Example settings files

Realistic settings.json files for a developer, a team, and an organization: copy one, keep the keys you want, and change the values.

This page holds three example settings.json files, one for each place you save a setting:

A developer's ~/.claude/settings.json
A team's .claude/settings.json, committed to the repository
An organization's managed-settings.json

Each one is a plausible file for that reader, so you can see the shape and copy the parts you want. None of them is a recommended baseline. Every value comes from the key's entry on the settings reference, which has its type, default, and where it can be set.

Each example has two tabs. Copyable settings file is the file as you'd save it. What each key does is the same file with a comment above each key; Claude Code doesn't accept comments in a settings file, so copy from the first tab.

Your own settings

One developer's personal settings. It picks a model and effort, adjusts the terminal, and pre-approves a read-only command and one file read. Everything not listed keeps its default. A file like this goes in ~/.claude/settings.json, where it applies to every project you open.

Save this as ~/.claude/settings.json. It's valid JSON with no comments, so you can paste it as is and delete the keys you don't want.

{
"model": "claude-sonnet-5",
"modelSettings": {
"claude-sonnet-5": { "effortLevel": "xhigh" }
},
"editorMode": "vim",
"theme": "light-daltonized",
"statusLine": {
"type": "command",
"command": "jq -r '\"[\\(.model.display_name)] \\(.context_window.used_percentage // 0)% context\"'",
"padding": 2
},
"spinnerTipsEnabled": false,
"preferredNotifChannel": "terminal_bell",
"permissions": {
"allow": [
"Bash(git diff *)",
"Read(~/.zshrc)"
]
},
"autoUpdatesChannel": "stable",
"cleanupPeriodDays": 20
}

The same file with a comment above each key. Read it here; copy from the other tab, because Claude Code doesn't accept comments in a settings file.

{
// Start every session on Sonnet 5
"model": "claude-sonnet-5",
// Run Sonnet 5 above its default high level; /effort saves a level per model, and --effort sets one for a single session
"modelSettings": {
"claude-sonnet-5": { "effortLevel": "xhigh" }
},
// Vim keybindings in the prompt
"editorMode": "vim",
// The colorblind-friendly light theme
"theme": "light-daltonized",
// A status line below the prompt: model name and context used
"statusLine": {
"type": "command",
"command": "jq -r '\"[\\(.model.display_name)] \\(.context_window.used_percentage // 0)% context\"'",
"padding": 2
},
// Hide the tips that rotate under the spinner
"spinnerTipsEnabled": false,
// Ring the terminal bell for notifications, such as a finished task or a waiting permission prompt
"preferredNotifChannel": "terminal_bell",
// Let Claude Code run git diff and read your .zshrc without asking
"permissions": {
"allow": [
"Bash(git diff *)",
"Read(~/.zshrc)"
]
},
// Take updates from the stable channel
"autoUpdatesChannel": "stable",
// Delete session transcripts and other local session data older than 20 days
"cleanupPeriodDays": 20
}

A team's shared settings

One team's shared settings, committed to the repository so everyone who clones it gets the same permissions, hooks, and plugin marketplace. Save a file like this at .claude/settings.json at the top of the repository. What to know before you commit one:

Cloud sessions read it too. A cloud session starts from a clone of the repository, so the committed file applies there as well.
Telemetry goes in managed or personal settings. Claude Code ignores the OpenTelemetry exporter variables in a repository's settings files, apart from some values that turn telemetry off. Set them in managed settings for your organization, or in each person's ~/.claude/settings.json.
Allow rules wait for trust. Allow rules and extraKnownMarketplaces entries take effect after each person trusts this folder itself, not only a parent folder; deny and ask rules apply in every session, trusted or not.
The hook is a script in the repo. This file's hook runs .claude/hooks/block-rm.sh; How a hook resolves walks through writing it.
Rules match the command and path as written. Bash(git push *) doesn't match git -C . push. Read(./.env) on its own stops the file tools and commands that name the file, such as cat .env, but not grep -r run over the directory; the sandbox block in this file closes that gap, because the sandbox adds your Read deny paths to what every sandboxed command can't read.

