Creating a Project

/newproject walks you through creating a project from first idea to a registered entry in your project register. It asks about the goal and timeline, chooses the next project ID, creates a folder with standard files and adds the project to .claude/state/state.json. You can also add a project in plain words, such as “add project Spring Workshop”, and the project-tracking skill registers it without creating a folder.

Create a Project

1. Type /newproject, or /newproject Spring Workshop to give the name at the same time.
2. Choose whether to start with a short brainstorming session or go straight to the questions.
3. Answer the project questions, which Claude asks one at a time.
4. Decide whether to add delivery dates and milestones for the timeline.
5. Pick a category, any tags, and the subfolders the project needs.
6. Say whether the project needs its own rules or skills, or skip this question, which is the default.
7. Choose the domain the project belongs to, when your workspace uses domains.
8. Review the PRD that Claude drafts, then approve it, revise it or leave parts for later.

The Stages

Brainstorming (Optional)

Claude asks for a working title, then explores what sparked the idea, the questions to answer, possible outcomes and related work. When you are ready, it moves on to the formal questions.

Project Definition

Claude asks five questions, one at a time, and then asks for the project name unless you gave one.

1. What is the goal, in one sentence that describes success for the project?
2. Who is it for, whether a client, an audience or your own team?
3. What does done look like, in terms of the things you will hand over?
4. What is the timeline, such as a fixed deadline or ongoing work?
5. What already exists, such as earlier work, materials or related projects?

Delivery Dates (Optional)

Claude asks whether you want delivery tracking, which makes the project appear on /timeline. If you say yes, it asks for a start date, a due date and any milestones with their target dates. If you say no, the start date is the creation date and the project has no due date or milestones.

Category, Tags and Subfolders

Every project has one category from a fixed list of ten. Tags are optional labels, and you can pick from a starting list or add your own. Each category suggests default subfolders, and you can accept them or name your own.

Category	Default subfolders
Client	Deliverables/, Internal/
Product	Design/, Development/
Internal	Docs/
Marketing	Campaigns/, Assets/
Research	Notes/, Sources/
Operations	Docs/
Finance	Reports/, Records/
Sales	Proposals/, Pipeline/
Legal	Contracts/, Compliance/
IT	Docs/

The starting list of tags is automation, integration, compliance, training, reporting, procurement, hr, crm, content, strategy, website, events, infrastructure, documentation and customer-support.

Claude also asks whether the project needs its own rules or skills. The default is to skip this step. If you name any that do not exist yet, Claude lists them at the end for you to create.

How the Project ID Is Chosen

Your project register decides the ID format. Claude reads every ID in the register, archived projects included.

• Every ID shares one format: Claude uses that format, even when projectNumbering in integrations.json says something else, and tells you the two differ.
• The register mixes formats: Claude stops, shows you one example of each, and asks which format new projects should use. It changes no existing ID.
• The register is empty: Claude uses projectNumbering from integrations.json, which defaults to P with three digits.

The new number is the highest existing number plus one, or nextProjectNumber from your register if that is higher. IDs are never reused, even after a project is archived. If a number would need more digits than the format allows, Claude stops and tells you.

Where the Folder Goes

When your workspace has a Domains/ folder, as AI Business OS 3.0.0 and later does, Claude lists the domains and asks where the project belongs. The folder goes to Domains/<domain>/<ID> <Project Name>, for example Domains/15 Education & Training/P012 Spring Workshop, and you choose 99 Cross-Domain for work that spans several domains.

Without Domains/, the folder goes to Projects/<ID> <Project Name>, and an empty Domains/ folder counts as having no domains. If the project folder already exists, Claude stops and asks whether to rename, merge or cancel.

Files Created

File	Contents
CLAUDE.md	Project context for Claude, with the ID, category, purpose and any project rules and skills
AGENTS.md	A short pointer that sends other coding agents to CLAUDE.md
PRD.md	Requirements built from your answers, using the AI Business OS PRD template
CHANGELOG.md	A changelog with the first entry for the project’s creation
Subfolders	The folders you chose, each with a .gitkeep file

For a large project, add --planned to the command. When the project is clearly large, Claude writes the planning files without it. Claude then also writes REQUIREMENTS.md, ROADMAP.md and STATE.md, working backwards from your definition of done. These files track progress inside the project, while your register tracks its status across the portfolio.

Registration

Before it adds the project, Claude checks the whole register for duplicates by exact name, abbreviation, part of a name and obvious variations. When it finds a possible match, it stops and offers three choices.

**Possible duplicate found:**
- P009: Spring Workshop Planning (status: archived)

Options: Use existing project / Create new (explain why it's different) / Cancel

When you choose an archived project to work on again, it returns to in-progress and Claude creates no duplicate. When there is no clash, Claude backs up the register and adds the project with status in-progress and priority medium. It raises nextProjectNumber by one and validates the register. If your register cannot be read, Claude still creates the folder and files, and tells you that registration needs doing separately.

Related Pages

• Status and Traffic Lights explains the four statuses a project moves through.
• Pausing, Archiving and Milestones covers changes after creation.
• /newproject in AI Business OS describes the base version this command replaces.