Forge-core SettingsMaintenance

Audit and clean AI coding tool settings — permissions, plugins, hooks, cross-layer conflicts. USE WHEN review permissions, clean settings, audit config, plugin conflicts, hook audit, settings cruft.

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/N4M3Z/forge-core

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/N4M3Z/forge-core "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/SettingsMaintenance" ~/.claude/skills/n4m3z-forge-core-settingsmaintenance && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/SettingsMaintenance/SKILL.md

source content

SettingsMaintenance

Audit and clean AI coding tool settings files. Covers permission entries, plugin configuration, hook wiring, and cross-layer conflicts.

Settings Architecture

AI coding tools layer settings across multiple files. Claude Code uses 4 files with inheritance:

Layer	File	Committed	Scope
Global shared	`~/.claude/settings.json`	No (personal)	All projects
Global local	`~/.claude/settings.local.json`	No (personal)	All projects, overrides global shared
Project shared	`.claude/settings.json`	Yes (git)	This project, shared with collaborators
Project local	`.claude/settings.local.json`	No (gitignored)	This project, personal overrides

Precedence (highest wins): project local > project shared > global local > global shared.

At the global level, both files are personal — the

settings.json

settings.local.json

split is redundant. The local file is designed for project-level use where

settings.json

is committed and

settings.local.json

holds personal overrides.

Workflow Routing

Subskill	Trigger	Content
ClaudePermissions	"permissions", "allowed commands", "settings cruft"	@ClaudePermissions.md
ClaudePlugins	"plugins", "plugin conflicts", "disable plugins"	@ClaudePlugins.md
ClaudeHooks	"hooks", "hook config", "dispatch"	@ClaudeHooks.md
GeminiSettings	"gemini settings", "audit gemini"	@GeminiSettings.md
Full audit	"full audit", "review settings", "clean everything"	All of the above

Common Procedure

All subskills follow this 6-phase workflow:

Scope — Determine which settings layers to audit. Default: all 4 files that exist. User can narrow to "just global" or "just project".
Inventory — Read each file. Count entries by category. Present a summary table with totals.
Audit — Run the subskill's checks against the inventory. Collect findings.
Report — Present findings grouped by category. Each finding: ID, category, severity (remove/consolidate/flag), entry, reason.
Apply — On user approval, edit files. Apply changes per-category so user can approve/reject each group independently. Use targeted Edit tool calls for reviewable diffs.
Verify —
```
jq . <file> > /dev/null
```
for JSON validity. Count before/after entries. Spot-check that critical tools remain permitted.

Cross-Layer Checks

Run these regardless of which subskill is active:

Check	What to look for
Env var duplication	Same key+value in both global and project `settings.json` — project inherits from global
Permission scattering	Same entry in both `settings.json` and `settings.local.json` at the same level
Plugin enable/disable conflict	Global disables a plugin but project re-enables it (or vice versa)
Redundant local file	At global level, `settings.local.json` entries that already exist in `settings.json`