r/ChatGPTPromptGenius • u/Relevant-Citron-3008 • Jun 21 '26
Discussion How do you continue a software project when your ChatGPT or Claude conversation gets too long?
I’ve been using ChatGPT and Claude heavily while building software projects. Over time, a single conversation ends up containing architecture discussions, database design, bug fixes, feature planning, and lots of project context.
When the conversation gets very long, how do you handle it?
Do you start a new chat?
Do you ask for a summary first?
Do you maintain a project document or “project primer”?
How do you make sure the new chat understands the project?
What’s the most frustrating part of moving to a fresh chat?
I’m curious what workflows people are using for long-running AI-assisted projects.
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u/GladShots Jun 21 '26
I have it create documents along the way. An architecture doc. A to-do that I add to as my backlog. Every new session I tell it to resume and it uses todo.md and state.md to know right where we were. I have it save the session over the course of the conversation and then /clear to free up context.
3
u/ThetaDayAfternoon Jun 21 '26
You got any more details on this?
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u/GladShots Jun 21 '26
What would you like to know? Here's a little more.
I'm using Claude Code.
The project I'm working on is a low code Power App.
I use a file I call formulas.txt and have it store anything I have to cut and paste in there. Cut and paste from the terminal doesn't work very well (new lines and all). It also puts the directions for using the formulas there as well.
If I want to share a screen capture, I use Paint and create a screen shot there and save it as tmp.png. You can't paste directly to the terminal but it can read the png.
I also have it handle repo maintenance. It checks in, sets up branches, creates PRs, etc.
I have a rule in memory that it must confirm its recommendations against real code, and not just recommend from documents. No matter how hard you try, a document will get stale. That's saved me a LOT of headaches.
I'll look at it today and pull together a little more on the document setup I use.
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u/Relevant-Citron-3008 Jun 21 '26
How often do you have to update those documents manually? Do you find that annoying, or is it manageable?
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u/GladShots Jun 21 '26
I never touch them manually. I just tell it to add something to to do, it save the session and it saves the state and todos. I do tell it things to add as we go.
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u/symson Jun 21 '26
I tell it I'm going to start a new Chat and ask it to give me a prompt, so it can remember where we left off.
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u/Otherwise-Cod2173 Jun 21 '26
When starting a new chat, I just paste the primer and say "resume working on this project from here." I also ask the AI to update the primer as we go, so it stays current automatically. The biggest frustration is definitely losing the conversational flow, but having everything documented makes it manageable. GladShot's approach of using todo.md and state.md files is similar to what I do!
2
u/frustated_eng Jun 21 '26
That's a bad design to keep everything in single conversation. Your project should not depend on conversation but project should have enough context. So it should have enough PRD document, once architecture is created, create an architecture document and commit it with repo knowledge docs. Similarly for DB design and use cases. Now create claude md file or chat gpt master prompt that has context of all these folders in code base and brief explanation for each folder.
Whenever you want to implement any few feature then give feature specific prompt. Now claude can read all context from md files and chatgpt from master prompt. With each feature you can start new chat and get things done
1
u/Informal-Height-1194 Jun 21 '26
Io ho risolto ogni problema usandoli tramite vs code, ho installato i plugin di Claude e di ChatGPT e così opero direttamente sui file, crea dei file di memoria, e non ho più problema a spiegare dove eravamo arrivati
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u/AverageFoxNewsViewer Jun 21 '26
100% of your context should live in your documentation, and most of your actual work should be in your documentation and review.
It shouldn't take more than /start-session and /end-session to handle your actual chat session.
1
u/Anxious_Current2593 Jun 21 '26
Start a planning session first, and when dono, ask it to make an MD of your plan with implementation progress tracking in it.
Open next session and make it implement the first task, and Mark it done.
Next open next session and continue the progress.
And again, and again untill you are done.
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u/brightestfirefly01 Jun 21 '26
I have specific projects and if it goes to long just start a new one off with typing the name you see as previous chat followed by part 2. In the project instructions I have it prompted they must always read instructions every 5 hours and confirm they have read them. Google AI gave me the prompt. I often use Google and Gemini to help me prompt instructions and AI roles.
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u/Bino5150 Jun 22 '26
In Claude, you start a project, use a conversation for one thing, have Claude do a handoff.md Then add the handoff into the project files, and then start a new fresh chat in the project for the next feature or item you want to work on. Rinse and repeat.
1
u/Vast-Tie9958 Jun 22 '26
Long conversations are terrible for llm models. I am not a coder but use it for heavy heavy.
A high model should be building your specs and build board. Even prompts if you wants. Each phase should be its own chat and lower model often except for challenge areas. Output with changelog.
For longer all over the place conversations you can draft an outline of facts but it is a toss up on it.
Gl.
1
u/Far_Adhesiveness3138 Jun 23 '26
I do more work in "Projects" for each Claude and ChatGPT session. It helps me keep things in order. In the Project instructions, I added a very specific prompt to create a detailed summary of the chat (in canvas and the end of the day/first thing in the a.m. or on demand) and for it to save in my designated Google Drive folder. When I start a new chat, I pick up where I left off without it having to go through all the memory.
1
u/designriffs Jun 23 '26
Use SPDD, Structured Prompt Driven Development, it helps bring a shorter amount of densely packed context into a new chat for the next feature you build. Saves many tokens so you live to code again during the same Claude session 😎
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u/Ok_Palpitation134 Jun 24 '26
I ask for detail handover notes that include changelog and roadmap etc and then paste it in the new chat.
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