config.toml reference

This is the exhaustive schema for ~/.aethon/config.toml. The Configuration guide walks through the common fields with examples; this page is the keys-and-defaults table for when you need to look up an option.

Aethon never crashes on a malformed config.toml — it logs the parse error and falls back to defaults. Unknown sections and keys are preserved; Aethon only writes back the keys it manages.

[ui]

[ui]
theme = "ember"
font_size = 14
restore_tabs = true
notify_on_completion = true
notify_min_duration_seconds = 8

Key	Type	Default	Notes
theme	string	"ember"	One of the registered theme ids. Built-ins: ember, paper, aether. signature is a back-compat alias for aether. Unknown ids fall back to ember.
font_size	integer	14	Clamped to a sensible range (10–22).
restore_tabs	boolean	true	Re-open all tabs from the previous session on launch.
notify_on_completion	boolean	true	Fire a native OS notification when a turn ends and the originating tab or window is unfocused.
notify_min_duration_seconds	integer	8	Minimum turn length (s) for the completion notification. Sub-second turns rarely need a notification.

[agent]

[agent]
model = "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6"

Key	Type	Default	Notes
model	string	provider default	The default model for new agent tabs. Format depends on the provider — anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6, openai/gpt-4o, etc. The /model slash command updates the active tab's model and persists the choice for new tabs.

[shell]

[shell]
default_share_mode = "private"
auto_restart_agent = true
default_command = ""
default_args = []
inherit_env = true
prompt_before_close = true

Key	Type	Default	Notes
default_share_mode	"private" | "read" | "read-write" | "read-write-trusted"	"private"	Initial share mode for new shell tabs. Anything else falls back to "private" so a typo cannot accidentally widen exposure.
auto_restart_agent	boolean	true	When the bun bridge child crashes unexpectedly, automatically respawn it. Set false to surface the crash notice without auto-restart (useful when debugging the bridge).
default_command	string	"" (= $SHELL)	Override the program spawned for new shell tabs. Empty string or omission falls back to $SHELL (and the platform default).
default_args	string[]	[]	Extra argv for the spawned shell. Appended after the platform default (e.g. -il on Unix).
inherit_env	boolean	true	Whether new shell tabs inherit Aethon's environment (PATH, locale, etc.). Set false for hermetic shells (the PTY still gets TERM=xterm-256color).
prompt_before_close	boolean	true	When closing a shell whose foreground job is not the shell itself (vim, npm test, ssh), prompt before killing. Cmd+W honours this; the X close button always honours it.

[shortcuts]

[shortcuts]
new_tab_kind = "agent"

Key	Type	Default	Notes
new_tab_kind	"agent" | "shell"	"agent"	What Cmd+T opens when focus is outside the bottom terminal panel. "agent" keeps the focus-aware default; "shell" makes Cmd+T always open a shell sub-tab. Anything else falls back to "agent".

How Aethon reads and writes the file

• Reads happen at app launch and again whenever the Settings panel is opened — manual edits take effect on next launch (or next Settings open).
• Writes happen when you change a value in Settings and the panel saves. Aethon writes back only the keys it manages, preserving any custom keys you've added by hand.
• Reset to defaults in Settings clears the keys Aethon manages but leaves the file intact. Custom keys you've added are preserved.

Where to next

• Configuration — guided tour with examples.
• Themes — registering custom themes that [ui] theme can target.
• Settings & search — the GUI for config.toml.