> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xsiam/reference-and-developer-docs/role-based-access-control/configuration-permissions/general-configuration-permissions.md).

# General Configuration permissions

Controls access to core platform settings that affect system-wide behavior, such as server settings, timezone settings, and system preferences. Access these through **Settings** → **Configurations** → **General** → **Server Settings**.

For more information, see [Configure server settings](/cortex-xsiam/onboard-cortex-xsiam/post-deployment/configure-server-settings.md).

| Permission | Description                                                                     | Roles Example                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| None       | No access to the **Server Settings** page, apart from Keyboard Shortcuts.       | <ul><li>SOC Tier-1 Analyst: No need to access or modify server configuration.</li><li>Threat Hunter: Server configuration is not typically relevant to threat hunting.</li></ul>                                                                                                 |
| View       | Read-only access to the **Server Settings** page.                               | <ul><li>SOC Tier-2 Analyst: May need View for troubleshooting context.</li><li>SOC Tier-3 Analyst: May need to understand system configuration during investigations.</li><li>Security Engineer: Should understand configuration, but changes should go through Admin.</li></ul> |
| View/Edit  | Full access to modify server and retention settings on the **Server Settings**. |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |

### Required and recommended permissions

Consider adding the following permissions:

| Permission               | Permission Level | Reason                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------ | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Auditing                 | View             | Track all configuration changes for compliance and change management. Strongly recommended.               |
| Access Management        | View             | Understand user access context when configuring system-wide settings. Strongly recommended.               |
| Alert Notifications      | View             | Notification settings may be affected by general configuration changes. Recommended.                      |
| Cases & Issues           | View             | Understand how configuration changes impact alert processing. Recommended.                                |
| Broker Service           | View             | General settings may affect the behavior of the Broker VM and data collection. Recommended.               |
| Dashboards               | Enabled          | View system health dashboards affected by configuration changes. Recommended.                             |
| Query Center             | View             | Query system data to validate configuration changes. Recommended.                                         |
| Exception Approver Admin | View/Edit        | Users who configure server settings may also need to configure exception approval workflows. Recommended. |


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/cortex-xsiam/reference-and-developer-docs/role-based-access-control/configuration-permissions/general-configuration-permissions.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
