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Devin for Terminal loads configuration from multiple sources and merges them together. Understanding the precedence order helps you set up the right configuration for your team and personal preferences.

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Configuration Layers

From highest to lowest priority:
PrioritySourceNotes
1 (highest)Organization / Team SettingsCannot be overridden
2Session (interactive approvals)In-memory only
3Project Local (.devin/config.local.json)Personal, gitignored
4Project (.devin/config.json)Shared with team
5 (lowest)User (~/.config/devin/config.json; %APPDATA%\devin\config.json on Windows)Your defaults
When the same setting is defined at multiple levels, the higher-priority source wins.

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When to Use Each Level

User config

Path: ~/.config/devin/config.json (%APPDATA%\devin\config.json on Windows)Use for personal preferences that apply everywhere:
  • Default model preference
  • Theme preference
  • Personal MCP servers (e.g., your own API keys)
  • Global permission grants
{
  "agent": { "model": "opus" },
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["Read(**)", "Exec(git)"]
  }
}
Path: .devin/config.jsonUse for team standards committed to the repository. Only permissions, mcpServers, read_config_from, and hooks are available at this level:
  • Shared MCP servers (with non-secret config)
  • Team permission policies
  • Import settings
  • Lifecycle hooks
{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["Exec(npm run)", "Read(src/**)"],
    "deny": ["Exec(sudo)"]
  },
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    }
  }
}
Path: .devin/config.local.jsonUse for personal overrides that shouldn’t be committed:
  • API keys and secrets
  • Personal tool preferences for this project
  • Permission overrides
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_my_personal_token"
      }
    }
  }
}
Local config files are automatically excluded from git via .git/info/exclude.
Managed by your enterprise admin through the team settings dashboard. These settings cannot be overridden by individual users and enforce organization-wide policies like model restrictions and MCP server allowlists.

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What’s Available at Each Level

Not all settings can be set at the project level. Project configs (.devin/config.json and .devin/config.local.json) support:
SettingUser configProject config
permissions✓✓
mcpServers✓✓
read_config_from✓✓
hooks✓✓
agent (model)✓✗
theme_mode✓✗
unicode_mode✓✗
show_path✓✗
include_gitignored_files✓✗
sandbox✓✗
Settings marked as user-config only can only be set in the user config (~/.config/devin/config.json; %APPDATA%\devin\config.json on Windows) and do not participate in the precedence hierarchy above.

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How Merging Works

The precedence table above only applies to settings that support multiple levels (permissions, mcpServers, read_config_from, hooks).

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Permissions

Permission lists are merged (combined) across levels. A denial at a higher level cannot be overridden by an allow at a lower level. For example, if your organization denies Exec(sudo), adding Exec(sudo) to your user allow list has no effect — the organization denial always wins. However, other permissions like Read(**) at the project level are applied normally.

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MCP Servers

MCP server configs are merged by name. A server defined at a higher level overrides the same-named server at a lower level. For example, if both your user config and project config define a “github” server, the project config version wins because it has higher priority than user config.

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Hooks

Hooks are collected from all sources and all run. A hook defined in the user config runs alongside hooks defined in the project config — they do not override each other.

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Project Root Detection

Devin for Terminal finds your project root by looking for a .git or .jj directory, walking up from your current working directory. Project config (.devin/) is loaded from the project root.
If you have nested .devin/ directories (e.g., in a monorepo), subdirectory configs take precedence over ancestor configs.

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File Discovery Summary

FileFound byShared?
~/.config/devin/config.jsonXDG pathNo
.devin/config.jsonWalking up from cwdYes (committed)
.devin/config.local.jsonWalking up from cwdNo (gitignored)
.devin/skills/*/SKILL.mdProject rootYes (committed)
~/.config/devin/skills/*/SKILL.mdXDG pathNo
AGENTS.mdProject rootYes (committed)
Windows: Paths shown as ~/.config/devin/ use the XDG convention for Linux/macOS. On Windows, these resolve to %APPDATA%\devin\ (typically C:\Users\<YourUser>\AppData\Roaming\devin\).