Projects & Artifacts Basics
8 examples to get you started with Projects & Artifacts - 5 basic and 3 intermediate.
Prerequisites
- A Claude.ai account with access to Projects (available on paid plans; check your workspace's plan details if you do not see a Projects option in the sidebar).
- No installation or setup beyond a normal Claude.ai login. Everything below happens in the browser or desktop app.
Basic Examples
1. Create Your First Project
Start a new Project from the Claude.ai sidebar before you write any instructions or upload any files.
- Click Projects in the left sidebar, then Create project.
- Give it a short, specific name that describes its scope, such as "Q3 Marketing Copy" rather than "Work Stuff."
- An empty Project has no custom instructions and no files yet - both are added separately.
- You can rename or archive a Project later without losing the conversations inside it.
Related: Setting Up a Project with Custom Instructions - the next step once a Project exists.
2. Write Your First Custom Instructions
Open the new Project's settings and add a short block of custom instructions before starting any conversations.
- Custom instructions are plain text that Claude reads before every message in this Project's conversations.
- Keep them specific: describe the background, the audience, and any rules Claude should always follow here.
- Avoid vague instructions like "be helpful" - they add length without adding useful context.
- You can edit these instructions at any time, and the change applies to new messages going forward.
Related: Setting Up a Project with Custom Instructions - a full walkthrough of writing effective instructions.
3. Upload Your First Knowledge File
Add one reference file to the Project so every conversation inside it can draw on the same source material.
- Use the Add content or knowledge section in the Project's settings to upload a file.
- Common first files are a style guide, a product overview, or a glossary of terms specific to your work.
- Once uploaded, the file is available to every conversation in that Project, not just the one open when you added it.
- Start with one or two well-chosen files rather than uploading everything you have.
Related: Uploading Knowledge Files to a Project - more detail on choosing and managing files.
4. Start a Conversation Inside the Project
Begin chatting inside the Project you just set up and notice how it differs from a plain chat.
- Open the Project and click New chat from within it, rather than starting a chat from the main screen.
- Ask a question that depends on the custom instructions or the uploaded file, and check that the answer reflects that context.
- Every new conversation you start inside this Project automatically inherits the same instructions and files.
- You can still ask about anything else in that conversation - the Project context is background, not a restriction on topics.
5. Generate Your First Artifact
Ask Claude for something substantial enough to warrant its own space, and watch it open in the side panel instead of the chat.
- Request something like a one-page outline, a short reference document, or a simple diagram description.
- When Claude produces it, it opens in a separate panel next to the conversation rather than as a plain chat message.
- The chat continues underneath, so you can keep discussing the Artifact while it stays visible on the side.
- Not every reply becomes an Artifact - short answers and quick explanations stay in the chat.
Related: When to Use an Artifact Instead of a Chat Reply - how Claude decides, and how you can ask directly.
Intermediate Examples
6. Revise an Artifact Without Losing the Original
Ask for a change to the Artifact you just created and observe how the revision replaces the content in place.
- Describe the change in plain language, such as "shorten the second section" or "add a row to the table."
- Claude updates the same Artifact rather than creating a second, separate one in the chat.
- Look for a version indicator or history control in the Artifact panel to step back to an earlier draft if needed.
- This is the core advantage of an Artifact over a plain reply: you can iterate without re-reading a wall of repeated text.
Related: Editing and Iterating on an Artifact - a deeper look at revision and version history.
7. Add a Second File and Watch the Project Adapt
Upload a second, different knowledge file to the same Project and start a fresh conversation to see both files in use together.
- Choose a file that complements the first one, such as a data reference alongside a style guide, rather than a duplicate of it.
- Start a new conversation and ask something that could draw on either file.
- Notice whether Claude's answer pulls from the right file for the question asked - this is a good early signal of whether your Project's files are well chosen.
- If answers start feeling unfocused, that is usually a sign the Project is accumulating files it does not really need.
Related: What Makes a Good Project: Scope and Shared Context - how to judge whether a Project's files and scope are still working well.
8. Decide Between a New Project and a New Conversation
Practice the judgment call that comes up constantly once you have more than one Project: does this new task belong in an existing Project, a new Project, or just a plain chat?
- If the task shares background or rules with an existing Project, start a new conversation inside that Project instead of creating another one.
- If the task is genuinely different in audience, subject, or rules, a new, narrowly scoped Project usually works better than stretching an existing one to cover it.
- If the task is a one-off with no expected repetition, skip Projects entirely and use a plain chat.
- Revisit this decision periodically - a Project that made sense with one file and one instruction block can outgrow its original scope.
Related: Project Setup Checklist: Instructions, Files, and Scope - a checklist to run before starting a new Project.
Stack versions: Written against the Claude model lineup current as of ~June 2026 - Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Sonnet 5 (the default), and Claude Haiku 4.5. Model names, pricing, and product features move quickly - verify current specifics at platform.claude.com/docs before relying on them.