Save this as .claude/settings.json at the top of the repository and commit it. It's valid JSON with no comments, so you can paste it as is and delete the keys you don't want.

{
"permissions": {
"allow": [
"Bash(npm run *)"
],
"ask": [
"Bash(git push *)"
],
"deny": [
"Read(./.env)",
"Read(./.env.*)",
"Read(./secrets/**)"
]
},
"hooks": {
"PreToolUse": [
{
"matcher": "Bash",
"hooks": [
{
"type": "command",
"command": "${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/hooks/block-rm.sh"
}
]
}
]
},
"extraKnownMarketplaces": {
"acme-tools": {
"source": {
"source": "github",
"repo": "acme-corp/claude-plugins"
}
}
},
"enabledPlugins": {
"code-formatter@acme-tools": true
},
"sandbox": {
"enabled": true,
"filesystem": {
"allowWrite": [
"/tmp/build"
]
},
"network": {
"allowedDomains": [
"registry.npmjs.org",
"*.example.com"
]
}
},
"plansDirectory": "./plans"
}

The same file with a comment above each key. Read it here; copy from the other tab, because Claude Code doesn't accept comments in a settings file.

{
"permissions": {
// Run npm scripts without asking
"allow": [
"Bash(npm run *)"
],
// Confirm before git push commands
"ask": [
"Bash(git push *)"
],
// Deny reads of env files and the secrets folder by the file tools and file-reading commands
"deny": [
"Read(./.env)",
"Read(./.env.*)",
"Read(./secrets/**)"
]
},
// Before every Bash command, run a script in the repo that can block it
"hooks": {
"PreToolUse": [
{
"matcher": "Bash",
"hooks": [
{
"type": "command",
"command": "${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/hooks/block-rm.sh"
}
]
}
]
},
// Register the team's plugin marketplace on every clone
"extraKnownMarketplaces": {
"acme-tools": {
"source": {
"source": "github",
"repo": "acme-corp/claude-plugins"
}
}
},
// Enable one plugin from that marketplace; a plugin from an external source such as a GitHub repository still needs each person to install it once
"enabledPlugins": {
"code-formatter@acme-tools": true
},
// Sandbox commands: writable build dir; npm and example.com pre-allowed, other hosts still prompt
"sandbox": {
"enabled": true,
"filesystem": {
"allowWrite": [
"/tmp/build"
]
},
"network": {
"allowedDomains": [
"registry.npmjs.org",
"*.example.com"
]
}
},
// Keep plan files inside the repo
"plansDirectory": "./plans"
}

An organization's managed settings

A managed-settings.json file that shows the shape of the managed keys, with one plausible value for each. It isn't a recommended policy: pick the keys that match your own requirements and set your own values. The example sets these keys:

forceLoginMethod and forceLoginOrgUUID pin the login method and organization
availableModels and enforceAvailableModels restrict which models sessions can use
permissions.deny denies two file reads and curl commands as Claude writes them, and disableBypassPermissionsMode removes the bypass permission mode
allowManagedPermissionRulesOnly and allowManagedMcpServersOnly make the managed permission and MCP allowlists the only ones that apply
allowedMcpServers pins the MCP server by URL
strictKnownMarketplaces allows one plugin marketplace
sandbox sandboxes commands with a fixed network allowlist and no unsandboxed retry
requiredMinimumVersion sets a minimum Claude Code version
cleanupPeriodDays shortens retention of session transcripts and other local data to seven days
companyAnnouncements shows a message at startup

Administrators deploy a file like this as managed-settings.json, or the same JSON through MDM or server-managed settings. One deployed file applies to every machine or account it reaches. To give a group different values, deploy a different file or profile to that group, since server-managed settings don't support per-group policy yet.

