Why a boilerplate makes every session better
Without a boilerplate, every Claude session starts from zero. You spend the first few minutes explaining what your store sells, what your brand name is, what rules you have, and what has gone wrong before. With a boilerplate, all of that is in the first message. Claude immediately knows your brand name, your pricing rules, your GMC history, and the specific things to watch for on your store. The quality of every prompt you type after that is higher because Claude has context.
The boilerplate is especially important for compliance work. If your store has had a GMC suspension, the boilerplate captures the root cause so Claude flags it automatically on every future product audit, even if you do not explicitly ask.
What to include
A boilerplate has six sections. Fill in every section, even the ones that feel obvious. Claude cannot infer what it has not been told.
Store overview: Store name, URL, country, currency, and GMC account IDs. Claude needs the GMC ID to refer to the correct account when discussing compliance history.
Brand voice: The exact spelling of your brand name (crucial for brand-consistency checks), three words that describe your voice, your tone in a sentence, and any words or phrases you never use. If your brand name has unusual capitalisation or spacing, state it explicitly: "brand name is always 'StuffBox', never 'Stuffbox' or 'STUFFBOX'".
Product categories and pricing rules: What you sell, your price range, and your pricing conventions. Include whether prices are inclusive or exclusive of VAT, whether you use round numbers or always end in .99, and any category-specific rules.
Compliance rules: Any rules specific to your store that Claude should apply automatically. These often come from past GMC suspensions: if you were suspended for referencing a team name, add "never reference team names or governing bodies" as a rule. Claude will apply this to every product it touches.
GMC history: Brief summary of any past suspensions, their root cause, and their resolution. This is the single most important section if you have had compliance issues. Future sessions will flag the same triggers before they become a problem.
Session log: A running log of decisions made in past sessions. Add to it at the end of each session. Over time it becomes a change history that means you can pick up exactly where you left off in any future session.
The template
Copy the template below, fill in every field, and save it as a plain text file called store-boilerplate.txt. Paste the full content at the start of every Claude session where you are working on your store.
# [YOUR STORE NAME]: Claude Session Boilerplate Last updated: [DATE] ## Store overview Store name: [STORE NAME] Store URL: [YOUR-STORE.myshopify.com] Live domain: [yourdomain.com] Country: [UK / US / Australia / other] Primary currency: [GBP / USD / AUD] GMC account ID (UK): [ID or "none"] GMC account ID (international): [ID or "none"] ## Brand voice Brand name (exact spelling, always): [BRAND NAME] Voice in three words: [e.g. "direct, honest, practical"] Tone: [e.g. "Conversational but not casual. No jargon. First-person plural (we/our)."] What we never say: [e.g. "premium, luxury, world-class"] ## Product categories Primary categories: [e.g. "Camping equipment, outdoor cooking, navigation"] Key product lines: [e.g. "Canvas shelters, folding stoves, map cases"] Price range: [e.g. "£12 to £280"] Pricing rules: [e.g. "Never round numbers. £24.99 not £25. All prices include UK VAT."] ## Compliance rules [List any rules specific to your store, e.g.:] - Do not reference any sporting governing bodies or team names - Vendor field in Shopify must always be [BRAND NAME], not [STORE NAME] - Product titles must not include the word "official" - Shipping policy: free UK delivery over £50. No tracked Royal Mail references in product copy. ## GMC history [Briefly describe any past suspensions and what caused them, e.g.:] - UK account suspended [DATE] for misrepresentation. Reinstated [DATE]. Root cause: vendor field used store name instead of brand name. - International account: clean, no history. ## Known issues to watch for [List recurring problems Claude should flag automatically, e.g.:] - Check all new products for the word "official" in title or description - Check vendor field matches brand name exactly on every product update - Verify robots.txt allows GPTBot and ClaudeBot after any theme update ## Session log (optional, add after each session) [DATE]: Fixed robots.txt to allow GPTBot and ClaudeBot. ARS score: 62 to 79. [DATE]: Rewrote descriptions for 12 products in Canvas Shelters collection. GMC check: pass.
Keeping the boilerplate current
The boilerplate is only as useful as it is accurate. Set a monthly reminder to review it. The sections most likely to need updating are: pricing rules (if you change your pricing strategy), compliance rules (after any GMC communication or policy change), GMC history (after any suspension or reinstatement), and the session log (after every session). Add a "last updated" date at the top of the document so you can see at a glance whether it is stale.
You have reached the end of the four-guide series. You now have everything you need to connect your store, run the skills, prompt effectively, and maintain a boilerplate that makes every future session faster and more accurate. Run the free AI Visibility audit to get your current ARS score, then use what you have learned here to fix every failing signal.
Sources and references
- Anthropic: Prompt engineering overview: Context and framing principles behind the boilerplate approach
- Google: Misrepresentation policy: The policy that the compliance section of your boilerplate guards against
- How To series overview: The full four-guide series for indie store owners
- Guide 1: Connect Shopify via MCP: Connect your store before your first session
- Guide 2: Use the Skills: Run the skills with your boilerplate loaded for store-specific results
- Guide 3: Key Prompts and Workflows: The prompt patterns that work best with the boilerplate
- Free AI Visibility audit: Run first to get a baseline ARS score to add to your boilerplate
- Free GMC audit: Add your GMC baseline result to the compliance section of your boilerplate
Frequently asked questions
What is a store boilerplate?
A store boilerplate is a plain-text document that you paste at the start of every Claude session. It captures your store's name, brand voice, compliance rules, pricing rules, known issues, and past history so that Claude starts every conversation fully briefed rather than starting from scratch. Think of it as the briefing document you would give a new member of staff on their first day.
How long should the boilerplate be?
Aim for 300 to 600 words. Long enough to capture all the material facts, short enough to not dominate the context window. If your boilerplate exceeds 800 words, split it into a core boilerplate (always pasted) and a topic-specific addendum (pasted only for relevant sessions, such as a GMC addendum for compliance sessions).
Where do I keep the boilerplate file?
Keep the master copy as a plain text file on your computer and paste it at the start of each session. If you use Claude's Projects feature (Pro and above), you can save the boilerplate as project context so it is automatically loaded without pasting. You can also save it as a pinned note in your notes app for quick access on mobile.
How often should I update the boilerplate?
Review it monthly or whenever a material change occurs: a new product category, a pricing change, a GMC suspension or reinstatement, a brand refresh, or a policy update. Add a 'last updated' date at the top so you can see at a glance whether it is current.
Can I use the boilerplate with the free audits as well as the skills?
The free web audits at /ai-visibility and /store-audit run outside Claude and do not use the boilerplate. The boilerplate is for Claude sessions where you are using the skills or having a conversation about your store. The audit results can be pasted into a Claude session alongside the boilerplate for fix advice specific to your store.