SOP-004: Settings & Configuration

DOCUMENT CONTROL

Field	Value
SOP ID	SOP-004
Version	1.0
Status	Active

Purpose

Configure Claude Code settings for optimal workflow, including permissions, preferences, and behavior customization.

Settings Hierarchy

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      SETTINGS HIERARCHY                              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │                    GLOBAL SETTINGS                           │
    │               ~/.claude/settings.json                        │
    │            (applies to all projects)                         │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │                   PROJECT SETTINGS                           │
    │                .claude/settings.json                         │
    │            (project-specific overrides)                      │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │                    CLAUDE.md FILES                           │
    │                 Context and instructions                     │
    │                 (per-directory scope)                        │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Accessing Settings

Via Slash Command

> /config

Opens interactive settings menu:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    CONFIGURATION MENU                                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                     │
│  1. Model Selection                                                 │
│  2. Tool Permissions                                                │
│  3. API Configuration                                               │
│  4. Theme & Display                                                 │
│  5. Memory Settings                                                 │
│  6. MCP Servers                                                     │
│                                                                     │
│  [↑/↓] Navigate  [Enter] Select  [q] Quit                          │
│                                                                     │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Via CLI

# View all settings
claude config

# Set specific option
claude config set model claude-sonnet-4

# Get specific value
claude config get theme

Key Settings Categories

1. Model Selection

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4",
  "customModels": {
    "opus": "claude-opus-4-20250514"
  }
}

Available models:

• claude-sonnet-4 (default, balanced)
• claude-opus-4 (most capable)
• claude-haiku (fastest)

2. Tool Permissions

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Read",
      "Glob",
      "Grep"
    ],
    "deny": [
      "Bash(rm -rf:*)"
    ],
    "askEveryTime": [
      "Write",
      "Edit"
    ]
  }
}

Permission types:

Type	Behavior
allow	Auto-approve matching tools
deny	Always block matching tools
askEveryTime	Prompt for approval

3. Context Settings

{
  "context": {
    "includeDotfiles": false,
    "ignorePatterns": [
      "node_modules",
      ".git",
      "dist"
    ],
    "maxFileSize": "1MB"
  }
}

4. Theme & Display

{
  "theme": "dark",
  "showTokenCount": true,
  "showCost": true,
  "verboseErrors": false
}

Settings File Locations

Scope	Location	Purpose
Global	~/.claude/settings.json	User defaults
Project	.claude/settings.json	Project overrides
Enterprise	Managed by admin	Organization policies

Project-Specific Settings

Create .claude/settings.json in project root:

{
  "model": "claude-opus-4",
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash(npm:*)",
      "Bash(git:*)"
    ]
  },
  "context": {
    "ignorePatterns": [
      "coverage",
      "*.log"
    ]
  }
}

CLAUDE.md Configuration

Create CLAUDE.md for context:

# Project: My App

## Overview
Web application using React and Node.js

## Tech Stack
- Frontend: React 18, TypeScript
- Backend: Express, PostgreSQL
- Testing: Jest, Cypress

## Conventions
- Use functional components
- Follow ESLint config
- Write tests for new features

## Important Files
- `src/config.ts` - Main configuration
- `src/api/` - API routes

Environment Variables

Variable	Purpose
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	API authentication
CLAUDE_CODE_DEBUG	Enable debug logging
CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_TELEMETRY	Opt out of usage data

Verification Checklist

• [ ] Access settings via /config
• [ ] Understand settings hierarchy
• [ ] Configure tool permissions
• [ ] Create project CLAUDE.md
• [ ] Know environment variables

Next Steps

• SOP-005: Security & IAM
• SOP-006: Memory System