Lesson

Customize Global User Settings and the Status Line in Claude Code

Put preferences in `~/.claude/settings.json` so every project benefits—starting with a richer status line.

Access: Free
Transcript: Needs source

Access: Included
Transcript: Needs source

Customizing global user settings means Claude Code feels the same everywhere. Use the user file for quality-of-life improvements that shouldn’t live in repos.

Global status line

In ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "statusLine": {
    "type": "command",
    "command": "npx -y @owloops/claude-powerline"
  }
}

Open and test:

cursor ~/.claude/settings.json
claude

Result: a uniform status line everywhere (directory, git branch, model, token usage, cost), while project configs stay lean.