'/init' prompt shown even when .claude/CLAUDE.md exists
Resolved 💬 3 comments Opened Apr 8, 2026 by RanFeldesh Closed Apr 12, 2026
Description
When starting a new session in a repo that has a .claude/CLAUDE.md file (but no root-level CLAUDE.md), Claude Code displays:
Run /init to create a CLAUDE.md file with instructions for Claude
This is misleading because .claude/CLAUDE.md is a supported and documented location — and it loads correctly. The startup check only looks for a root-level CLAUDE.md.
Expected behavior
The /init prompt should not appear if .claude/CLAUDE.md exists, since that's a valid (and arguably preferred) location for project instructions.
Steps to reproduce
- Create a repo with instructions at
.claude/CLAUDE.md(no root-levelCLAUDE.md) - Start a new Claude Code session in that repo
- Observe the
/initprompt despite instructions loading correctly
Environment
- Claude Code CLI
- Linux (also likely reproducible on macOS)
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