diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 85e9bfb..2dcb7bd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ Copy the skills into a specific project (`<repo>/.agents/skills` and `<repo>/.cl
 make project TARGET=/path/to/repo
 ```
 
-Both commands also patch the target's `.claude/settings.json`: the caveman and ponytail plugins are enabled so their modes auto-activate on session start, and two reminder hooks are registered — `autotune` points you at `/autotune` at most once an hour, `dream` points you at `/dream` at most once every twelve hours per repository (stamped in that repository's git dir). Existing settings are preserved.
+Both commands also patch the target's `.claude/settings.local.json` — the machine-local, untracked file, so a project's reviewed `.claude/settings.json` is never rewritten by an install: the caveman and ponytail plugins are enabled so their modes auto-activate on session start, and two reminder hooks are registered — `autotune` points you at `/autotune` at most once an hour, `dream` points you at `/dream` at most once every twelve hours per repository (stamped in that repository's git dir). Existing settings are preserved.
 
 Restart your agent afterwards so it loads the new skills.
 
diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
index ff99ef7..bc3cce3 100644
--- a/scripts/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ for dst in "${TARGET}/.agents/skills" "${TARGET}/.claude/skills"; do
 	cp -a "${src}/." "${dst}/"
 done
 
-settings="${TARGET}/.claude/settings.json"
+settings="${TARGET}/.claude/settings.local.json"
 if command -v node &>/dev/null; then
 	log "skills: auto-enabling caveman + ponytail plugins in ${settings}"
 	node "${REPO_ROOT}/scripts/enable-plugins.js" "${settings}"