Deploy a managed settings file

This is the quickest way to put a policy on each machine: a managed-settings.json file. If you haven't picked how to deliver managed settings yet, or your devices are under MDM or developers run cloud sessions, read Choose a delivery mechanism first.

Write a `managed-settings.json` that holds the keys you've decided to enforce, in the same JSON shape as `settings.json`. The [Decide what to enforce](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/admin-setup#decide-what-to-enforce) table lists the keys behind each control, and each entry in the [settings reference](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings-reference) says whether a managed source can set it. This file blocks two file reads, turns off bypass mode, and makes Claude Code ignore permission rules from user, project, and local files and from `--allowedTools`:

```json managed-settings.json theme=\{null\}
\{
  "permissions": \{
    "deny": [
      "Read(./.env)",
      "Read(./secrets/**)"
    ],
    "disableBypassPermissionsMode": "disable"
  \},
  "allowManagedPermissionRulesOnly": true
\}
```

For a fuller example that shows the shape of more managed keys, including the login method, models, MCP servers, and marketplaces, see [An organization's managed settings](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/settings-example#an-organizations-managed-settings).

Save the file as `managed-settings.json` in the system directory for the operating system, using whatever tooling already places files on your fleet:

* **macOS**: `/Library/Application Support/ClaudeCode/managed-settings.json`
* **Linux and WSL**: `/etc/claude-code/managed-settings.json`
* **Windows**: `C:\Program Files\ClaudeCode\managed-settings.json`

On one machine, run `/status` inside Claude Code. The `Setting sources` line shows `Enterprise managed settings (file)`. Roll out to the rest of the fleet after that; [Check that a policy is in force](#check-that-a-policy-is-in-force) covers what to look at when the line is missing.

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