Configuration Hierarchy

Claude Code uses a three-tier configuration system with clear precedence:

~/.claude/settings.json          (global user defaults)
          ↓ overridden by
.claude/settings.json            (project settings, team shared)
          ↓ overridden by
.claude/settings.local.json      (machine-specific, personal)

Precedence rules:

• Global (~/.claude/settings.json): Applied to all projects unless overridden
• Project (.claude/settings.json): Shared team configuration, committed to Git
• Local (.claude/settings.local.json): Machine-specific overrides, gitignored

This hierarchy enables:

• Team coordination: Share hooks/rules in .claude/settings.json
• Personal flexibility: Override settings in .local.json without Git conflicts
• Multi-machine consistency: Global defaults in ~/.claude/ synced separately

Legacy note: Claude Code still supports ~/.claude.json for backward compatibility, but ~/.claude/settings.json is the recommended location. CLI flags (e.g., --teammate-mode in-process) override all file-based settings.