settings

name	settings
description	Manage Wave settings and get guidance on settings.json, hooks, environment variables, permissions, MCP servers, memory, skills, subagents, plugins, and plugin marketplaces. Use this when the user wants to view, update, or learn how to configure Wave.

Wave Settings Skill

This skill helps you manage your Wave configuration and provides guidance on how to use settings.json.

What is settings.json?

settings.json is the central configuration file for Wave. It allows you to customize hooks, environment variables, tool permissions, and more.

Live Reload

Changes to settings.json take effect immediately without restarting Wave. When you modify any setting, the new configuration is applied to subsequent operations automatically.

Wave looks for settings.json in three scopes:

1. User Scope: Global settings for all projects. Located at ~/.wave/settings.json.
2. Project Scope: Settings specific to the current project. Located at .wave/settings.json in your project root.
3. Local Scope: Local overrides for the current project (not committed to git). Located at .wave/settings.local.json.

Common Settings

1. Hooks

Hooks allow you to automate tasks when certain events occur (e.g., PreToolUse, PostToolUse, SessionStart, SessionEnd). For detailed hook configuration, see HOOKS.md.

2. Environment Variables

Set environment variables that will be available to all tools and hooks. Common WAVE_* variables include:

• WAVE_MODEL, WAVE_FAST_MODEL: Model selection
• WAVE_MAX_INPUT_TOKENS, WAVE_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS: Token limits
• WAVE_API_KEY, WAVE_BASE_URL: API configuration

For detailed configuration, see ENV.md.

{
  "env": {
    "NODE_ENV": "development",
    "API_KEY": "your-api-key"
  }
}

3. Permissions

Manage tool permissions and define the "Safe Zone". Changes to permissions take effect immediately with live reload. For detailed permission configuration and available permission modes, see PERMISSIONS.md.

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": ["Bash", "Read"],
    "deny": ["Write"],
    "permissionMode": "default",
    "additionalDirectories": ["/tmp/wave-exports"]
  }
}

4. Model Configuration

Define which AI models Wave should use and set model-specific parameters like temperature, reasoning_effort, and thinking. You can also configure model selection and token limits via environment variables in the env field. For detailed model configuration, see MODELS.md.

{
  "models": {
    "claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219": {
      "options": {
        "thinking": {
          "type": "enabled",
          "budget_tokens": 1024
        }
      }
    },
    "o3-mini": {
      "options": {
        "reasoning_effort": "high"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Connect to external servers to provide additional tools and context. For detailed MCP configuration, see MCP.md.

6. Memory

Provide context-specific instructions and knowledge to the agent through user memory, project memory, memory rules, and auto-memory. For detailed memory configuration, see MEMORY.md.

7. Skills

Extend Wave's functionality by creating custom skills. For detailed guidance on creating skills, see SKILLS.md.

8. Subagents

Delegate tasks to specialized AI personalities. For detailed guidance on creating subagents, see SUBAGENTS.md.

9. Plugins

Plugins bundle skills, hooks, MCP servers, LSP servers, commands, and subagents into a reusable package. You can install plugins locally or from a marketplace. For detailed guidance on creating plugins and marketplaces, see PLUGINS.md.

10. Other Settings

• language: Preferred language for agent communication (e.g., "en", "zh").
• autoMemoryEnabled: Enable or disable auto-memory (default: true).
• autoMemoryFrequency: Frequency of auto-memory extraction turns (default: 1).

How to use this skill

You can ask me to:

• "Show my current settings"
• "Update my project settings to enable auto-memory"
• "How do I configure a post-commit hook?"
• "What are the available permission modes?"
• "Update my permission mode to acceptEdits"
• "How do I extend the Safe Zone for permissions?"
• "How do I create a custom skill?"
• "How do I define a new subagent?"
• "How do I set max input tokens?"
• "How do I change the model?"
• "How do I create a Wave plugin?"
• "How do I set up a plugin marketplace?"
• "How do I install a plugin from a marketplace?"

I will guide you through the process and ensure your configuration is valid.