diff --git a/bundle/.gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.json b/bundle/.gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.json
index 72f9626..4ea3da3 100644
--- a/bundle/.gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.json
+++ b/bundle/.gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "comment": "Optional hook tuning. mode: enforce (block) | guide (nudge only). sourceGlobs: gitignore-style roots for graph-first paths. stalenessCacheTtlMs: reuse staleness within N ms to cut per-tool-call latency. sourceExts is intentionally omitted — the built-in polyglot default (see hook-helpers.mjs DEFAULT_SOURCE_EXT_RE) is the single source of truth; add a \"sourceExts\": [\"js\",\"py\", …] array here only to narrow/override it.",
+  "comment": "Optional hook tuning, TEAM-SHARED (committed). mode: enforce (block) | guide (nudge only). sourceGlobs: gitignore-style roots for graph-first paths. stalenessCacheTtlMs: reuse staleness within N ms to cut per-tool-call latency. sourceExts is intentionally omitted — the built-in polyglot default (see hook-helpers.mjs DEFAULT_SOURCE_EXT_RE) is the single source of truth; add a \"sourceExts\": [\"js\",\"py\", …] array here only to narrow/override it. For PER-MACHINE overrides that shouldn't be committed (e.g. \"contextWindowTokens\": 1000000 for a 1M-context session), create a gitignored .gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.local.json with the same shape — it wins over this file (GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW env wins over both).",
   "mode": "enforce",
   "readLineThreshold": 60,
   "stalenessCacheTtlMs": 2500,
diff --git a/bundle/.gnkit/lib/hook-helpers.mjs b/bundle/.gnkit/lib/hook-helpers.mjs
index 9230b12..a6eca8d 100644
--- a/bundle/.gnkit/lib/hook-helpers.mjs
+++ b/bundle/.gnkit/lib/hook-helpers.mjs
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ export {
 } from "./rename-helpers.mjs";
 
 export const CONFIG_FILE = ".gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.json";
+// Gitignored per-machine override — same shape as CONFIG_FILE, wins over it. Lets one dev tune the
+// window / mode / thresholds (e.g. contextWindowTokens for a 1M session) without editing the
+// team-shared file. Precedence: defaults < CONFIG_FILE < LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE < env.
+export const LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE = ".gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.local.json";
 
 /** @typedef {'enforce' | 'guide'} HookMode */
 /** @typedef {'none' | 'light' | 'medium' | 'full'} EditSensitivity */
@@ -94,16 +98,35 @@ export function loadHookConfig(root) {
     driftRefreshThreshold: 3,
     // TASK-CORE compaction migration: nudge the agent to refresh its task-core once context
     // reaches contextPressureThreshold of contextWindowTokens. The window is model-specific, so
-    // prefer the per-machine env var GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW=1000000 (wins over this file) rather
-    // than committing 1000000 to a shared repo where teammates run a 200k model. 0 threshold disables.
+    // scope 1000000 per-machine — a gitignored .gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.local.json (repo-scoped) or the
+    // GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW env — instead of committing it to a repo where teammates run a 200k
+    // model. Precedence: this default < gitnexus-hooks.json < .local.json < env. 0 threshold disables.
     contextWindowTokens: 200000,
     contextPressureThreshold: 0.9,
   };
 
-  const cfgPath = path.join(root, CONFIG_FILE);
+  // Shared team config first, then the gitignored per-machine override (each present file wins over
+  // the prior). A missing file is a no-op — readFileSync throws inside the helper and is swallowed.
+  applyHookConfigFile(cfg, path.join(root, CONFIG_FILE));
+  applyHookConfigFile(cfg, path.join(root, LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE));
 
+  // Per-machine env override wins over both files (handy for CI / ad-hoc). The context window is
+  // model-specific — a 1M-context session and a teammate's 200k model can't share one committed
+  // value — so scope it via GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW or gitnexus-hooks.local.json, not the shared file.
+  const envWindow = Number(process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW);
+  if (Number.isFinite(envWindow) && envWindow > 0) cfg.contextWindowTokens = envWindow;
+
+  return cfg;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Merge one hook-config JSON file into cfg (mutates). Missing/invalid file → no-op (keeps prior
+ * values), so it's safe to layer several files by precedence. Shared by CONFIG_FILE + LOCAL_CONFIG_FILE.
+ * @param {Record<string, any>} cfg
+ * @param {string} cfgPath
+ */
+function applyHookConfigFile(cfg, cfgPath) {
   try {
-    // Missing file → readFileSync throws → caught below → defaults kept, then env override runs.
     const file = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(cfgPath, "utf8"));
     if (file.mode) cfg.mode = file.mode === "guide" ? "guide" : "enforce";
     if (typeof file.readLineThreshold === "number")
@@ -123,16 +146,8 @@ export function loadHookConfig(root) {
       cfg.sourceExtRe = buildExtRe(file.sourceExts);
     }
   } catch {
-    /* keep defaults */
+    /* missing or invalid → keep prior values */
   }
-
-  // Per-machine env override wins over the (team-shared) config file. The context window is
-  // model-specific — a 1M-context session and a teammate's 200k model can't share one committed
-  // value — so set GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW=1000000 in your shell rather than in gitnexus-hooks.json.
-  const envWindow = Number(process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW);
-  if (Number.isFinite(envWindow) && envWindow > 0) cfg.contextWindowTokens = envWindow;
-
-  return cfg;
 }
 
