msd-core/docs/CONFIGURATION.md

GSD Configuration Reference

Full configuration schema, workflow toggles, model profiles, and git branching options. For feature context, see Feature Reference.

---

Configuration File

GSD stores project settings in .planning/config.json. Created during /gsd-new-project, updated via /gsd-settings.

Full Schema

{
  "mode": "interactive",
  "granularity": "standard",
  "model_profile": "balanced",
  "model_overrides": {},
  "planning": {
    "commit_docs": true,
    "search_gitignored": false,
    "sub_repos": []
  },
  "context_profile": null,
  "workflow": {
    "research": true,
    "plan_check": true,
    "verifier": true,
    "auto_advance": false,
    "nyquist_validation": true,
    "ui_phase": true,
    "ui_safety_gate": true,
    "node_repair": true,
    "node_repair_budget": 2,
    "research_before_questions": false,
    "discuss_mode": "discuss",
    "skip_discuss": false,
    "tdd_mode": false,
    "text_mode": false,
    "use_worktrees": true,
    "code_review": true,
    "code_review_depth": "standard",
    "plan_bounce": false,
    "plan_bounce_script": null,
    "plan_bounce_passes": 2,
    "code_review_command": null,
    "cross_ai_execution": false,
    "cross_ai_command": null,
    "cross_ai_timeout": 300,
    "security_enforcement": true,
    "security_asvs_level": 1,
    "security_block_on": "high"
  },
  "hooks": {
    "context_warnings": true,
    "workflow_guard": false
  },
  "parallelization": {
    "enabled": true,
    "plan_level": true,
    "task_level": false,
    "skip_checkpoints": true,
    "max_concurrent_agents": 3,
    "min_plans_for_parallel": 2
  },
  "git": {
    "branching_strategy": "none",
    "phase_branch_template": "gsd/phase-{phase}-{slug}",
    "milestone_branch_template": "gsd/{milestone}-{slug}",
    "quick_branch_template": null
  },
  "gates": {
    "confirm_project": true,
    "confirm_phases": true,
    "confirm_roadmap": true,
    "confirm_breakdown": true,
    "confirm_plan": true,
    "execute_next_plan": true,
    "issues_review": true,
    "confirm_transition": true
  },
  "safety": {
    "always_confirm_destructive": true,
    "always_confirm_external_services": true
  },
  "project_code": null,
  "agent_skills": {},
  "response_language": null,
  "features": {
    "thinking_partner": false,
    "global_learnings": false
  },
  "learnings": {
    "max_inject": 10
  },
  "intel": {
    "enabled": false
  },
  "claude_md_path": "./CLAUDE.md"
}

---

Core Settings

Setting	Type	Options	Default	Description
mode	enum	interactive, yolo	interactive	yolo auto-approves decisions; interactive confirms at each step
granularity	enum	coarse, standard, fine	standard	Controls phase count: coarse (3-5), standard (5-8), fine (8-12)
model_profile	enum	quality, balanced, budget, inherit	balanced	Model tier for each agent (see Model Profiles)
project_code	string	any short string	(none)	Prefix for phase directory names (e.g., "ABC" produces ABC-01-setup/). Added in v1.31
response_language	string	language code	(none)	Language for agent responses (e.g., "pt", "ko", "ja"). Propagates to all spawned agents for cross-phase language consistency. Added in v1.32
context_profile	string	dev, research, review	(none)	Execution context preset that applies a pre-configured bundle of mode, model, and workflow settings for the current type of work. Added in v1.34
claude_md_path	string	any file path	./CLAUDE.md	Custom output path for the generated CLAUDE.md file. Useful for monorepos or projects that need CLAUDE.md in a non-root location. Defaults to ./CLAUDE.md at the project root. Added in v1.36

Note: granularity was renamed from depth in v1.22.3. Existing configs are auto-migrated.