Deploy this as managed-settings.json, or the same JSON through MDM or the claude.ai console. It's valid JSON with no comments; replace the example organization UUID, server URL, and marketplace with your own and delete the keys you don't want.

{
"forceLoginMethod": "claudeai",
"forceLoginOrgUUID": [
"xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
],
"availableModels": [
"opus",
"sonnet"
],
"enforceAvailableModels": true,
"permissions": {
"deny": [
"Bash(curl *)",
"Read(./.env)",
"Read(./secrets/**)"
],
"disableBypassPermissionsMode": "disable"
},
"allowManagedPermissionRulesOnly": true,
"allowedMcpServers": [
{
"serverUrl": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/*"
}
],
"allowManagedMcpServersOnly": true,
"strictKnownMarketplaces": [
{
"source": "github",
"repo": "acme-corp/approved-plugins"
}
],
"sandbox": {
"enabled": true,
"failIfUnavailable": true,
"allowUnsandboxedCommands": false,
"network": {
"allowedDomains": [
"registry.npmjs.org",
"github.com"
],
"allowManagedDomainsOnly": true
}
},
"requiredMinimumVersion": "2.1.150",
"cleanupPeriodDays": 7,
"companyAnnouncements": [
"Welcome to Acme Corp! Review our code guidelines at docs.example.com"
]
}

The same file with a comment above each key. Read it here; copy from the other tab, because Claude Code doesn't accept comments in a settings file.

{
// Only claude.ai logins, and only in this organization
"forceLoginMethod": "claudeai",
"forceLoginOrgUUID": [
"xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx"
],
// Only Opus and Sonnet models; with enforceAvailableModels, the Default option obeys the list too
"availableModels": [
"opus",
"sonnet"
],
"enforceAvailableModels": true,
"permissions": {
// Deny curl commands and reads of the project's .env file and secrets folder on every machine
"deny": [
"Bash(curl *)",
"Read(./.env)",
"Read(./secrets/**)"
],
// Remove the bypass-permissions mode from every session
"disableBypassPermissionsMode": "disable"
},
// Ignore permission rules from user, project, and local settings
"allowManagedPermissionRulesOnly": true,
// Only the GitHub MCP server, matched by URL rather than by name, since a user can
// name any server "github". User-added servers that don't match don't load, including
// every stdio server when the list has only URL entries. The allowManagedMcpServersOnly
// key below makes this managed list the only allowlist that applies
"allowedMcpServers": [
{
"serverUrl": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/*"
}
],
"allowManagedMcpServersOnly": true,
// Plugins can come only from this marketplace
"strictKnownMarketplaces": [
{
"source": "github",
"repo": "acme-corp/approved-plugins"
}
],
// Sandbox every command Claude runs, refuse to start if the sandbox can't be
// set up, and never let a blocked command retry outside the sandbox; network
// limited to npm and GitHub, and users can't add domains
"sandbox": {
"enabled": true,
"failIfUnavailable": true,
"allowUnsandboxedCommands": false,
"network": {
"allowedDomains": [
"registry.npmjs.org",
"github.com"
],
"allowManagedDomainsOnly": true
}
},
// Refuse to start on versions older than 2.1.150
"requiredMinimumVersion": "2.1.150",
// Delete session transcripts and other local session data after 7 days
"cleanupPeriodDays": 7,
// A message every user sees at startup
"companyAnnouncements": [
"Welcome to Acme Corp! Review our code guidelines at docs.example.com"
]
}

settings-example.md +2 −14

96 A team's shared settings96 A team's shared settings

97</h2>97</h2>

98 98

99One team's shared settings, committed to the repository so everyone who clones it gets the same permissions, hooks, telemetry, and plugin marketplace. Save a file like this at `.claude/settings.json` at the top of the repository. What to know before you commit one:99One team's shared settings, committed to the repository so everyone who clones it gets the same permissions, hooks, and plugin marketplace. Save a file like this at `.claude/settings.json` at the top of the repository. What to know before you commit one:

100 100

101* **Cloud sessions read it too.** A [cloud session](/docs/en/settings#settings-in-cloud-sessions) starts from a clone of the repository, so the committed file applies there as well.101* **Cloud sessions read it too.** A [cloud session](/docs/en/settings#settings-in-cloud-sessions) starts from a clone of the repository, so the committed file applies there as well.