 function hookModeFromEnv() {
diff --git a/lib/kit.mjs b/lib/kit.mjs
index 6fa7ec1..0b78b4d 100644
--- a/lib/kit.mjs
+++ b/lib/kit.mjs
@@ -67,10 +67,14 @@ const GITIGNORE_BASE = [
   ".gitnexus/",
   ".tmp-agent/",
   // .gnkit/ holds the TRACKED kit payload (hook lib, policy config, skill store —
-  // teammates get these via git). Only per-session runtime state + the derived
-  // API profile are ignored; the IDE skill symlink dirs are ignored + regenerated.
+  // teammates get these via git). Only per-session runtime state, the derived API
+  // profile, and the per-machine config override are ignored; the IDE skill symlink
+  // dirs are ignored + regenerated.
   ".gnkit/.gitnexus-*",
   ".gnkit/gitnexus-api-profile.json",
+  // Per-machine hook-config override (e.g. contextWindowTokens for a 1M session) — wins
+  // over the team-shared gitnexus-hooks.json; kept local so it doesn't affect teammates.
+  ".gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.local.json",
   // Derived architecture doc — regenerated from live graph stats on every refresh
   // (machine-specific), so it churns git for every teammate. Kept local.
   "docs/ARCHITECTURE.gitnexus.md",
diff --git a/lib/kit.test.mjs b/lib/kit.test.mjs
index cd632f4..2ba71a2 100644
--- a/lib/kit.test.mjs
+++ b/lib/kit.test.mjs
@@ -1074,6 +1074,56 @@ describe("gitnexus-agent-kit", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("gitnexus-hooks.local.json overrides the shared file per-machine (defaults < shared < local < env)", async () => {
+    const helpers = await import(
+      new URL("../bundle/.gnkit/lib/hook-helpers.mjs", import.meta.url).href
+    );
+    const prev = process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW;
+    try {
+      delete process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW;
+      const r = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "gn-local-"));
+      fs.mkdirSync(path.join(r, ".gnkit"), { recursive: true });
+      const shared = path.join(r, ".gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.json");
+      const local = path.join(r, ".gnkit/gitnexus-hooks.local.json");
+
+      // Shared team config sets three keys.
+      fs.writeFileSync(
+        shared,
+        JSON.stringify({ mode: "guide", contextWindowTokens: 200000, driftRefreshThreshold: 5 }),
+      );
+      // Local override touches two of them; the untouched one falls through to shared.
+      fs.writeFileSync(
+        local,
+        JSON.stringify({ contextWindowTokens: 1000000, driftRefreshThreshold: 9 }),
+      );
+      let c = helpers.loadHookConfig(r);
+      assert.equal(c.contextWindowTokens, 1000000, "local wins over shared");
+      assert.equal(c.driftRefreshThreshold, 9, "local wins over shared");
+      assert.equal(c.mode, "guide", "shared value stands where local is silent");
+
+      // Env still beats the local file.
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW = "500000";
+      assert.equal(helpers.loadHookConfig(r).contextWindowTokens, 500000, "env beats local");
+      delete process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW;
+
+      // Local-only (no shared file) still layers over the built-in defaults.
+      fs.rmSync(shared);
+      c = helpers.loadHookConfig(r);
+      assert.equal(c.contextWindowTokens, 1000000);
+      assert.equal(c.mode, "enforce", "default mode when no shared file");
+
+      // Invalid local JSON is ignored (shared/default stands) — never throws.
+      fs.writeFileSync(shared, JSON.stringify({ contextWindowTokens: 200000 }));
+      fs.writeFileSync(local, "{ not valid json");
+      assert.equal(helpers.loadHookConfig(r).contextWindowTokens, 200000, "invalid local ignored");
+
+      fs.rmSync(r, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    } finally {
+      if (prev === undefined) delete process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW;
+      else process.env.GITNEXUS_CONTEXT_WINDOW = prev;
+    }
+  });
+
   it("cypher field access matches Methods (untyped source node)", async () => {
     const cypher = await import(
       new URL("../bundle/.gnkit/lib/cypher-helpers.mjs", import.meta.url)