BROKENCLAUDECONF.COM

🔧 The Problem

You've been happily using Claude Code. You've approved hundreds of permissions. Git commits, file reads, npm installs, SSH commands...

Then one day, it breaks. Maybe you approved a pattern with a heredoc. Maybe there's an emoji in there somewhere. Maybe Claude got a little too creative with a shell construct.

Your settings.local.json is now 847KB of chaos. Claude refuses to start. You stare into the abyss.

"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
— Everyone, before discovering this script

The Solution

An interactive, escalating cleaning tool. Start gentle. If that doesn't work, escalate. Keep escalating until either Claude works or nothing remains.

1#!/bin/bash
2# Fix broken Claude Code settings
3# Interactive progressive cleaning - escalates until fixed
4# Shows what will be lost at each level
5
6SETTINGS_FILE="$HOME/.claude/settings.local.json"
7BACKUP_DIR="$HOME/.claude/backups"
8
9# Colors - escalating severity
10GREEN='\033[0;32m'
11YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
12ORANGE='\033[0;33m'
13RED='\033[0;31m'
14BRIGHT_RED='\033[1;31m'

🌱 Level 1: Gentle Clean

Low Impact

The diplomatic approach. We politely ask the bad patterns to leave. No hard feelings.

What gets removed:

• Bash(done) — How did this even get here?
• Bash(for ...) — Shell constructs that snuck in
• Bash(while ...) — Infinite loops of regret
• Bash(if ...) — Conditional chaos
• Patterns with << or EOF — Heredoc horrors
• Patterns with \n — Newlines don't belong here
• Patterns with () — Empty parentheses of doom
• Patterns with "" — Double-double quote catastrophes

"We come in peace. We just want to remove the garbage."

You'll keep:

All your legitimate permissions. Git commands, file paths, web fetches — all safe.

231clean_level1() {
232    jq '
233    .permissions.allow = ([
234        .permissions.allow[] |
235        select(
236            (test("^Bash\\(done\\)") | not) and
237            (test("^Bash\\(for ") | not) and
238            (test("^Bash\\(while ") | not) and
239            (test("^Bash\\(if ") | not) and
240            (test("^Bash\\(source ") | not) and
241            (test("<<") | not) and
242            (test("EOF") | not) and
243            (test("\\\\n") | not) and
244            (test("\\(\\)") | not) and
245            (test("\"\"") | not)
246        )
247    ] | unique)
248    ' "$SETTINGS_FILE"
249}

🔨 Level 2: Medium Clean

Medium Impact

Gentle didn't work? Time to bring out the character counter. If your permission pattern is longer than a tweet, it's probably wrong.

Additional removals:

• Any pattern over 150 characters
• Patterns containing emojis like 🤖 😇 ✓ ✗

Those 500-character git commit messages you approved? Gone. That curl command with the full JSON payload? Sayonara.

Trade-off:

You'll need to re-approve some complex git commits. A small price for sanity.

"If it doesn't fit in a tweet, it doesn't fit in your permissions."

251clean_level2() {
252    jq '
253    .permissions.allow = ([
254        .permissions.allow[] |
255        select(
256            (length < 150) and
257            (test("^Bash\\(done\\)") | not) and
258            (test("^Bash\\(for ") | not) and
259            (test("^Bash\\(while ") | not) and
260            (test("^Bash\\(if ") | not) and
261            (test("^Bash\\(source ") | not) and
262            (test("<<") | not) and
263            (test("EOF") | not) and
264            (test("\\\\n") | not) and
265            (test("\\(\\)") | not) and
266            (test("\"\"") | not) and
267            (test("🤖|😇|✓|✗") | not)
268        )
269    ] | unique)
270    ' "$SETTINGS_FILE"
271}

⚡ Level 3: Hard Clean

High Impact

Now we're getting serious. We're keeping only the patterns that look like they were written by a reasonable human.

Survival criteria:

• Under 100 characters
• Ends with :*) (wildcard patterns)
• OR is a simple tool pattern like Bash(git add:*)

What you'll lose:

Specific file paths, exact curl commands, that one SSH command you approved at 2am. All gone.

What survives:

Bash(git:*), WebFetch, Read — the classics. The survivors.

"We're not angry. We're just... disappointed in your permissions."

273clean_level3() {
274    jq '
275    .permissions.allow = ([
276        .permissions.allow[] |
277        select(
278            (length < 100) and
279            (test(":\\*\\)$") or
280             test("^(Bash|Read|WebFetch|WebSearch|Skill)\\([^)]+\\)$")) and
281            (test("[\\n\\r\\t]") | not) and
282            (test("<<|EOF") | not) and
283            (test("\\(\\)") | not)
284        )
285    ] | unique)
286    ' "$SETTINGS_FILE"
287}

☢️ Level 4: NUCLEAR

Total Reset

Still broken? Fine. We'll just delete all your permissions. Every. Single. One.

Your settings.local.json will be pristine. A blank canvas. Tabula rasa.

"I am become Death, the destroyer of permissions."

Silver lining:

Your MCP servers, hooks, and plugins are still safe. Those live in settings.json, not settings.local.json.

288clean_level4() {
289    jq '.permissions = {"allow": [], "deny": [], "ask": []}' \
290        "$SETTINGS_FILE"
291}
292
293# Usage in interactive mode:
294
459# Level 4 - Red (nuclear)
460echo -e "${RED}╔══════════════════════════════════════╗${NC}"
461echo -e "${RED}║     Level 4: NUCLEAR                 ║${NC}"
462echo -e "${RED}╚══════════════════════════════════════╝${NC}"
463preview_removals 4
464apply_level 4
465echo -e "${RED}✓ All permissions reset.${NC}"

💥 Level 5: DOUBLE NUKE

Settings Extinction

Nuclear wasn't enough? We're going deeper. Time to reset settings.json itself.

