Configuration scopes
How Mind resolves configuration across global, project, and agent scopes — complete reference of all configurable features
Mind uses a layered configuration system with three scopes. Configuration closer to your current context takes priority over broader settings.
| Capability | IDE | CLI | Web |
|---|---|---|---|
Global scope (~/.mind/) | ✓ | ✓ | — |
Project scope (.mind/) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Agent scope (.mind/agents/ or ~/.mind/agents/) | ✓ | ✓ | — |
Scopes
- Global — applies across all projects. Stored in
~/.mind/. - Project — specific to a workspace. Stored in
<project-root>/.mind/. - Agent — defined per agent in
~/.mind/agents/(global) or.mind/agents/(project).
Tip: Override the global directory with MIND_HOME: Set the
MIND_HOME environment variable to redirect the global ~/.mind directory to a different location.File paths
| Configuration | Global scope | Project scope |
|---|---|---|
| MCP servers | ~/.mind/settings/mcp.json | .mind/settings/mcp.json |
| Permissions | ~/.mind/settings/permissions.yaml | ~/.mind/workspace-roots/<hash>/permissions.yaml |
| Custom agents | ~/.mind/agents/ | .mind/agents/ |
| Steering | ~/.mind/steering/ | .mind/steering/ |
| Skills | ~/.mind/skills/ | .mind/skills/ |
| Hooks | ~/.mind/hooks/ | .mind/hooks/ |
| Agent Plugins | ~/.mind/plugins/ | — |
| Specs | — | .mind/specs/ |
What each scope supports
| Configuration | Global | Project | Agent scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCP servers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (mcpServers field) |
| Permissions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (permissions field) |
| Custom agents | ✓ | ✓ | N/A |
| Steering | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (resources field) |
| Skills | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (resources field) |
| Hooks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ (CLI only) |
| Agent Plugins | ✓ | — | ✓ (includePlugins field) |
| Specs | — | ✓ | — |
Resolving conflicts
When the same configuration exists in multiple scopes, the scope closest to your current context wins:
| Configuration | Priority (highest → lowest) |
|---|---|
| MCP servers | Agent > Project > Global |
| Permissions | deny wins regardless of scope (deny-overrides algorithm) |
| Custom agents | Project > Global |
| Steering | All scopes merged (not overridden) |
| Skills | All scopes merged |
| Hooks | All scopes merged |
Web
Mind Web reads project configuration committed to the repository: project steering and skills, plus project MCP servers, custom agents, and Hooks.
| Configuration | Web |
|---|---|
Project steering (.mind/steering/) | ✓ |
Project skills (.mind/skills/) | ✓ |
Project MCP servers (.mind/settings/mcp.json) | ✓ |
Project custom agents (.mind/agents/) | ✓ |
Project Hooks (.mind/hooks/) | ✓ |
| Permissions YAML and interactive approvals | — |