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Claude Code stores user settings in ~/.claude/. Project-specific settings are stored in .claude/ inside your project directory. Most settings are accessible through slash commands without editing files directly.

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Settings categories

Claude Code selects a default model automatically. To switch models during a session, run:
/model
This opens a picker showing available models. Your selection is saved to your user settings and used in future sessions.You can also pass a model name directly:
/model claude-opus-4-1
Model settings migrate automatically when Anthropic releases new versions—for example, Sonnet 4.5 settings are migrated to Sonnet 4.6 without manual changes.
Claude Code ships with light, dark, and custom theme options. To open the theme picker:
/theme
Your theme choice is persisted to ~/.claude/ and applied on the next startup.
Output style controls how Claude Code formats responses in the terminal. To change the current style:
/output-style
Available styles vary by installation. Custom output styles can be added through the plugin system.
Claude Code uses standard readline-style keybindings by default. You can enable vim mode for modal editing:
/vim
Running /vim toggles between vim mode and standard (readline) mode. Vim mode includes motions, operators, and text objects. The mode indicator appears in the status line.Custom keybindings can be defined in ~/.claude/keybindings.json. Run /keybindings to open that file in your editor.
Permission rules let you pre-approve or permanently block specific tool actions so Claude Code does not ask for confirmation each time.
  • Always-allow patterns — tools and shell commands that run without a prompt
  • Always-deny patterns — tools and shell commands that are always rejected
You can manage these rules through the permission dialog that appears when Claude Code requests access to a tool, or by editing your settings directly.See Permissions for the full permission model.
Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md files to load persistent context at the start of every session.
LocationScope
~/.claude/CLAUDE.mdGlobal — loaded for every project
<project-root>/CLAUDE.mdProject — loaded when working in that directory
<subdirectory>/CLAUDE.mdLocal — loaded when Claude Code operates in that subdirectory
Use CLAUDE.md to provide standing instructions, project conventions, or background information that Claude should always have available.To initialize a CLAUDE.md for the current project:
/init

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Viewing and editing settings

The /config command opens an interactive view of your current settings: 
/config
You can inspect and edit values directly from this interface without opening JSON files manually.

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Environment variable overrides

These environment variables override the corresponding settings at runtime:
VariableEffect
CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENSMaximum number of output tokens per response
DISABLE_INTERLEAVED_THINKINGSet to 1 to disable interleaved thinking mode
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_BEDROCKSet to 1 to use AWS Bedrock as the API provider
CLAUDE_CODE_USE_VERTEXSet to 1 to use GCP Vertex AI as the API provider

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CLAUDE.md files

CLAUDE.md is a plain Markdown file that Claude Code reads as persistent context. It is not a configuration file—it is instructional text that Claude receives at the start of every session, similar to a system prompt. Example CLAUDE.md: 
# Project conventions

- Use TypeScript strict mode throughout
- Run `npm test` before every commit
- All new functions require JSDoc comments

## Architecture

This project uses a hexagonal architecture. Business logic lives in `src/domain/`.
External integrations go in `src/adapters/`.
Both global (~/.claude/CLAUDE.md) and project-level (CLAUDE.md) files are loaded and concatenated when a session starts.

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Enterprise policy settings (MDM)

In managed environments, administrators can push Claude Code policy settings using Mobile Device Management (MDM). MDM-managed settings override user preferences and cannot be changed from within Claude Code. Policy settings cover:
  • Approved API providers and base URLs
  • Allowed and blocked tool categories
  • Required authentication methods
Contact your IT administrator for details on what policies are enforced in your organization.

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