Part 1
Module 2 of 4 · Part 1: Build Your Root System
0%
0 of 4 lessons complete
You are building something real.
It learns. It deepens.
Your root system gets smarter every time you use it. Structured memory, compound learning, a system that remembers what matters. This is how it deepens.
After this module: you understand how your root system remembers, how memory tiers work, and how everything you teach it compounds over time.
Available April 14, 2026You will get an email the moment it is live.
How your root system remembers
Every time you open Claude Code, it starts with a clean session. No memory of what you said yesterday. No leftover context from three hours ago. This is a feature, not a limitation. It means your data stays private and nothing leaks between sessions unless you choose to save it.
So how does your root system remember anything? Through files.
Your root file (CLAUDE.md) is read at the start of every single session. It contains your identity, your business, your voice, your boundaries. Fact files store permanent truths about your pricing, your methodology, your preferences. Session learnings capture what Claude discovered recently: mistakes, things that worked, patterns it noticed.
The compound timeline
The more you use your root system, the more files it has to draw from. Here is what that looks like over time:
1 weekKnows your clients' names, your schedule patterns, and how you like emails drafted.
1 monthKnows your rhythms, which days you have more energy, and which clients need more follow-up.
3 monthsDrafts emails that sound like you, preps for calls without being asked, and flags when you are overworking.
None of this is magic. It is structured files that Claude reads at the right time. The more you use it, the more files it has to draw from. Everything you teach it compounds instead of disappearing.
💡
Fresh sessions are a privacy feature. Nothing carries over unless you explicitly save it. Your root system remembers through files you control, not through some hidden memory bank. You decide what sticks.
Your root system organizes memory into tiers. Each tier has a different purpose and a different lifespan. Together, they make sure nothing important is lost while keeping your root system clean and current.
The four tiers (plus history)
Scratchpadscontext/pad/30 days
Session Learningscontext/memory/learnings/2 weeks active
Scratchpads are quick notes Claude writes during a session to hold complex thinking. You do not need to manage them. They clean themselves up after 30 days.
Session Learnings capture what Claude learned after each session. Mistakes it made, things that worked well, preferences it discovered about you. These stay active for two weeks so recent lessons inform the next conversation.
Patterns emerge when the same learning shows up multiple times. "She always rewrites the first draft of client emails" becomes a confirmed pattern. These get reviewed quarterly.
Facts are permanent truths you approve before they are saved. Your pricing, your methodology, your preferences, your boundaries. These do not expire.
History is one file per day. Your immutable record of what happened. Never deleted, never edited after the fact.
Customize your intervals
The folders are already in your starter system. The files fill themselves as you use your root system. But there are two things you can customize: how often Claude reviews your patterns, and how long session learnings stay active before archiving. These intervals are set in your root file (CLAUDE.md).
The defaults work well for most people. But if you want to adjust them, just tell Claude:
Your setup prompt
Review my memory system intervals in CLAUDE.md. I work every day, so I want patterns reviewed weekly and session learnings to stay active for 2 weeks. Update my root file with these intervals.
Claude will update your root file with the intervals you choose. Someone who works daily might review patterns weekly. Someone who works a few times a week might prefer monthly. You decide, and you can change it anytime by asking Claude to update your root file.
Every interaction teaches your root system something new. Not because it is recording everything in some hidden database, but because the files in your root system grow and refine with use. The question is not whether it learns. It is how fast.
Daily check-ins
The simplest way to teach your root system is to start each session by telling it how you are. Energy level, what you are working on, what is on your mind. These get logged, and over time your root system builds a picture of your rhythms. You will set these up properly in the next module.
Voice refinement
When Claude writes something that sounds off, tell it. Be specific. The more direct you are, the faster your voice guide sharpens.
"That is too formal. I would say it more casually."
"I would never say 'leverage.' Try 'use' instead."
"That nailed it. Save this tone for future emails."
Every correction gets saved. After a week of daily use, the difference is real. After a month, Claude writes in your voice without being asked.
Saving your sessions
At the end of a work session, you want to save what happened so your root system remembers it next time. Type /save-session or just say "save session" and Claude will update your session learnings, write to your daily log, and commit your changes. This is how knowledge moves from one session to the next.
