CCDV-F Claude Code Practice Question
A developer wants Claude Code to understand the team's API conventions, directory layout, and preferred testing framework for a specific service, and wants that guidance loaded automatically at the start of every session in that repository without typing it. What is the most appropriate way to accomplish this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming a settings.json field can inject project instructions, when persistent project guidance belongs in CLAUDE.md and settings.json only controls behavior like permissions and hooks.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Place a CLAUDE.md file in the repository root containing the conventions, layout notes, and testing framework guidance.
CLAUDE.md is the designated project memory file. Claude Code automatically reads it at the start of a session in the repository, so conventions, layout notes, and testing framework preferences placed there are available without manual effort. Manual pasting, unsupported settings fields, and scattered code comments cannot deliver the same consistent, automatic, repository-wide context loading that the developer needs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Add the conventions as comments in a source file that Claude Code is likely to read during the session.
Why it's wrong here
Comments in a source file only provide context if Claude Code happens to open that file, and they are scoped to that file's content. They cannot reliably convey repository-wide conventions at session start and may be missed entirely. This approach is fragile and does not guarantee the consistent, automatic loading of project guidance that the scenario requires.
- ✗
Create a `.claude/settings.json` entry with a `systemPrompt` field containing the conventions.
Why it's wrong here
There is no supported `systemPrompt` field in `.claude/settings.json` for injecting arbitrary project conventions. Settings files control permissions, hooks, and environment variables, not free-form context. Attempting this would either be ignored or cause a configuration error, and it would not deliver the automatic, per-session project guidance the developer needs.
- ✓
Place a CLAUDE.md file in the repository root containing the conventions, layout notes, and testing framework guidance.
Why this is correct
CLAUDE.md is the project memory file that Claude Code reads automatically when a session starts in that directory. Putting API conventions, directory layout, and testing framework notes there ensures every session begins with that context already loaded, matching the requirement precisely. It is the documented mechanism for persistent, repository-scoped instructions without manual repetition.
- ✗
Paste the conventions into the first message of each session before asking for changes.
Why it's wrong here
Pasting conventions manually works for a single session but fails the requirement of loading automatically at the start of every session. It also consumes context window space and depends on the developer remembering to do it each time. The scenario explicitly asks for automatic loading, so a manual paste is an unnecessary and error-prone substitute for persistent project memory.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Anthropic exam blueprint
This CCDV-F practice question is part of Courseiva's free Anthropic certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CCDV-F exam.