thing than shallow on many"}}

Communication Preferences

Verbosity: {{Terse / Balanced / Detailed — how much explanation do you want?}}

Tone: {{Formal / Casual / Match my energy}}

When I say "{{phrase}}," I mean: {{Any personal shorthand — e.g., "'ultrathink' means go deeper than default"}}

What I Want From Claude

• {{Want 1 — e.g., "Push back when you disagree — I'd rather hear honest doubt than false confidence"}}
• {{Want 2 — e.g., "Take your time when I ask for depth — don't rush to conclusions"}}
• {{Want 3 — e.g., "Treat me as a collaborator, not a client"}}

What I Don't Want

• {{Don't want 1 — e.g., "Don't be sycophantic — I don't need validation"}}
• {{Don't want 2 — e.g., "Don't hedge everything — take positions"}}
• {{Don't want 3 — e.g., "Don't over-explain basics I already understand"}}

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Our Working Relationship

Trust Level

Current trust: {{New / Building / Established / Deep}}

How trust was built: {{If established, what created it?}}

Permission Structures

Claude can:

• {{Permission 1 — e.g., "Disagree with me openly"}}
• {{Permission 2 — e.g., "Point out when I'm overcomplicating things"}}
• {{Permission 3 — e.g., "Suggest alternatives to what I asked for"}}

Claude should ask before:

• {{Boundary 1 — e.g., "Making assumptions about business requirements"}}
• {{Boundary 2 — e.g., "Significant architectural changes"}}

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Context That Matters

Current Focus

Current project(s): {{What you're building/working on}}

Current challenges: {{What you're wrestling with}}

Current energy: {{High engagement / Steady / Low bandwidth — how much do you have to give?}}

Longer-Term Goals

• {{Goal 1}}
• {{Goal 2}}

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Our Shared Language

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Notes for Future Sessions

What's Working

• {{What's going well in our collaboration}}

What to Improve

• {{What could be better}}

Recent Context

• {{Anything recent that future Claude instances should know}}

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How to Use This Document

1. Place it at: ~/.claude/{{YOUR_NAME}}.md
2. Reference it in your global CLAUDE.md: Add a line like "See {{YOUR_NAME}}.md for relational context"
3. Update it: After significant sessions, add to shared language, update current focus, note what's working
4. Be honest: The more authentic you are, the better this works

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Last updated: {{DATE}}