/config key=value — Set Settings from the Command Line

What

/config now accepts key=value pairs as arguments, letting you set configuration settings without opening the interactive panel.

Usage

/config theme=dark
/config model=claude-opus-4-5 theme=dark
/config key=value key2=value2

Details

Works in both interactive mode and non-interactive (--print) mode.
Invalid keys produce: "<key> isn't a /config setting. Run /config to see what's available." and "can't be set with key=value — open /config to change it from the panel." for panel-only settings.
Running /config with no arguments still opens the interactive settings panel.
Some settings (like model and theme) have dedicated slash commands (/model, /theme) that are also surfaced in the error hint.

Evidence

/config handler (search for "Usage: /config key=value [key=value ...]") — xqp handler at line ~570976; key→command map (search for "outputStyle") — Cqp map at line ~570945

Strings lifted out of the shipped bundle, so the claim above can be checked against them.

How sure we are

One source agreesOne thing we can check says the same as this entry.

Anthropic's release notes agreeAdded /config key=value syntax to set any setting from the prompt (e.g. /config thinking=false) — works in interactive, -p, and Remote…

See this entry in the whole of v2.1.181 →

The build it came inv2.1.181

17 Jun 2026 · 18 entries, this one is #4.

Either side of it

v2.1.179Older
v2.1.182Newer

Open the release →

Names in this entry

slash/config
Open the Settings interface to adjust theme, model, output style, and other preferences. Pass one or more key=value pairs to set a setting directly without opening the interface, for example /config thinking=false, /config theme=dark, or /config model=sonnet. The key=value form also works in non-interactive mode (-p) and from the Claude mobile app via Remote Control. The key=value form can't turn on a setting that needs your confirmation in the panel, such as autoContinueAtUsageLimit, though it can turn one off. Run /config --help to list the keys it accepts. Alias: /settings
cli--print
Print response without interactive mode (see Agent SDK documentation for programmatic usage details)
slash/model
Switch the AI model and save it as your default for new sessions. For models that support it, use left/right arrows to adjust effort level. With no argument, opens a picker; press s on a row to switch for the current session only. See when Claude Code asks you to confirm the switch. Once you confirm the switch, if Claude Code asks, Claude Code applies the change without waiting for the current response to finish. Before v2.1.242, Claude Code decided from a feature flag it fetched from Anthropic whether to run the command mid-turn or queue it until the turn finished, and always queued it in a session that doesn't fetch feature flags, such as on a third-party provider. Also available in non-interactive mode (-p) with a model argument instead of the picker, where it applies to the current session only and isn't saved as your default; requires Claude Code v2.1.205 or later
slash/theme
Change the color theme. Includes an auto option that matches your terminal's light or dark background, light and dark variants, colorblind-accessible (daltonized) themes, ANSI themes that use your terminal's color palette, and any custom themes from ~/.claude/themes/ or plugins. Select New custom theme… to create one
settingoutputStyle
Change Claude's role, tone, and output format with an output style

Anthropic's notes

Upstream's own release notes for v2.1.181 name something this entry names, so the two are probably about the same change. Probably: the pairing is made on a shared name rather than on the words around it.

Added /config key=value syntax to set any setting from the prompt (e.g. /config thinking=false) — works in interactive, -p, and Remote Control
Fixed settings changes (such as /effort or /model) failing with ENOENT when ~/.claude/settings.json is a relative symlink under a symlinked ~/.claude

Is this right?

Other releases about the same thing. Found by shared names or similar wording; neither means one caused the other.

v2.1.195 /config Inline Key=Value Shortcut