Skip to content
Book a callSkip the hiring grind

Day 20 of 52 · about 15 min · Safety

Know which settings file wins

When a setting seems ignored, look at the other files first. Claude Code reads several, and a higher one that sets the same key quietly wins. Once you know the order, the cause takes a minute to find.

You’ll finish with

  • The settings files and the order they win in
  • A setting changed with /config, and the file it landed in
  • A /status check of which files loaded

You’ll need

  • Claude Code installed and logged in (Day 1)
  • A terminal session in any project folder
Start from the practice project as of Day 18 (.zip, 27 KB)

Before you start

Tell us about your setup and the steps change to fit it. Your answers stay in this browser, and you can change them at any time.

Which system are you on?

Commands differ between systems. Pick the one you’ll run Claude Code on.

The steps

One step at a time. When a step’s check matches, tick it and the next one opens.

0 of 4 steps done0%

  1. Step 1 of 4: Learn the order

    See which settings sources exist and which one wins.

    On Windows, ~/.claude means %USERPROFILE%\.claude.

    In order:

    1. File

      Managed settings

      From your organization. Nothing overrides them.

    2. You

      Command line

      claude --settings, for one session

    3. File

      Project local

      .claude/settings.local.json: you, this project

    4. File

      Shared project

      .claude/settings.json: everyone in the project

    5. File

      User

      ~/.claude/settings.json: you, every project

    Highest first. When two sources set the same key, the higher one wins.

    Check it worked

    You can say why a team’s .claude/settings.json beats your ~/.claude/settings.json in that project.

  2. Step 2 of 4: Change a setting with /config

    Turn off spinner tips and see where Claude Code saved it.
    In Claude Code

    You type: /config

    What happens: Settings opens. Go to the Config tab.

    What happens: Turn Show tips off.

    Most options save to your user file. Show tips saves to this project’s local file.

    Check it worked

    .claude/settings.local.json in the project now sets spinnerTipsEnabled to false.

    If it didn’t work

    `/config` doesn’t open in VS Code

    It belongs to the terminal interface. Run claude in a terminal for this lesson.

  3. Step 3 of 4: Predict the winner

    Set the same key in the shared file and work out which value applies.

    Add "spinnerTipsEnabled": true to .claude/settings.json, creating the file if needed. Now two files disagree.

    Shared project file

    • .claude/settings.json
    • Says true: what your team committed

    Project local file

    • .claude/settings.local.json
    • Says false: what /config saved for you
    Same key, two files. Use the order from step 1.

    Local sits higher, so tips stay off for you while teammates still see them. Lists work differently: permissions.allow entries from every file are combined, and a deny anywhere beats an allow anywhere.

    Check it worked

    Ask Claude anything. No tip shows under the spinner while it works.

  4. Step 4 of 4: Confirm what loaded

    Check which settings files Claude Code read for this session.
    In Claude Code

    You type: /status

    What happens: The Status tab has a Setting sources line with each file Claude Code loaded.

    It shows which files loaded, not which file set each key.

    Check it worked

    The Setting sources line includes Project local settings.

    If it didn’t work

    A value you set is still ignored

    A higher source sets the same key, or the file can’t set it. For example, permissions.defaultMode set to auto has no effect from project files.

Finish · 4 of 4 steps to go

You can find the file that wins

Put personal choices in your user file, team rules in the shared file, and one-project exceptions in the local file.

What you’ll have checked

  • You know the order: managed, command line, local, shared, user
  • /config saved Show tips to the local file
  • /status lists the files that loaded

Lesson updates by email

Get lesson updates by email

Leave your email and we’ll tell you when we add or update a lesson.

We’ll email you when we add or update a lesson. We use your email only for this. Privacy policy

Claude Code for your team

Want Claude Code set up across your team?

HorizonLux sets up and repairs Claude Code for teams: CLAUDE.md rules, hooks that enforce them and reviewed MCP servers. Book a free call to talk it through.

Book a free call Claude Code agency

Related

How we build

AI software factory

Questions

Questions about Day 20

Can I try a setting without saving it?

Yes. Start Claude Code with `--settings` and a JSON file. It lasts one session and ranks above your files, below managed settings.

Sources

Checked against the official Claude Code docs on .

Independent resource, not affiliated with Anthropic. HorizonLux wrote this lesson; Claude Code is made by Anthropic.