Configuration implementation changedthird-party/claude-desktop/configuration-format
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Upstream edited this page at 5 Nov 2026 17:35 UTC, give or take a minute or two: the time comes from Anthropic’s own sitemap rather than from a commit. This site recorded the change at 5 Nov 2026 17:37 UTC.
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1717| Where the configuration lives | In an MDM profile or registry policy, in the local configuration file, or on a bootstrap server that the device points to | In your organization's settings on claude.ai, which Anthropic hosts |
1818| How it reaches the app | The app reads it at launch, or fetches it from your bootstrap server. Users don't sign in to a Claude account | Each user signs in with their work account, and the app downloads the settings that apply to them |
1919| What an MDM profile does | Carries the full configuration, or the bootstrap keys | You don't need one. A profile on the device can still decide some settings, or keep the device off the console. See [What an MDM profile does alongside the Enterprise Admin Console](#what-an-mdm-profile-does-alongside-the-enterprise-admin-console) |
20| How you write values | Strings in a macOS profile or the Windows registry. JSON in the Linux file or a bootstrap response | Fields on the console's pages, or JSON in an imported file or an Admin API request |
20| How you write values | Strings in a macOS profile or the Windows registry. JSON in the Linux file or a bootstrap response | Fields on the console's pages, an imported file, or JSON in an Admin API request |
2121| Where to go next | [Deploy with MDM](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/mdm.md), [Deploy with a bootstrap server](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/bootstrap.md) | [Deploy with Enterprise Admin Console](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md) |
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2323## Configuration on the device
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112112* **Where you edit it**: each field in the **Desktop 3P** section of **Organization settings** on [claude.ai](https://claude.ai) sets one of the documented configuration keys. A [permission policy](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#per-group-permission-policies) sets the settings that differ for one group of users.
113113* **How the app gets it**: the app contacts `api.anthropic.com` at every launch to check the user's sign-in and download the configuration. Until that download succeeds, the app can't connect to your inference provider. [Configuration kept on devices](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#configuration-kept-on-devices) covers what each device keeps of the last download and applies meanwhile.
114114* **What the console can't set**: among others, API keys, tokens, and secrets (apart from the client secret of a Google Desktop-app OAuth client), bootstrap keys and settings that only make sense on the device, keys that Anthropic fills in from your organization's settings, such as its name, and the Claude API as the inference provider. See [Limitations](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#limitations).
115* **How you write values**: enter each value in its field, [import a JSON configuration](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#start-from-an-existing-configuration-file), or replace the whole configuration as one nested JSON document with the [Admin API](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#manage-the-configuration-with-the-admin-api). A value set in the console needs no approval from the user.
115* **How you write values**: enter each value in its field, [import a configuration file](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#start-from-an-existing-configuration-file), or replace the whole configuration as one nested JSON document with the [Admin API](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#manage-the-configuration-with-the-admin-api). A value set in the console needs no approval from the user.
116116* **When a change takes effect**: at launch. A running app also re-checks every 10 minutes by default and, for most settings, asks the user to relaunch. The 10-minute default requires Claude Desktop 1.46388.1 or later. Earlier releases re-check about every 30 minutes. See [Configuration updates](https://claude.com/docs/third-party/claude-desktop/admin-console.md#configuration-updates).
117117
118118### What an MDM profile does alongside the Enterprise Admin Console
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