That beautiful MCP setup you spent 3 hours configuring? Hope you documented it somewhere.

What survives:

Conversation history. Authentication. Your memories of better times.

"The first nuke was a warning. The second is a statement."

292clean_level5() {
293    # Double nuke - reset settings.json to minimal
294    local main_settings="$HOME/.claude/settings.json"
295    
296    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Backing up settings.json...${NC}"
297    mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
298    cp "$main_settings" \
299       "$BACKUP_DIR/settings.$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).json"
300    
301    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Resetting to minimal defaults...${NC}"
302    echo '{"$schema": "https://..."}' > "$main_settings"
303    
304    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Done. MCP, hooks, plugins cleared.${NC}"
305}

🧠 Level 6: FORGET

Memory Wipe

Settings are fine but Claude still won't work? Maybe it's the memories that are cursed.

What you'll lose:

• Every past conversation
• All session context
• That one time Claude helped you fix a production bug at 3am
• The inside jokes. The memories. All of it.

What survives:

Authentication stays intact. You won't need to re-login. Small mercies.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Claude."

303clean_level6() {
304    # Forget - clear conversation history
305    # ⚠️ IRREVERSIBLE!
306    
307    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}WARNING: CANNOT BE UNDONE!${NC}"
308    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Clearing conversation history...${NC}"
309    
310    rm -rf "$HOME/.claude/projects"
311    
312    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Done. Past permanently forgotten.${NC}"
313}
314
315# Preview shows the gravity of this decision:
174local history_count=$(find "$HOME/.claude/projects" \
175    -name "*.jsonl" 2>/dev/null | wc -l)
176echo "$history_count session files will be DESTROYED"

🔥 Level 7: SCORCHED EARTH

Complete Destruction

This is it. The point of no return. We're deleting the entire ~/.claude directory.

After this, you'll need to:

1. Run claude and log in again
2. Re-configure all MCP servers
3. Re-enable plugins
4. Re-approve all permissions as you work
5. Rebuild your life from the ashes

Silver lining:

A full backup is created at ~/.claude-backup-* first. We're destructive, not cruel.

"From the ashes, a new Claude shall rise."

311clean_level7() {
312    # Scorched earth - backup then nuke ~/.claude
313    
314    local full_backup_dir=\
315        "$HOME/.claude-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)"
316    
317    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Creating backup at $full_backup_dir${NC}"
318    cp -r "$HOME/.claude" "$full_backup_dir"
319    
320    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Destroying ~/.claude...${NC}"
321    rm -rf "$HOME/.claude"
322    
323    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}Done. Re-login required.${NC}"
324}

💀 Level 8: OVERKILL

Total Annihilation

Scorched Earth wasn't enough? You absolute madman. Fine. We'll delete everything.

Claude will be as if you never used it before. Complete blank slate. Factory reset. Year zero.

The aftermath:

1. Run claude and log in again
2. Re-configure EVERYTHING from scratch
3. Recreate ~/CLAUDE.md
4. Contemplate your life choices
5. Start a meditation practice

"In my end is my beginning."
— T.S. Eliot, probably not about Claude

321clean_level8() {
322    # OVERKILL - nuke everything including CLAUDE.md
323    local timestamp=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
324
325    # Backup ~/.claude
326    local full_backup_dir="$HOME/.claude-backup-$timestamp"
327    cp -r "$HOME/.claude" "$full_backup_dir"
328
329    # Backup ~/CLAUDE.md
330    if [[ -f "$CLAUDE_MD" ]]; then
331        cp "$CLAUDE_MD" "$HOME/.claude-md-backup-$timestamp"
332    fi
333
334    # DESTROY EVERYTHING
335    rm -rf "$HOME/.claude"
336    rm -f "$CLAUDE_MD"
337    rm -rf "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO"
338
339    echo -e "${BRIGHT_RED}TOTAL ANNIHILATION COMPLETE.${NC}"
340}

📝 Bonus: CLAUDE.md Management

Version Control for Your Instructions

Ever edit your ~/CLAUDE.md and immediately regret it? This script also includes a git-based snapshot system.

Available commands:

• ./script instructions snapshot [name] — Save current state
• ./script instructions list — Show all snapshots
• ./script instructions diff [snapshot] — Compare versions
• ./script instructions restore [snap] — Go back in time
• ./script instructions update <file> — Replace from file

All snapshots are stored in ~/.claude-md-history as a git repo.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat their prompts."

560init_instructions_repo() {
561    if [[ ! -d "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" ]]; then
562        mkdir -p "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO"
563        git -C "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" init --quiet
564        
565        if [[ -f "$CLAUDE_MD" ]]; then
566            cp "$CLAUDE_MD" "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO/CLAUDE.md"
567            git -C "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" add CLAUDE.md
568            git -C "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" commit \
569                -m "Initial snapshot" --quiet
570        fi
571    fi
572}
573
574instructions_snapshot() {
575    local name="${1:-snapshot-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)}"
576    init_instructions_repo
577    
578    cp "$CLAUDE_MD" "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO/CLAUDE.md"
579    git -C "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" add CLAUDE.md
580    git -C "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" commit -m "$name" --quiet
581    git -C "$CLAUDE_MD_REPO" tag "$name"
582}