---

Workflow Toggles

All workflow toggles follow the absent = enabled pattern. If a key is missing from config, it defaults to true.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
workflow.research	boolean	true	Domain investigation before planning each phase
workflow.plan_check	boolean	true	Plan verification loop (up to 3 iterations)
workflow.verifier	boolean	true	Post-execution verification against phase goals
workflow.auto_advance	boolean	false	Auto-chain discuss → plan → execute without stopping
workflow.nyquist_validation	boolean	true	Test coverage mapping during plan-phase research
workflow.ui_phase	boolean	true	Generate UI design contracts for frontend phases
workflow.ui_safety_gate	boolean	true	Prompt to run /gsd-ui-phase for frontend phases during plan-phase
workflow.node_repair	boolean	true	Autonomous task repair on verification failure
workflow.node_repair_budget	number	2	Max repair attempts per failed task
workflow.research_before_questions	boolean	false	Run research before discussion questions instead of after
workflow.discuss_mode	string	'discuss'	Controls how /gsd-discuss-phase gathers context. 'discuss' (default) asks questions one-by-one. 'assumptions' reads the codebase first, generates structured assumptions with confidence levels, and only asks you to correct what's wrong. Added in v1.28
workflow.skip_discuss	boolean	false	When true, /gsd-autonomous bypasses the discuss-phase entirely, writing minimal CONTEXT.md from the ROADMAP phase goal. Useful for projects where developer preferences are fully captured in PROJECT.md/REQUIREMENTS.md. Added in v1.28
workflow.text_mode	boolean	false	Replaces AskUserQuestion TUI menus with plain-text numbered lists. Required for Claude Code remote sessions (/rc mode) where TUI menus don't render. Can also be set per-session with --text flag on discuss-phase. Added in v1.28
workflow.use_worktrees	boolean	true	When false, disables git worktree isolation for parallel execution. Users who prefer sequential execution or whose environment does not support worktrees can disable this. Added in v1.31
workflow.code_review	boolean	true	Enable /gsd-code-review and /gsd-code-review-fix commands. When false, the commands exit with a configuration gate message. Added in v1.34
workflow.code_review_depth	string	standard	Default review depth for /gsd-code-review: quick (pattern-matching only), standard (per-file analysis), or deep (cross-file with import graphs). Can be overridden per-run with --depth=. Added in v1.34
workflow.plan_bounce	boolean	false	Run external validation script against generated plans. When enabled, the plan-phase orchestrator pipes each PLAN.md through the script specified by plan_bounce_script and blocks on non-zero exit. Added in v1.36
workflow.plan_bounce_script	string	(none)	Path to the external script invoked for plan bounce validation. Receives the PLAN.md path as its first argument. Required when plan_bounce is true. Added in v1.36
workflow.plan_bounce_passes	number	2	Number of sequential bounce passes to run. Each pass feeds the previous pass's output back into the validator. Higher values increase rigor at the cost of latency. Added in v1.36
workflow.code_review_command	string	(none)	Shell command for external code review integration in /gsd-ship. Receives changed file paths via stdin. Non-zero exit blocks the ship workflow. Added in v1.36
workflow.tdd_mode	boolean	false	Enable TDD pipeline as a first-class execution mode. When true, the planner aggressively applies type: tdd to eligible tasks (business logic, APIs, validations, algorithms) and the executor enforces RED/GREEN/REFACTOR gate sequence. An end-of-phase collaborative review checkpoint verifies gate compliance. Added in v1.36
workflow.cross_ai_execution	boolean	false	Delegate phase execution to an external AI CLI instead of spawning local executor agents. Useful for leveraging a different model's strengths for specific phases. Added in v1.36
workflow.cross_ai_command	string	(none)	Shell command template for cross-AI execution. Receives the phase prompt via stdin. Must produce SUMMARY.md-compatible output. Required when cross_ai_execution is true. Added in v1.36
workflow.cross_ai_timeout	number	300	Timeout in seconds for cross-AI execution commands. Prevents runaway external processes. Added in v1.36

Recommended Presets

Scenario	mode	granularity	profile	research	plan_check	verifier
Prototyping	yolo	coarse	budget	false	false	false
Normal development	interactive	standard	balanced	true	true	true
Production release	interactive	fine	quality	true	true	true

---

Planning Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
planning.commit_docs	boolean	true	Whether .planning/ files are committed to git
planning.search_gitignored	boolean	false	Add --no-ignore to broad searches to include .planning/
planning.sub_repos	array of strings	[]	Paths of nested sub-repos relative to the project root. When set, GSD-aware tooling scopes phase-lookup, path-resolution, and commit operations per sub-repo instead of treating the outer repo as a monorepo

Auto-Detection

If .planning/ is in .gitignore, commit_docs is automatically false regardless of config.json. This prevents git errors.

---

Hook Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
hooks.context_warnings	boolean	true	Show context window usage warnings via context monitor hook
hooks.workflow_guard	boolean	false	Warn when file edits happen outside GSD workflow context (advises using /gsd-quick or /gsd-fast)

The prompt injection guard hook (gsd-prompt-guard.js) is always active and cannot be disabled — it's a security feature, not a workflow toggle.

