diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/Config.java b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/Config.java
index 9d448bb..3768d65 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/Config.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/Config.java
@@ -48,8 +48,6 @@ public class Config {
    * checker framework.
    */
   public static final String SERIALIZATION_ACTIVATION_FLAG = "enableSerialization";
-
-  public static final String DISABLE_LOCAL_VAR_OPT = "disableLocalVariableOptimization";
   /**
    * Path to serialization config. If {@link #serializationActivation} is false, it will be {@code
    * null}.
@@ -61,13 +59,12 @@ public class Config {
    */
   @Nullable public final Path outputDir;
 
-  public final boolean disableLocalVariableOptimization;
+  public final boolean enableLocalVariableOptimization;
   /** Flag to control serialization internally. */
   public final boolean serializationActivation;
 
   public Config(UCRTaintingChecker checker) {
     this.serializationActivation = checker.hasOption(SERIALIZATION_ACTIVATION_FLAG);
-    this.disableLocalVariableOptimization = checker.hasOption(DISABLE_LOCAL_VAR_OPT);
     if (serializationActivation && !checker.hasOption(SERIALIZATION_CONFIG_PATH)) {
       throw new RuntimeException(
           "Please specify the serialization config using the flag: "
@@ -81,8 +78,8 @@ public Config(UCRTaintingChecker checker) {
             ? Paths.get(checker.getOptions().get(SERIALIZATION_CONFIG_PATH))
             : null;
     String outputDirString = null;
+    Document document = null;
     if (configPath != null) {
-      Document document;
       try {
         DocumentBuilderFactory factory = DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance();
         DocumentBuilder builder = factory.newDocumentBuilder();
@@ -94,6 +91,10 @@ public Config(UCRTaintingChecker checker) {
         throw new RuntimeException("Error in reading/parsing config at path: " + configPath, e);
       }
     }
+    this.enableLocalVariableOptimization =
+        Boolean.TRUE.equals(
+            XMLUtil.getValueFromTag(document, "/serialization/localVarOpt", Boolean.class)
+                .orElse(true));
     this.outputDir = outputDirString == null ? null : Paths.get(outputDirString);
   }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/SerializationService.java b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/SerializationService.java
index 72e941d..36a597c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/SerializationService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/SerializationService.java
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ public SerializationService(UCRTaintingChecker checker) {
     this.types = Types.instance(context);
     this.untaintedTypeMatchVisitor = TypeMatchVisitor.createUntaintedMatcher(typeFactory);
     this.polyTypeMatchVisitor = TypeMatchVisitor.createPolyTaintedMatcher(typeFactory);
-    this.fixComputer = new FixComputer(typeFactory, types, context);
+    this.fixComputer = new FixComputer(serializer.config, typeFactory, types, context);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/Serializer.java b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/Serializer.java
index 0f15681..269e0c1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/Serializer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/Serializer.java
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ public class Serializer {
   /** File name to write errors. */
   public static final String ERROR_OUTPUT = "errors.json";
   /** Config object used to configure the serializer. */
-  private final Config config;
+  public final Config config;
   /** Path to write errors. */
   private final @Nullable Path errorOutputPath;
 
@@ -82,9 +82,7 @@ private void initializeOutputFiles() {
       Files.createDirectories(config.outputDir);
       try {
         Files.deleteIfExists(errorOutputPath);
-        Files.write(
-            config.outputDir.resolve("serialization_version.txt"),
-            ("0\n" + config.disableLocalVariableOptimization).getBytes());
+        Files.write(config.outputDir.resolve("serialization_version.txt"), "0".getBytes());
       } catch (IOException e) {
         throw new RuntimeException("Could not clear file at: " + errorOutputPath, e);
       }
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/DefaultTypeChangeVisitor.java b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/DefaultTypeChangeVisitor.java
index 13b2515..9f6f585 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/DefaultTypeChangeVisitor.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/DefaultTypeChangeVisitor.java
@@ -59,9 +59,15 @@ public class DefaultTypeChangeVisitor extends SpecializedFixComputer {
   /** Visitor that fixes all assignments on local variables. */
   protected final LocalVariableFixVisitor localVariableFixVisitor;
 
+  protected final Config config;
+
   public DefaultTypeChangeVisitor(
-      UCRTaintingAnnotatedTypeFactory factory, FixComputer fixComputer, Context context) {
+      Config config,
+      UCRTaintingAnnotatedTypeFactory factory,
+      FixComputer fixComputer,
+      Context context) {
     super(factory, fixComputer, context);
+    this.config = config;
     this.returnVisitor = new MethodReturnVisitor(typeFactory, fixComputer, context);
     this.types = Types.instance(context);
     this.localVariableFixVisitor = new LocalVariableFixVisitor(typeFactory, fixComputer, context);
@@ -119,8 +125,7 @@ public Set<Fix> visitIdentifier(IdentifierTree node, FoundRequired pair) {
           return Set.of();
         }
       }
-      return fix.location.getKind().isLocalVariable()
-              && !typeFactory.getChecker().hasOption(Config.DISABLE_LOCAL_VAR_OPT)
+      return fix.location.getKind().isLocalVariable() && config.enableLocalVariableOptimization
           ? localVariableFixVisitor.visitIdentifier(node, pair)
           : Set.of(fix);
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/FixComputer.java b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/FixComputer.java
index 2de0207..24b7242 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/FixComputer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/ucr/cs/riple/taint/ucrtainting/serialization/visitors/FixComputer.java
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 import com.sun.tools.javac.code.Types;
 import com.sun.tools.javac.tree.JCTree;
 import com.sun.tools.javac.util.Context;
+import edu.ucr.cs.riple.taint.ucrtainting.Config;
 import edu.ucr.cs.riple.taint.ucrtainting.FoundRequired;
 import edu.ucr.cs.riple.taint.ucrtainting.UCRTaintingAnnotatedTypeFactory;
 import edu.ucr.cs.riple.taint.ucrtainting.handlers.CollectionHandler;
@@ -67,11 +68,12 @@ public class FixComputer extends SimpleTreeVisitor<Set<Fix>, FoundRequired> {
   protected final SpecializedFixComputer methodTypeArgumentFixVisitor;
   protected final CollectionFixVisitor collectionFixVisitor;
 
-  public FixComputer(UCRTaintingAnnotatedTypeFactory factory, Types types, Context context) {
+  public FixComputer(
+      Config config, UCRTaintingAnnotatedTypeFactory factory, Types types, Context context) {
     this.typeFactory = factory;
     this.context = context;
     this.types = types;
-    this.defaultTypeChangeVisitor = new DefaultTypeChangeVisitor(factory, this, context);
+    this.defaultTypeChangeVisitor = new DefaultTypeChangeVisitor(config, factory, this, context);
     this.unannotatedCodeFixComputer = new UnannotatedCodeFixVisitor(typeFactory, this, context);
     this.methodTypeArgumentFixVisitor = new GenericMethodFixVisitor(typeFactory, this, context);
     this.collectionFixVisitor = new CollectionFixVisitor(typeFactory, this, context);