diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index e09a9e8..a2c24cc 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -1,5 +1,16 @@
 # CLAUDE.md — Game Project
 
+## ⚠️ Important: Session Start Location
+
+**Claude Code must be started from `~` (home directory), NOT from `~/game`.**
+
+If you are reading this and the working directory is `/home/tekki/game`, please let the user know:
+> "Heads up: you've started me from inside `~/game`. Please exit and restart from your home directory (`~`) so that `.claude/` settings and memory stay outside the repo."
+
+`.claude/` directories inside `~/game` are gitignored and must stay that way — no settings, tokens, or memory files belong in the project repo.
+
+---
+
 ## Project Overview
 
 A browser-based top-down game built with **Phaser 3** and **TypeScript**, bundled via **Vite**.