Private Planning Setup

To keep planning artifacts out of git:

1. Set planning.commit_docs: false and planning.search_gitignored: true
2. Add .planning/ to .gitignore
3. If previously tracked: git rm -r --cached .planning/ && git commit -m "chore: stop tracking planning docs"

---

Agent Skills Injection

Inject custom skill files into GSD subagent prompts. Skills are read by agents at spawn time, giving them project-specific instructions beyond what CLAUDE.md provides.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
agent_skills	object	{}	Map of agent types to skill directory paths

Configuration

Add an agent_skills section to .planning/config.json mapping agent types to arrays of skill directory paths (relative to project root):

{
  "agent_skills": {
    "gsd-executor": ["skills/testing-standards", "skills/api-conventions"],
    "gsd-planner": ["skills/architecture-rules"],
    "gsd-verifier": ["skills/acceptance-criteria"]
  }
}

Each path must be a directory containing a SKILL.md file. Paths are validated for safety (no traversal outside project root).

Supported Agent Types

Any GSD agent type can receive skills. Common types:

• gsd-executor -- executes implementation plans
• gsd-planner -- creates phase plans
• gsd-checker -- verifies plan quality
• gsd-verifier -- post-execution verification
• gsd-researcher -- phase research
• gsd-project-researcher -- new-project research
• gsd-debugger -- diagnostic agents
• gsd-codebase-mapper -- codebase analysis
• gsd-advisor -- discuss-phase advisors
• gsd-ui-researcher -- UI design contract creation
• gsd-ui-checker -- UI spec verification
• gsd-roadmapper -- roadmap creation
• gsd-synthesizer -- research synthesis

How It Works

At spawn time, workflows call node gsd-tools.cjs agent-skills <type> to load configured skills. If skills exist for the agent type, they are injected as an <agent_skills> block in the Task() prompt:

<agent_skills>
Read these user-configured skills:
- @skills/testing-standards/SKILL.md
- @skills/api-conventions/SKILL.md
</agent_skills>

If no skills are configured, the block is omitted (zero overhead).

CLI

Set skills via the CLI:

node gsd-tools.cjs config-set agent_skills.gsd-executor '["skills/my-skill"]'

---

Feature Flags

Toggle optional capabilities via the features.* config namespace. Feature flags default to false (disabled) — enabling a flag opts into new behavior without affecting existing workflows.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
features.thinking_partner	boolean	false	Enable thinking partner analysis at workflow decision points
features.global_learnings	boolean	false	Enable cross-project learnings pipeline (auto-copy at phase completion, planner injection)
intel.enabled	boolean	false	Enable queryable codebase intelligence system. When true, /gsd-intel commands build and query a JSON index in .planning/intel/. Added in v1.34

Graphify Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
graphify.enabled	boolean	false	Enable the project knowledge graph. When true, /gsd-graphify builds and queries a graph in .planning/graphs/. Added in v1.36
graphify.build_timeout	number (seconds)	300	Maximum seconds allowed for a /gsd-graphify build run before it aborts. Added in v1.36

Usage

# Enable a feature
node gsd-tools.cjs config-set features.global_learnings true

# Disable a feature
node gsd-tools.cjs config-set features.thinking_partner false

The features.* namespace is a dynamic key pattern — new feature flags can be added without modifying VALID_CONFIG_KEYS. Any key matching features.<name> is accepted by the config system.

---

Parallelization Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
parallelization.enabled	boolean	true	Run independent plans simultaneously
parallelization.plan_level	boolean	true	Parallelize at plan level
parallelization.task_level	boolean	false	Parallelize tasks within a plan
parallelization.skip_checkpoints	boolean	true	Skip checkpoints during parallel execution
parallelization.max_concurrent_agents	number	3	Maximum simultaneous agents
parallelization.min_plans_for_parallel	number	2	Minimum plans to trigger parallel execution

Pre-commit hooks and parallel execution: When parallelization is enabled, executor agents commit with --no-verify to avoid build lock contention (e.g., cargo lock fights in Rust projects). The orchestrator validates hooks once after each wave completes. STATE.md writes are protected by file-level locking to prevent concurrent write corruption. If you need hooks to run per-commit, set parallelization.enabled: false.

