Safety Features
Fig includes several safety features to protect your configuration from accidental loss or corruption.
Automatic Backups
Section titled “Automatic Backups”Every time Fig saves a configuration file, it creates a timestamped backup of the previous version before writing. This happens automatically with no user action required.
How Backups Work
Section titled “How Backups Work”- Before each write, the current file contents are saved to a backup
- Backups use timestamped filenames for easy identification
- Backups are created for all managed configuration files
Restoring from Backup
Section titled “Restoring from Backup”If you need to restore a previous version of a configuration file, locate the timestamped backup file and copy it back to the original location.
External Change Detection
Section titled “External Change Detection”Fig monitors configuration files for changes made outside the app (e.g., by a text editor, Claude Code itself, or version control operations).
How Detection Works
Section titled “How Detection Works”Fig uses file system monitoring based on modification dates. When a configuration file is changed by another process:
- Fig detects the modification
- A warning is displayed indicating the file was modified externally
- You’re given options to resolve the conflict:
- Reload — load the external changes, discarding your unsaved edits
- Overwrite — keep your current edits and overwrite the external changes
Symlink Handling
Section titled “Symlink Handling”Fig resolves symlinks when reading configuration files and includes circular reference detection to prevent infinite loops.
Undo / Redo
Section titled “Undo / Redo”Fig maintains an undo history for configuration changes within each editing session.
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Undo | Cmd+Z |
| Redo | Cmd+Shift+Z |
Scope and Limitations
Section titled “Scope and Limitations”- Undo history is per-session and resets when you close the app or switch projects
- Each undo step reverses a single configuration change
- Undo/redo applies to the currently active configuration view
JSON Preservation
Section titled “JSON Preservation”Fig uses custom JSON encoding and decoding that preserves:
- Unknown keys added by Claude Code or other tools
- Key ordering where possible
- Pretty-printed, sorted output for readability
This ensures that Fig never drops configuration data it doesn’t directly manage, even as Claude Code evolves and adds new settings.