102* **Telemetry goes in managed or personal settings.** Claude Code ignores the [OpenTelemetry exporter variables](/docs/en/settings-reference#variables-claude-code-ignores-in-env) in a repository's settings files, apart from some values that turn telemetry off. Set them in [managed settings](/docs/en/monitoring-usage#administrator-configuration) for your organization, or in each person's `~/.claude/settings.json`.

102* **Allow rules wait for trust.** Allow rules and `extraKnownMarketplaces` entries take effect after each person [trusts this folder itself](/docs/en/permissions#project-allow-rules-and-workspace-trust), not only a parent folder; deny and ask rules apply in every session, trusted or not.103* **Allow rules wait for trust.** Allow rules and `extraKnownMarketplaces` entries take effect after each person [trusts this folder itself](/docs/en/permissions#project-allow-rules-and-workspace-trust), not only a parent folder; deny and ask rules apply in every session, trusted or not.

103* **The hook is a script in the repo.** This file's hook runs `.claude/hooks/block-rm.sh`; [How a hook resolves](/docs/en/hooks#how-a-hook-resolves) walks through writing it.104* **The hook is a script in the repo.** This file's hook runs `.claude/hooks/block-rm.sh`; [How a hook resolves](/docs/en/hooks#how-a-hook-resolves) walks through writing it.

104* **Rules match the command and path as written.** `Bash(git push *)` doesn't match [`git -C . push`](/docs/en/permissions#bash-rule-limits). `Read(./.env)` on its own stops the file tools and commands that name the file, such as `cat .env`, but not [`grep -r` run over the directory](/docs/en/permissions#read-and-edit); the `sandbox` block in this file closes that gap, because the sandbox [adds your `Read` deny paths](/docs/en/settings-reference#sandbox-filesystem-denyread) to what every sandboxed command can't read.105* **Rules match the command and path as written.** `Bash(git push *)` doesn't match [`git -C . push`](/docs/en/permissions#bash-rule-limits). `Read(./.env)` on its own stops the file tools and commands that name the file, such as `cat .env`, but not [`grep -r` run over the directory](/docs/en/permissions#read-and-edit); the `sandbox` block in this file closes that gap, because the sandbox [adds your `Read` deny paths](/docs/en/settings-reference#sandbox-filesystem-denyread) to what every sandboxed command can't read.

122 "Read(./secrets/**)"123 "Read(./secrets/**)"

123 ]124 ]

124 },125 },

125 "env": {

126 "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TELEMETRY": "1",

127 "OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER": "otlp",

128 "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL": "grpc",

129 "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT": "http://collector.example.com:4317"

130 },

131 "hooks": {126 "hooks": {

132 "PreToolUse": [127 "PreToolUse": [

133 {128 {

192 "Read(./secrets/**)"187 "Read(./secrets/**)"

193 ]188 ]

194 },189 },

195 // Send OpenTelemetry metrics to the team's collector over gRPC; replace the endpoint with your collector's URL

196 "env": {

197 "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TELEMETRY": "1",

198 "OTEL_METRICS_EXPORTER": "otlp",

199 "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOL": "grpc",

200 "OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT": "http://collector.example.com:4317"

201 },

202 // Before every Bash command, run a script in the repo that can block it190 // Before every Bash command, run a script in the repo that can block it

203 "hooks": {191 "hooks": {

204 "PreToolUse": [192 "PreToolUse": [

settings-example.md 2026-09-24 22:57 UTC to 2026-09-25 23:58 UTC

Example settings files

Your own settings

A team's shared settings

An organization's managed settings