---

Git Branching

Setting	Type	Default	Description
git.branching_strategy	enum	none	none, phase, or milestone
git.phase_branch_template	string	gsd/phase-{phase}-{slug}	Branch name template for phase strategy
git.milestone_branch_template	string	gsd/{milestone}-{slug}	Branch name template for milestone strategy
git.quick_branch_template	string or null	null	Optional branch name template for /gsd-quick tasks

Strategy Comparison

Strategy	Creates Branch	Scope	Merge Point	Best For
none	Never	N/A	N/A	Solo development, simple projects
phase	At execute-phase start	One phase	User merges after phase	Code review per phase, granular rollback
milestone	At first execute-phase	All phases in milestone	At complete-milestone	Release branches, PR per version

Template Variables

Variable	Available In	Example
{phase}	phase_branch_template	03 (zero-padded)
{slug}	Both templates	user-authentication (lowercase, hyphenated)
{milestone}	milestone_branch_template	v1.0
{num} / {quick}	quick_branch_template	260317-abc (quick task ID)

Example quick-task branching:

"git": {
  "quick_branch_template": "gsd/quick-{num}-{slug}"
}

Merge Options at Milestone Completion

Option	Git Command	Result
Squash merge (recommended)	git merge --squash	Single clean commit per branch
Merge with history	git merge --no-ff	Preserves all individual commits
Delete without merging	git branch -D	Discard branch work
Keep branches	(none)	Manual handling later

---

Gate Settings

Control confirmation prompts during workflows.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
gates.confirm_project	boolean	true	Confirm project details before finalizing
gates.confirm_phases	boolean	true	Confirm phase breakdown
gates.confirm_roadmap	boolean	true	Confirm roadmap before proceeding
gates.confirm_breakdown	boolean	true	Confirm task breakdown
gates.confirm_plan	boolean	true	Confirm each plan before execution
gates.execute_next_plan	boolean	true	Confirm before executing next plan
gates.issues_review	boolean	true	Review issues before creating fix plans
gates.confirm_transition	boolean	true	Confirm phase transition

---

Safety Settings

Setting	Type	Default	Description
safety.always_confirm_destructive	boolean	true	Confirm destructive operations (deletes, overwrites)
safety.always_confirm_external_services	boolean	true	Confirm external service interactions

---

Security Settings

Settings for the security enforcement feature (v1.31). All follow the absent = enabled pattern. These keys live under workflow.* in .planning/config.json — matching the shipped template and the runtime reads in workflows/plan-phase.md, workflows/execute-phase.md, workflows/secure-phase.md, and workflows/verify-work.md.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
workflow.security_enforcement	boolean	true	Enable threat-model-anchored security verification via /gsd-secure-phase. When false, security checks are skipped entirely
workflow.security_asvs_level	number (1-3)	1	OWASP ASVS verification level. Level 1 = opportunistic, Level 2 = standard, Level 3 = comprehensive
workflow.security_block_on	string	"high"	Minimum severity that blocks phase advancement. Options: "high", "medium", "low"

---

Review Settings

Configure per-CLI model selection for /gsd-review. When set, overrides the CLI's default model for that reviewer.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
review.models.gemini	string	(CLI default)	Model used when --gemini reviewer is invoked
review.models.claude	string	(CLI default)	Model used when --claude reviewer is invoked
review.models.codex	string	(CLI default)	Model used when --codex reviewer is invoked
review.models.opencode	string	(CLI default)	Model used when --opencode reviewer is invoked
review.models.qwen	string	(CLI default)	Model used when --qwen reviewer is invoked
review.models.cursor	string	(CLI default)	Model used when --cursor reviewer is invoked

Example

{
  "review": {
    "models": {
      "gemini": "gemini-2.5-pro",
      "qwen": "qwen-max"
    }
  }
}

Falls back to each CLI's configured default when a key is absent. Added in v1.35.0 (#1849).

---

Manager Passthrough Flags

Configure per-step flags that /gsd-manager appends to each dispatched command. This allows customizing how the manager runs discuss, plan, and execute steps without manual flag entry.

Setting	Type	Default	Description
manager.flags.discuss	string	(none)	Flags appended to discuss-phase commands (e.g., "--auto")
manager.flags.plan	string	(none)	Flags appended to plan-phase commands (e.g., "--skip-research")
manager.flags.execute	string	(none)	Flags appended to execute-phase commands (e.g., "--validate")

Example:

{
  "manager": {
    "flags": {
      "discuss": "--auto",
      "plan": "--skip-research",
      "execute": "--validate"
    }
  }
}

Invalid flag tokens are sanitized and logged as warnings. Only recognized GSD flags are passed through.

