Settings

Configure Claude Code behavior through the /config command and configuration files.

Claude Code stores configuration in ~/.claude/ and supports both interactive configuration via /config and direct file editing.

Interactive configuration

The /config command opens an interactive settings panel where you can browse and change all settings:

> /config

The panel lets you navigate settings with arrow keys and toggle or edit values interactively. It is also aliased as /settings.

Configuration options

Model selection

Switch models with /model:

> /model

This opens a model picker showing available Claude models. Available models depend on your Anthropic subscription.

You can also specify a model at startup:

claude --model claude-sonnet-4-6    # full model ID
claude --model sonnet               # alias for the latest Sonnet
claude --model opus                 # alias for the latest Opus

Permission mode

Controls how Claude handles tool permission prompts:

Mode	Behavior
default	Prompts for approval on each new tool/pattern
plan	Plans actions but requires explicit approval to execute
auto	Auto-approves based on learned patterns
bypassPermissions	Skips all permission checks (use with caution)

Set via the --permission-mode CLI flag at startup, or changed interactively from the /config panel.

Theme

Change the terminal color theme:

> /theme

Themes affect syntax highlighting and UI element colors throughout the REPL.

Vim mode

Enable vim keybindings for the input prompt:

> /vim

Toggle off by running /vim again.

Effort level

Adjust how much reasoning Claude applies:

> /effort

Higher effort enables extended thinking for complex architectural decisions. Lower effort gives faster responses for simple tasks.

Output style

Change how Claude formats responses:

> /output-style

CLI flags

Pass flags when launching Claude Code:

# Skip permission prompts (use carefully)
claude --dangerously-skip-permissions

# Start with a specific model
claude --model claude-sonnet-4-6

# Non-interactive: print response and exit
claude -p "Summarize the main.ts file"

# Continue the most recent conversation
claude --continue

Environment variables

Variable	Description
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	API key (overrides keychain)
ANTHROPIC_MODEL	Default model to use (e.g. claude-sonnet-4-6)
HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY	Proxy server for all requests
NO_PROXY	Hosts to bypass proxy

On macOS, Claude Code uses the system Keychain to store credentials securely. The ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable overrides the Keychain value if set.

Project-level configuration

Place a CLAUDE.md file in your project root to give Claude persistent context about your project:

# My Project

## Tech stack
- Node.js 20, TypeScript, PostgreSQL
- Testing: Vitest

## Conventions
- Use named exports, not default exports
- All async functions must handle errors explicitly
- Database queries go through the repository layer only

Claude reads CLAUDE.md automatically at the start of every session in that directory.