---
title: Do my settings apply to every project or only one?
question: per-project vs global settings
area: settings
order: 5
surface: desktop
audience: beginner
keywords: [per project, per-project, global, override, folder, quadrant settings, project settings, agent behaviour override, follows the folder, worktree topic, project specific, reset to global, two gears]
related: [agent-behaviour-rigor, agent-persona-and-ui-style, where-are-the-settings]
updated: 2026-07-21
---

# Do my settings apply to every project or only one?

Both, depending on the setting. The **Agent behaviour** controls on the full settings page (the sliders, persona, and UI style) are the global default for every project. Each project can override those from a second gear (**⚙**) that sits on the quadrant itself, and that override follows the folder, not the quadrant slot. Appearance settings like theme and layout are global only; there is no per-project version of those.

## The two gears

codus has two gear buttons, and they do different things:

- The **⚙** at the top-right of the titlebar opens the global settings, which apply everywhere. See [Where do I change settings in codus?](where-are-the-settings.md).
- The **⚙** on a quadrant's own header opens that project's settings, which apply only to the project pinned in that quadrant.

## The per-project panel

Open a project in a quadrant, then click the **⚙** on that quadrant's header. The panel that opens has, among other things:

- **Worktree topic**, a short label for what you are working on there.
- **Preview URL (folder)**, a pinned address for that project's preview.
- **Start commands**, the commands codus runs to boot that project (dev / workers / free).
- **Agent behaviour (folder)**, the per-project version of the sliders, persona, and UI style.

In the **Agent behaviour (folder)** area you see the same **Testing rigor**, **Security rigor**, **Response style**, and **Brain chat** sliders, plus **Persona / vibe** and **UI fidelity / style**, as on the global page. Change one and it applies to this project only. The hint under them reads:

> Overrides the global defaults for this project only. Inherits global where unset; applies without a restart.

## How overrides show and reset

When a slider or control here differs from the global default, it gets an **Override** badge and a **Reset** button next to it. Anything you have not touched stays inherited from the global default (no badge). Click **Reset** on a control to drop the override and go back to following the global value.

## The override follows the folder

The per-project settings are tied to the project folder, not to the quadrant box. If you move that quadrant to a different folder, you see the new folder's own overrides instead. Bring the first folder back and its overrides come with it. This keeps each project's behaviour with the project. For more on quadrants and folders, see [What is a quadrant?](../quadrants/what-is-a-quadrant.md).

## Before you start

You can only set per-project behaviour once a folder is pinned in the quadrant. With no folder pinned, the panel reads:

> Pin a folder to set project-specific agent behaviour. Global defaults apply until then.

## Common problems

- **I changed the global slider but one project ignored it.** That project has an override for that slider. Open its quadrant **⚙**, find the control with the **Override** badge, and click **Reset** to follow the global value again.
- **I cannot find the per-project agent behaviour controls.** They are inside the quadrant's own **⚙**, not the titlebar **⚙**. Make sure you clicked the gear on the quadrant header, and that the quadrant has a folder pinned.