[FEATURE] Boolean flag to store plans relative to project root

Problem

Currently, plan files are stored in ~/.claude/plans/ by default. The plansDirectory setting allows specifying a custom directory, but it requires an explicit path. There's no simple way to say "always store plans relative to the project root" without hardcoding a directory name.

When working across multiple projects, plans end up mixed together in the global ~/.claude/plans/ directory. The plansDirectory workaround requires each project to configure an explicit path, which is unnecessary ceremony for a common need.

Proposed solution

Add a boolean setting like plansRelativeToProject: true (or relativePlans, localPlans, etc.) that automatically resolves plan file paths relative to the project's CWD instead of the global ~/.claude/ directory.

When enabled, plans would be stored in <project-root>/.claude/plans/ (or a similar conventional location) without requiring an explicit plansDirectory path.

// .claude/settings.json or ~/.claude/settings.json
{
  "plansRelativeToProject": true
}

This is simpler than plansDirectory because:

• No need to specify a directory name — it uses a sensible default relative to the project
• Works across all projects when set globally — each project's plans go to their own .claude/plans/
• Avoids the bug where project-level plansDirectory with relative paths doesn't work (#18623)

Alternatives considered

• plansDirectory with a relative path — exists but requires manually setting a path in every project

Priority

Medium

Category

Configuration and settings