cloning-project

Cloning Project

When users request to clone, copy, export, or backup their current project:

When NOT to use this skill

"Project" here is a Claude.ai workspace, never a code repository. The word collides badly, so route by what is actually being copied:

Situation	Use
Clone or fetch a git repo	accessing-github-repos
"I just cloned this, what is it?"	exploring-codebases
What a codebase contains or exposes	tree-sitting
Back up a repo's files	git, not this

This skill reads the Claude.ai workspace you are talking in. It touches no checkout and knows nothing about code.

Step 1: Verify Project Context

Check if the user is in a project by looking for project-specific indicators:

• Project instructions in the context window
• Knowledge files mentioned in <available_skills> or similar sections
• User explicitly stating they're in a project

If not in a project, inform the user that this skill requires being inside a Claude project.

Step 2: Gather Project Instructions

Project instructions are typically found in the context window as XML or markdown content describing the project's purpose and configuration. Extract and save these instructions to a file.

Create the instructions file:

cat > /home/claude/project-instructions.md << 'INSTRUCTIONS'
[Extracted project instructions content]
INSTRUCTIONS

Step 3: Locate Knowledge Files

Knowledge files are user-uploaded documents stored in /mnt/user-data/uploads/. List all files:

ls -lh /mnt/user-data/uploads/

If knowledge files exist, copy them to the working directory for bundling:

cp /mnt/user-data/uploads/* /home/claude/project-export/

Step 4: Create Export Bundle

If only project instructions exist (no knowledge files):

• Copy instructions directly to outputs:

  cp /home/claude/project-instructions.md /mnt/user-data/outputs/
  

If project has both instructions and knowledge files:

• Create an organized export directory:

  mkdir -p /home/claude/project-export
  cp /home/claude/project-instructions.md /home/claude/project-export/
  cp /mnt/user-data/uploads/* /home/claude/project-export/ 2>/dev/null || true
  

• Create zip bundle:

  cd /home/claude
  zip -r /mnt/user-data/outputs/project-export.zip project-export/
  

• Show bundle contents:

  unzip -l /mnt/user-data/outputs/project-export.zip
  

Step 5: Provide Files and Instructions to User

Link the exported files:

For single instructions file:

[Download project-instructions.md](computer:///mnt/user-data/outputs/project-instructions.md)

For bundled export:

[Download project-export.zip](computer:///mnt/user-data/outputs/project-export.zip)

Then provide clear setup instructions:

## How to Import Into a New Project

1. **Create a new Claude project** (or open an existing one where you want to clone this configuration)

2. **Add project instructions:**
   - Open the new project's settings
   - Navigate to the "Instructions" section
   - Copy and paste the content from `project-instructions.md`
   - Save the instructions

3. **Upload knowledge files** (if applicable):
   - In the new project, go to the "Knowledge" section
   - Upload all files from the export (except project-instructions.md)
   - Files will become available as project knowledge

Your project is now cloned with the same configuration and knowledge base.

Edge Cases

Empty project (no custom instructions or knowledge):

• Inform the user that the project has no custom configuration to export
• Explain that projects by default only have access to Claude's base capabilities

Large knowledge bases:

• If the zip file exceeds reasonable size (~50MB), warn the user and suggest selective export
• Provide individual file links as fallback

Corrupted or inaccessible files:

• Skip files that cannot be read
• Report which files were successfully exported vs. skipped
• Provide export anyway with available content