Boris Cherny13/ Use --add-dir to Give Claude Access to More Folders
Source snapshot: 2026-11-09Independent editorial note
When this pattern helps
Use this as a pattern to evaluate, not a universal rule. Check the current Claude Code documentation and your own workflow constraints, then keep the parts that measurably improve reliability, clarity, or delivery time.
这是一种值得评估的实践,不是放之四海皆准的规则。结合当前 Claude Code 文档和自己的工作约束验证,只保留确实改善可靠性、清晰度或交付时间的部分。
When working across multiple repositories, Boris usually starts Claude in one repo and uses --add-dir (or /add-dir) to let Claude see the other repo.
- This not only tells Claude about the repo, but also gives it permissions to work in the repo
- Or, add
"additionalDirectories" to your team's settings.json to always load in additional folders when starting Claude Code
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