db0 vs CLAUDE.md
CLAUDE.md and db0 solve different problems. CLAUDE.md is for project standards — conventions your whole team follows, written once, committed to git. db0 is for personal knowledge — preferences that follow you, not the repository.
Most teams need both.
What CLAUDE.md does
CLAUDE.md is a file at your project root that Claude Code reads at the start of every session. It becomes part of the system prompt. Developers use it for coding conventions, build commands, architecture notes, and tech stack documentation. The recommended sweet spot is 100-200 lines.
Similar files exist for other tools: .cursorrules for Cursor, .github/copilot-instructions.md for Copilot, AGENTS.md as a vendor-neutral format.
| Dimension | db0 | CLAUDE.md |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes it | Claude (as you work) | You (manually) |
| Scope | user / agent / session / task | Project, user (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md), or org |
| Cross-project preferences | user scope (dynamic, searchable) | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (static) |
| Cross-device | Via Postgres | Via git |
| Shared with teammates | Optional (shared Postgres) | Yes, via git |
| Updates as you work | Automatic extraction | Manual edit |
| Fact versioning | Supersede with audit trail | Overwrite |
| Semantic search | Yes | No |
| State checkpoints | Yes | No |
When CLAUDE.md is the right choice
- Static project standards that don't change session to session.
- Rules you need every teammate to follow, committed to version control.
- Context that exists before you've started working — architecture diagrams, tech stack, conventions.
- Instructions for CI/CD pipelines and headless Claude invocations.
When db0 is the right choice
- Personal preferences that should apply across all your projects, not just this repo.
- Knowledge that accumulates as you work — patterns Claude discovers, corrections you make.
- Facts that change over time and need to be versioned, not overwritten.
- Cross-device or cross-teammate memory sync.
- Multi-session task state: where you left off, what's done, what's next.
They're not alternatives. CLAUDE.md sets the rules. db0 accumulates the learning.
A typical setup: CLAUDE.md defines your project architecture and team conventions. db0 carries your personal preferences across every project you work on, and accumulates project-specific patterns that Claude discovers as it works with your codebase.