Configuration

Two tunables, both optional with safe defaults. They are prompted at enable time and exported as CLAUDE_PLUGIN_OPTION_<KEY> env vars the bin scripts read.

key	type	default	effect
gate_mode	string	full	Controls whether the hard path runs. See Gate modes.
hard_gate	boolean	true	false makes the gate advisory-only — it stops denying (defers to the normal permission flow) while the skill reflex still works. A kill-switch.

Soft reflex is always available

The ground-first skill is always present and model-elected, regardless of gate_mode. Modes only change the hard PreToolUse deny / probe-log / reconcile path.

Gate modes

mode	Hard gate (tmt_enforce)	Probe log / reconcile	Intended use
full	active	active	Default. Full product: skill + hard deny until grounded.
gate	active	active	Gate-only ablation (same hard path as full).
brief	off	off	Soft reflex only — no hard deny.
stale	off	off	Eval ablation arm (historical).
off	off	off	Hard path fully disabled.

CLAUDE_PLUGIN_OPTION_GATE_MODE (plugin userConfig) takes precedence over TMT_ARM (eval-harness escape hatch). Both fall back to full.

Only modes in {full, gate} enable the hard gate, probe logging, and failure reconcile. Everything else is a soft-only or disabled hard path.

Choosing off or hard_gate=false removes the floor

Without the hard deny, nothing stops a mutating tool call if the model skips grounding. Keep defaults for real infra / production / shared-state work. Use soft-only modes for demos, ablations, or environments where you deliberately want no PreToolUse block.

hard_gate kill-switch

hard_gate	Behavior
true (default)	Mutating tools denied until tmt-ground commit (when mode is full/gate).
false	Enforcer allows all; defers to Claude Code's normal permission flow. Skill still available.

Read order: CLAUDE_PLUGIN_OPTION_HARD_GATE → TMT_HARD_GATE → default true. Truthy: 1 / true / yes / on (case-insensitive).

Wiring

key	env var	read by
gate_mode	CLAUDE_PLUGIN_OPTION_GATE_MODE	tmt_enforce.py, tmt_log.py, tmt_reconcile.py
hard_gate	CLAUDE_PLUGIN_OPTION_HARD_GATE	tmt_enforce.py (via tmt_lib.hard_gate_enabled())

Eval harness may also set TMT_ARM / TMT_HARD_GATE for the same controls.

What is intentionally not configurable

No sensitivity knob, no blast-tier knob

There is no trigger_sensitivity or gate_tier. The soft trigger is the model's judgment (nothing to tune with a knob). The gate denies by tool reversibility (classify_tool), not a blast-tier setting on the prompt.

Status line (optional)

Plugins cannot register a main statusLine. To show ⏚ TMT:armed / ⏚ TMT:grounded:

bash /path/to/trigger-my-training/install.sh

That merges into ~/.claude/settings.json (backs up first; preserves an unrelated existing status line). The gate and skill work without it.

Related

• Home — install and 60-second overview
• Architecture — self-arm state machine and tool classes