Your evening protocol (which you will set up in Module 3) includes a save step automatically. But you can also save mid-session whenever you have done something worth keeping.
Reflective practice
Your root system can support whatever grounds you. Journaling, meditation, gratitude practice, prayer, time in nature. This is not prescribed. You choose what matters. Tell your root system about your practice, and it will prompt you, log your reflections, and track your consistency.
This is private. Your reflections live in files on your computer. They are not uploaded anywhere, not shared with anyone, not used for training. This is your personal record.
💡
The more honest you are, the more useful your root system becomes. If you are tired, say so. If you are avoiding something, say that too. Your root system does not judge. It just learns how to support you better.
Inside your memory system, there is a special folder called context/memory/fact/. This is where permanent truths live. Things that do not change session to session. Your name. Your boundaries. How you prefer to work. What you have decided and why.
Your starter kit comes with six fact file templates, each in YAML format. YAML is just a simple way to store structured information that both you and Claude can read. You do not need to learn any syntax. You fill them in by talking to Claude, and it writes the files for you.
The six fact files
identity.yaml
Who you are. Your name, your role, your timezone, your location, your core values, how you communicate. This is how Claude knows the person it is working with.
preferences.yaml
How you like things done. Your tools, work hours, morning routine, planning style, writing style, how you want Claude to respond. The more specific you are, the less you need to correct.
constraints.yaml
Your hard limits. Budget, time available, non-negotiables, tools you refuse to use, topics that are off-limits, accessibility needs. These are your guardrails that Claude respects absolutely.
decisions.yaml
Choices you have made and the reasoning behind them. Pricing decisions, platform choices, positioning calls. When Claude knows WHY you decided something, it stops suggesting alternatives you already rejected.
current-state.yaml
Where you are right now. Life phase, business phase, energy level, primary focus, quarterly goals, and what is in your way. This is the only fact file that changes often. It keeps Claude oriented without you explaining your context every session.
skills-registry.yaml
A catalog of every skill your root system can run. Maps skill names to their purpose so Claude knows what tools are available. This one fills itself as you add skills.
How to fill them in
You do not need to write YAML yourself. Just talk to Claude. Tell it about your business, your preferences, your boundaries. It will organize everything into the right files.
Your setup prompt
Help me fill in my fact files. Start with identity.yaml. Ask me questions about my business and write the file based on my answers.
Claude will interview you, one file at a time. It asks questions, you answer in plain language, and it writes clean YAML. You review it, approve it, and move to the next file. Most people finish all six in one session.
How to use them (this matters more than what goes in them)
The most important thing about fact files is to keep them short. Your root system has a context window, which is the amount of information it can hold in one conversation. Every line in your fact files takes up space in that window. If your fact files are bloated, there is less room for the actual work you are doing in the session.
Fact files vs skills: know the difference
Fact files hold your permanent baseline. The things that are true regardless of what you are working on today. Skills hold the detailed instructions for specific tasks. When you run a skill like /content-calendar or /crm, that skill file loads with all of its specific rules and templates. When the task is done, that context goes away.
This means your fact files do not need to contain everything. If your brand guidelines only matter when you are creating content, those details belong in a content skill, not in your fact files. If your CRM rules only matter when you are logging contacts, those belong in your CRM skill. Fact files carry what matters in every conversation. Skills carry what matters for specific tasks.
FACT FILES (always loaded)
Your name, timezone, values How you want Claude to respond Budget and time constraints Key decisions with reasoning Current phase and focus
The golden rule: if it does not apply to every conversation, it does not belong in a fact file
A good test: if Claude could do 80% of your sessions without reading this line, it probably belongs in a skill instead. Your identity? Every session. Your brand color hex codes? Only when creating visuals. Your pricing? Every session. Your carousel slide template? Only when making carousels.
Example: a lean identity.yaml
name: Sarah Chen role: Business strategist for creative solopreneurs timezone: America/Los_Angeles values: [depth, honesty, rest] communication_style: Direct, warm, no corporate speak
Five lines. That is enough for Claude to know who it is working with. Everything else loads when it is needed.
💡
Think of your context window like a desk. Fact files are the few things you keep on your desk at all times. Skills are the drawers you open when you need something specific. If your desk is covered in papers, there is no room to work. Keep the desk clear. Use the drawers.
