Settings Reference

Configuration Files

• Directory~/.claude/

  • config.json (global settings)
  • credentials.json (auth tokens)
  • settings.local.json (local overrides)
  • mcp.json (MCP server config)

config.json

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "theme": "dark",
  "autoApprove": [
    "git status",
    "git diff",
    "ls",
    "cat"
  ],
  "permissions": {
    "allowedCommands": ["git", "npm", "python", "pytest"],
    "blockedPaths": ["~/.ssh", "~/.aws", "~/.gnupg"]
  }
}

Settings Options

model

Default model to use.

Model	Full ID	Best For
Opus 4.5	claude-opus-4-5	Most capable, complex tasks
Sonnet 4	claude-sonnet-4-5	Balanced (recommended)
Haiku 4	claude-haiku-4-5	Fast, lightweight, CI/CD

Note

Opus 4.5 is the most recent frontier Claude model.

autoApprove

Commands to run without asking permission.

"autoApprove": ["git status", "git diff", "pytest", "npm test"]

permissions.allowedCommands

Whitelist of command prefixes allowed to run.

permissions.blockedPaths

Paths Claude cannot read or write.

permissions (advanced)

Use patterns for fine-grained control:

{
  "permissions": {
    "deny": ["Read(**/.env)", "Bash(rm -rf *)"],
    "ask": ["Bash(git push*)"]
  }
}

Environment Variables

# API Configuration
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.anthropic.com

# Internal/Custom setup
ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN=...
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://your-proxy.com

Project Settings

Create .claude/settings.json in your project:

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "context": {
    "include": ["src/", "tests/"],
    "exclude": ["node_modules/", "*.log"]
  }
}

Hooks Configuration

In settings.local.json:

{
  "hooks": {
    "Stop": [{
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "notify-send 'Claude finished'"
      }]
    }],
    "PreToolUse": [{
      "matcher": {"tool": "Bash"},
      "hooks": [{
        "type": "command",
        "command": "python3 ~/.claude/hooks/check.py"
      }]
    }]
  }
}

See Hooks guide for details.

Configuration Hierarchy

Settings load in priority order (highest first):

1. Enterprise managed - System-wide (admins can enforce settings users can’t override)
2. .claude/settings.local.json - Project personal (gitignored)
3. .claude/settings.json - Project team (committed)
4. ~/.claude/settings.json - User global

Higher priority settings override lower ones.