---

Model Profiles

Profile Definitions

Agent	quality	balanced	budget	inherit
gsd-planner	Opus	Opus	Sonnet	Inherit
gsd-roadmapper	Opus	Sonnet	Sonnet	Inherit
gsd-executor	Opus	Sonnet	Sonnet	Inherit
gsd-phase-researcher	Opus	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-project-researcher	Opus	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-research-synthesizer	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-debugger	Opus	Sonnet	Sonnet	Inherit
gsd-codebase-mapper	Sonnet	Haiku	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-verifier	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-plan-checker	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-integration-checker	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-nyquist-auditor	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-pattern-mapper	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-ui-researcher	Opus	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-ui-checker	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-ui-auditor	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-doc-writer	Opus	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit
gsd-doc-verifier	Sonnet	Sonnet	Haiku	Inherit

Fallback semantics for unlisted agents. The profiles table above covers 18 of 31 shipped agents. Agents without an explicit profile row (gsd-advisor-researcher, gsd-assumptions-analyzer, gsd-security-auditor, gsd-user-profiler, and the nine advanced agents — gsd-ai-researcher, gsd-domain-researcher, gsd-eval-planner, gsd-eval-auditor, gsd-framework-selector, gsd-code-reviewer, gsd-code-fixer, gsd-debug-session-manager, gsd-intel-updater) inherit the runtime default model for the selected profile. To pin a specific model for any of these agents, use model_overrides (next section) — model_overrides accepts any shipped agent name regardless of whether it has a profile row here. The authoritative profile table lives in get-shit-done/bin/lib/model-profiles.cjs; the authoritative 31-agent roster lives in docs/INVENTORY.md.

Per-Agent Overrides

Override specific agents without changing the entire profile:

{
  "model_profile": "balanced",
  "model_overrides": {
    "gsd-executor": "opus",
    "gsd-planner": "haiku"
  }
}

Valid override values: opus, sonnet, haiku, inherit, or any fully-qualified model ID (e.g., "openai/o3", "google/gemini-2.5-pro").

Non-Claude Runtimes (Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Kilo)

When GSD is installed for a non-Claude runtime, the installer automatically sets resolve_model_ids: "omit" in ~/.gsd/defaults.json. This causes GSD to return an empty model parameter for all agents, so each agent uses whatever model the runtime is configured with. No additional setup is needed for the default case.

If you want different agents to use different models, use model_overrides with fully-qualified model IDs that your runtime recognizes:

{
  "resolve_model_ids": "omit",
  "model_overrides": {
    "gsd-planner": "o3",
    "gsd-executor": "o4-mini",
    "gsd-debugger": "o3",
    "gsd-codebase-mapper": "o4-mini"
  }
}

The intent is the same as the Claude profile tiers -- use a stronger model for planning and debugging (where reasoning quality matters most), and a cheaper model for execution and mapping (where the plan already contains the reasoning).

When to use which approach:

Scenario	Setting	Effect
Non-Claude runtime, single model	resolve_model_ids: "omit" (installer default)	All agents use the runtime's default model
Non-Claude runtime, tiered models	resolve_model_ids: "omit" + model_overrides	Named agents use specific models, others use runtime default
Claude Code with OpenRouter/local provider	model_profile: "inherit"	All agents follow the session model
Claude Code with OpenRouter, tiered	model_profile: "inherit" + model_overrides	Named agents use specific models, others inherit

resolve_model_ids values:

Value	Behavior	Use When
false (default)	Returns Claude aliases (opus, sonnet, haiku)	Claude Code with native Anthropic API
true	Maps aliases to full Claude model IDs (claude-opus-4-6)	Claude Code with API that requires full IDs
"omit"	Returns empty string (runtime picks its default)	Non-Claude runtimes (Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Kilo)

Profile Philosophy

Profile	Philosophy	When to Use
quality	Opus for all decision-making, Sonnet for verification	Quota available, critical architecture work
balanced	Opus for planning only, Sonnet for everything else	Normal development (default)
budget	Sonnet for code-writing, Haiku for research/verification	High-volume work, less critical phases
inherit	All agents use current session model	Dynamic model switching, non-Anthropic providers (OpenRouter, local models)

---

Environment Variables

Variable	Purpose
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR	Override default config directory (~/.claude/)
GEMINI_API_KEY	Detected by context monitor to switch hook event name
WSL_DISTRO_NAME	Detected by installer for WSL path handling
GSD_SKIP_SCHEMA_CHECK	Skip schema drift detection during execute-phase (v1.31)
GSD_PROJECT	Override project root for multi-project workspace support (v1.32)

---

Global Defaults

Save settings as global defaults for future projects:

Location: ~/.gsd/defaults.json

When /gsd-new-project creates a new config.json, it reads global defaults and merges them as the starting configuration. Per-project settings always override globals.