Claude Projects: Parallel Sessions in One Chat

A project in Claude Code is one ongoing conversation where Claude acts as a coordinator. You send it a task and Claude starts a thread to handle it. Each thread is a cloud session running in the background on its own branch of a GitHub repository. It reports back to the project conversation when it finishes, and several threads can run at the same time.

At the moment, projects are in public beta on Pro and Max plans, and the rollout is gradual. It starts with accounts that have already used cloud sessions and do not have existing projects on claude.ai. If Projects does not appear in your sidebar at claude.ai/code, you can join the waiting list at claude.com/form/projects.

1When a project is the right tool

A project is worth creating when the work has a goal that keeps producing tasks over several days or weeks. Applying the same change across several GitHub repositories is a good fit, because Claude starts one thread per repository and the Overview pane shows which pull requests are ready for review. Or you can feed a stream of bugs into the project as they come in, and a rule you tell Claude after fixing the first one applies to all the threads that follow.

Projects also work for work that is not code. You can upload a folder of documents, such as support tickets or contracts, and Claude processes them in parallel threads. The results go to the Library tab of the project, one file per item.

2When a regular session fits better

If the work needs tools or services that only your local machine can reach, a local session is the better choice. A single task that fits in one session is simpler to handle by opening a cloud session directly. And for something that repeats on a fixed schedule without a conversation around it, a routine is the right tool rather than a project.

3What you need before creating a project

Before creating a project, two things need to be in place. Your account must be on Pro or Max, and Projects must appear in the sidebar at claude.ai/code. If the project will work on code, the repositories must be on github.com rather than GitHub Enterprise or GitLab, and the Claude GitHub App must be installed on them. This App is separate from the GitHub token you may have added with /web-setup, so it is worth checking even if you have used cloud sessions before.

4How to create your first project

At claude.ai/code, select Projects in the left sidebar and click New project. Give it a name, and optionally add a one-line goal and the GitHub repositories or files the project works on. Only the name is required, so you can create the project now and add the repositories later in Project settings. In the desktop app the same option is in the Code tab, and in the mobile app it is in the main navigation.

There is also a second way to start. If you already have a cloud session doing the work, you can choose Continue as a project from that session's menu. Claude then proposes the project's setup from what the session was already doing.

5The Overview pane

The Overview pane shows all threads grouped by state. Threads that are still working appear under one heading, threads that are waiting for your answer appear under another, and you reply to them in the project conversation. The Pull requests tab lists every PR that threads opened. The Library tab holds files you uploaded and files that threads produced. The Routines tab is for scheduled work you want the project to run on a fixed interval.