Project trust
Approving a folder before loads its settings. See what it is, how it works, how it is used and what to watch for, with pictures and examples.
What it is
Project trust is the check does the first time you start it in a folder in an interactive session. A can bring its own .claude/settings.json, and some entries there give extra power, such as permissions.allow rules and additionalDirectories. The trust dialog lists those entries so you can read them first, and Claude Code doesn't use them until you accept. deny and ask rules work anyway, because they only restrict. In a repository the answer is saved for the repository root, but in your home folder it lasts only for the current session.
How it works
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Start claude in a new folder
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Read what the dialog lists
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Accept only if you trust it
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Answer is saved for that repository
How to use it
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~/.claude.jsonkeeps per-project state, including your trust answers. The key is
hasTrustDialogAccepted. -
claude -pnever shows the dialog. Project allow rules are not used and a
this workspace has not been trustedwarning goes to stderr, but hooks and.mcp.jsonstill run. -
--setting-sources userbefore running
claude -pin a repository you didn't write, this makes Claude Code skip the project's settings files and.mcp.json. -
.claude/settings.local.jsonyour own untracked file. Its allow rules apply without the trust step, unless git tracks the file.
Watch out
Trust does not hold back everything. Hooks and the env block in a repository's settings are used even when you trusted only a parent folder or ran claude -p. Start Claude Code from a project folder, not your home folder, because home-folder trust is never saved and the dialog comes back on every launch.
Related terms
Original and official docs
This page explains the term in plain words. The original is the authority: if they differ, follow the original.
- See this term in the originalClaude Code Docs — Glossary Anthropic · checked 2026-10-19
- Anthropic — Claude Code docs: Configure permissions — Project allow rules and workspace trust(opens in a new window)
- Anthropic — Claude Code docs: Configure permissions — What runs before you trust a folder(opens in a new window)
- Anthropic — Claude Code docs: Security — Additional safeguards(opens in a new window)
- Anthropic — Claude Code docs: Explore the .claude directory(opens in a new window)
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