4.9 Desktop App Settings

Course: Claude Code - Essentials Section: Claude Desktop App Video Length: 2-5 minutes Presenter: Daniel Treasure

Opening Hook

The desktop app is powerful out of the box, but it's also customizable. From choosing which Claude model to use, to setting your default permission mode, to controlling how Claude behaves—settings let you tailor Claude Code to your exact workflow.

Key Talking Points

1. Why Settings Matter (The Framing)

Claude Code works the same way everywhere, but the desktop app lets you personalize your experience
Settings control three things: what Claude can do (permissions), how it behaves (mode), and which model it uses (capability)
You don't need to touch settings to get started—but they unlock power users

What to say: "Settings aren't for everyone. But if you want to speed up your workflow, prevent approval fatigue, or use a faster/cheaper model, settings let you do that in minutes."

What to show on screen: Show the Settings menu in the desktop app. Highlight that it's accessible but not mandatory.

2. Model Selection (The Foundation)

Explain the key models and when to use each: - Claude Opus 4.6: Most powerful, best reasoning, longer contexts, but slower and pricier—use for complex refactors, architecture planning, large codebases - Claude Sonnet 4.5: Fast, balanced, best for most coding tasks—the default choice - Claude Haiku: Fastest and cheapest—use for simple tasks, lightweight edits, quick explanations

What to say: "You have three models to choose from. Sonnet is your everyday driver. Opus is for when you're tackling something genuinely complex. Haiku is for speed—when you just need a quick fix."

What to show on screen: Show the model selector in settings. Display a comparison of model speeds and costs (if visible). Maybe show Alt+P (model-switching keyboard shortcut) mentioned in release notes.

3. Permission Mode (Controlling Approval Flow)

Deep dive into the modes introduced in video 4.7: - Default: Asks for permission on first use of each tool in a session - Accept Edits: Auto-approves file edits (faster for confident workflows) - Plan Mode: Read-only exploration (safe for risky codebases or learning) - Bypass Permissions: Skips all prompts (enterprise/CI/CD environments only)

What to say: "If you're tired of approving every file edit, switch to Accept Edits mode for the session. If you're exploring unfamiliar code and want to be cautious, use Plan Mode. Most developers use Default because it's balanced."

What to show on screen: Show the permission mode toggle or dropdown in settings. Maybe show the keyboard shortcut to switch modes on the fly (Shift+Tab for Plan Mode, if applicable).

4. Preferences & Display (Polish)

Brief mention of UI customization: - Theme (light/dark) - Font size and appearance - Notification behavior - Keyboard shortcut customization - Status line or spinner customization

What to say: "These are small but matter for your daily experience. Pick a theme you like, adjust text size to your preference, and you're good to go."

What to show on screen: Show a few preference toggles or options. Don't dwell—these are self-explanatory.

5. Advanced Settings (Quick Intro for Power Users)

Mention without deep diving: - Environment variables for authentication - Additional directories (expanding where Claude can see files) - MCP server configuration (advanced integrations) - Language preference (if available) - Custom system prompts (advanced)

What to say: "As you get comfortable, you might explore advanced settings. You can add directories, configure external integrations with MCP, or even customize Claude's system prompt. But that's optional and for later."

What to show on screen: Just a screenshot of the settings menu showing these advanced sections. Don't open them unless you're prepared to explain them in detail.

6. Session Defaults (How They Cascade)

Explain that settings have hierarchy: - Desktop app settings (the most local/personal) - Project-level .claude/settings.json (shared with team) - User-level ~/.claude/settings.json (across all projects)

What to say: "Desktop app settings apply just to this session. But if you create a .claude/settings.json file in your project, those settings apply to everyone on your team. It's a way to enforce best practices."

What to show on screen: Show the desktop app settings being used for a single session. Mention (without showing) that settings can be saved to files for sharing.

Demo Plan

This is a UI exploration video. The goal is to make settings feel accessible, not intimidating.

Open the desktop app with a project loaded
Click into Settings (usually a gear icon or menu option)
Show the model selector and explain the three options
Show the permission mode toggle and explain the difference
Show one or two preference options (theme, notification behavior)
Change the model to demonstrate (e.g., switch from Sonnet to Haiku) and start a small task to show the model changed
Show the permission mode toggle if possible (switch to Plan Mode, then back to Default)
Exit settings

This should take 1-2 minutes and demonstrate: - Settings are not buried or complex - Changing settings is instant and reversible - The most important settings are visible and easy to find

Code Examples & Commands

No code for this video. Show settings UI instead.

Example settings.json for reference (not shown on screen):

{
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929",
  "permissions": {
    "defaultMode": "acceptEdits"
  },
  "prefersReducedMotion": false,
  "language": "english"
}

Command-line model override (for context, not shown):

claude --model opus
claude --model sonnet  # default
claude --model haiku

Gotchas & Tips

Model changes apply to new sessions: If you switch models mid-session, you'll see the new model on the next message
Desktop app settings don't override project settings: If your project has a .claude/settings.json, those rules take precedence
Accept Edits mode applies only to edits, not bash: Bash commands still require approval, even in Accept Edits mode
Plan Mode is truly read-only: Claude can't write, edit, or execute bash commands in Plan Mode
Switching models mid-task: You can swap models, but context carries over. Don't expect radical behavior shifts
Settings are local to the device: Desktop app settings sync only on this machine. CLI has its own settings

Lead-out

"You now know how to customize your desktop app experience. But here's the bigger picture: Claude Code works in multiple places—your terminal, VS Code, and here. In the next video, we'll talk about when to use the CLI versus the desktop app, and how they work together."

Reference URLs

Prep Reading

Official Settings documentation (section 7 of docs-research.md)
Models and capabilities (Claude Opus 4.6, Sonnet 4.5, Haiku)
Permission modes reference (already covered in 4.7, but review settings-specific behavior)
Feb 2026 release notes on Opus 4.6 capabilities and effort levels

Notes for Daniel: This video is about empowerment and customization. Show that settings are simple and non-intimidating. Emphasize that you don't have to change anything, but you can if you want to. The tone should be: "Here are your levers, use them if they help." Make switching models feel normal—it's just a dropdown.

Quick Reference