Configuration Reference

Atelier provides extensive configuration options through VS Code settings. This reference covers file patterns for locating your workflow files, prompt templates for customizing how Claude receives instructions, and command settings for controlling how Claude Code is invoked.

Substitution Variables

All file pattern, prompt, and command settings support variable substitution. Variables are enclosed in double curly braces and replaced at runtime.

Path Variables

These variables are available in file pattern settings:

Variable	Description
{{workspaceFolder}}	Absolute path to the current VS Code workspace root
{{userHome}}	User’s home directory (e.g., /Users/jane or C:\Users\jane)
{{workspaceId}}	Unique identifier for the current workspace, useful for per-project isolation
{{taskListId}}	Identifier extracted from matched TODO file paths, enabling task organization per TODO file

Prompt Placeholders

These placeholders are available in prompt template settings:

Placeholder	Description
{{path}}	Full file path to the item being processed
{{file}}	File path (alias for path in some contexts)
{{title}}	Title of the todo, plan, or task
{{description}}	Description content of the item
{{status}}	Current status of the item
{{planPath}}	Path to the parent plan (for task verification)
{{subtasks}}	List of subtask identifiers (for verification prompts)

Command Placeholders

These placeholders are available in command settings:

Placeholder	Description
{{prompt}}	The fully-rendered prompt text after template substitution
{{workspaceDir}}	Working directory for command execution
{{file}}	Path to the relevant file

File Pattern Settings

File patterns use glob syntax with substitution variables to locate workflow files.

atelier.skillsDirectory

Directory containing Claude Code skills.

• Default: {{userHome}}/.claude/skills
• Example: {{workspaceFolder}}/.atelier/skills

atelier.todoFilePattern

Glob pattern for TODO files. Atelier watches these files for changes and displays their items on the kanban board.

• Default: {{workspaceFolder}}/**/TODO.md
• Example: {{workspaceFolder}}/docs/TODO.md

The {{taskListId}} variable is extracted from matched paths and can be used in other patterns to organize tasks per TODO file.

atelier.planFilePattern

Glob pattern for plan files to always show on the kanban. Leave empty to only show plans linked from TODOs.

• Default: (empty)
• Example: {{workspaceFolder}}/.atelier/plans/*.md

atelier.taskFilePattern

Glob pattern for task files created during planning.

• Default: {{userHome}}/.claude/tasks/{{taskListId}}/**/*.json
• Example: {{workspaceFolder}}/.atelier/tasks/**/*.json

atelier.taskVerificationFilePattern

Glob pattern for task verification report files.

• Default: {{userHome}}/.atelier/verification/tasks/**/*.md

atelier.planVerificationFilePattern

Glob pattern for plan verification report files.

• Default: {{userHome}}/.atelier/verification/plans/**/*.md

Prompt Template Settings

Prompt templates define the text sent to Claude Code when you trigger actions from the kanban board.

atelier.promptTemplates.plan

Template for the planning prompt when promoting a todo to a plan.

• Default: Plan {{title}} using /atelier-plan todo_path={{file}}

atelier.promptTemplates.implement

Template for the implementation prompt when starting work on a task.

• Default: Implement {{file}} using /atelier-implement

atelier.promptTemplates.verifyTask

Template for the task verification prompt.

• Default: Verify {{path}} against {{planPath}} using /atelier-verify-task with subtasks: {{subtasks}}

atelier.promptTemplates.verifyPlan

Template for the plan verification prompt.

• Default: Verify {{path}} using /atelier-verify-plan with subtasks: {{subtasks}}

Command Settings

Command settings control how Claude Code is invoked. These wrap the rendered prompt in a shell command.

atelier.commands.plan

Command for planning tasks.

• Default: claude --permission-mode plan "{{prompt}}"

The --permission-mode plan flag runs Claude in read-only mode, appropriate for planning work that shouldn’t modify files.

atelier.commands.implement

Command for implementation tasks.

• Default: claude "{{prompt}}"

atelier.commands.verifyTask

Command for task verification.

• Default: claude "{{prompt}}"

atelier.commands.verifyPlan

Command for plan verification.

• Default: claude "{{prompt}}"

Examples

Project-Local Task Storage

Store all Atelier files within your project instead of the home directory:

{
  "atelier.taskFilePattern": "{{workspaceFolder}}/.atelier/tasks/**/*.json",
  "atelier.taskVerificationFilePattern": "{{workspaceFolder}}/.atelier/verification/tasks/**/*.md",
  "atelier.planVerificationFilePattern": "{{workspaceFolder}}/.atelier/verification/plans/**/*.md"
}

Custom Claude Invocation

Use a wrapper script or different Claude configuration:

{
  "atelier.commands.implement": "my-claude-wrapper --project={{workspaceDir}} \"{{prompt}}\"",
  "atelier.commands.plan": "claude --model opus \"{{prompt}}\""
}

Multiple TODO Files

If your project has multiple TODO files (e.g., per-package in a monorepo), the default pattern already supports this:

{
  "atelier.todoFilePattern": "{{workspaceFolder}}/**/TODO.md",
  "atelier.taskFilePattern": "{{userHome}}/.claude/tasks/{{taskListId}}/**/*.json"
}

Each TODO file gets its own taskListId, keeping tasks organized separately.