update-config — Configuration Management

• Trigger: /update-config or keywords "configure", "settings", "permissions", "allow", "env vars"
• Best for: Modifying settings.json, configuring permissions, setting env vars, managing hooks
• Not for: Code logic changes, editing Skill content

Overview

update-config manages Claude Code's configuration system. It handles:

• Permissions — Allow/deny specific tools and commands
• Hooks — Automated behavior triggers
• Environment variables — Runtime variable settings
• Preferences — Theme, model, and other settings

Trigger Conditions

update-config auto-triggers when you:

• Mention "configure", "settings", "permissions"
• Need to modify settings.json
• Use the /update-config command

Examples

Example 1: Add Command Permission

/update-config Allow automatically running npm install and npm test commands

Example 2: Set Environment Variables

/update-config Set DEBUG=true and API_BASE_URL=https://api.example.com

Example 3: Configure a Hook

/update-config Run git status automatically at the start of each conversation

Example 4: Move Permission Scope

/update-config Move Bash tool permissions from project-level to global settings

Example 5: Troubleshoot Permissions

/update-config Why does npm publish always require confirmation? Help me check hook configs

Configuration Levels

Level	Location	Scope
User	~/.claude/settings.json	All projects
Project	.claude/settings.json	Current project
Local	.claude/settings.local.json	Local override (not committed)

Notes

• Project-level config takes priority over user-level
• settings.local.json should be in .gitignore — never commit
• Hook scripts run outside Claude Code's process — mind security
• Use least-privilege principle for permissions
• Don't store secrets and tokens in env vars — use system key management

Related Skills

• write-a-skill — Configure permissions after creating a Skill
• fewer-permission-prompts — Analyze and reduce permission prompts
• keybindings-help — Configure keyboard shortcuts