Various embodiments include methods and systems provide a distributed settings registry with access protection definable by application developers. Distributed settings registry may be implemented across different technologies with customizable privileges and the dynamic ability to plug different nodes into the registry tree. The settings registry may exist under a registry interface so the applications invoking the registry need not be concerned with where or how the settings data is stored. Each node in the tree of the registry may define its own privilege requirements and storage technology. Nodes may be “native” (i.e., fully supported within the setting registry system software) or “non-native” (i.e., defined by developers for specific applications).