Your project uses pnpm rather than npm, and you have corrected Claude about it three sessions running. Where does that belong?

The principle — the trigger for writing something down is having explained it twice.

Why the key is correct — Anthropic's guidance is to treat CLAUDE.md as the place you write down what you would otherwise re-explain. A package-manager convention is a standing fact about the project, so it belongs in the file that loads at the start of every session.

Why the others are wrong — continuing to retype the correction is the signal, not the solution. Imports organise instructions without reducing context, since imported files load at launch anyway. And while auto memory might capture it, a deliberate project convention belongs in the file you control and your team can read.

Remember this — the second time you type a correction, put it in the file instead.

Sources — Anthropic's memory page.