1# Configuration
2
3vev reads `~/.config/vev/config` (`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` is respected).
4
5- No file means defaults.
6- Changes apply live within a couple of seconds.
7- Exception: `web.listen` and `web.origin` need a gateway restart. See [browser terminal](web-terminal.md#listener-and-public-origin).
8- Invalid values log a warning and fall back to the default.
9
10The full list with defaults:
11
12```text
13# Browser gateway: HTTP listener and browser-facing origin, read at startup.
14web.listen = 127.0.0.1:8778
15web.origin = http://127.0.0.1:8778
16
17# Theme: auto follows the client; dark/light use neutral built-in defaults.
18theme = auto
19# In auto mode with palette inheritance enabled, infer a terminal accent.
20theme.palette = on
21# Accent policy: auto or one exact ANSI slot number from 0 through 15.
22theme.accent = auto
23
24# Palette placement: auto, center, top-left, top, top-right, left, right,
25# bottom-left, bottom, or bottom-right.
26palette.anchor = center
27
28# One prewarmed floating terminal per tab. An empty command uses the normal shell.
29floating.command =
30floating.width = 80%
31floating.height = 80%
32
33# Let directional keyboard focus continue past a pane edge. Both default off.
34nav.overflow-tabs = off
35nav.overflow-sessions = off
36
37# Show the focused pane's terminal title in tab labels; off keeps the process name only.
38tabs.terminal-title = on
39
40# Remove a numbered (ephemeral) session when its last client exits.
41ephemeral.close-on-exit = on
42
43# Use the kitty keyboard protocol when the terminal supports it (enables Ctrl+1..9).
44keyboard.kitty-protocol = on
45
46# Outer terminal colors: auto (detect), truecolor, 256, 16, or mono.
47terminal.colors = auto
48
49# Rebindable actions. Leave a line out to keep its built-in binding.
50open-palette = alt+space
51toggle-floating-pane = alt+f
52jump-attention = alt+a
53focus-pane-left = alt+h
54focus-pane-right = alt+l
55focus-pane-up = alt+k
56focus-pane-down = alt+j
57# Optional pane rearrangement actions are unbound by default.
58# consume-or-expel-pane-left = alt+H
59# consume-or-expel-pane-right = alt+L
60# grow-pane-width, shrink-pane-width, grow-pane-height, shrink-pane-height,
61# and equalize-panes are also unbound by default.
62switch-tab-1 = alt+1
63# ... through switch-tab-9 = alt+9
64
65# Per-pane scrollback: decimal MB; zero disables history.
66scrollback.megabytes = 50
67# Optional additional line ceiling; zero means byte-only retention.
68scrollback.lines = 10000
69
70# Processes relaunched when a named session is restored. Empty disables relaunch.
71snapshot.restore_processes = vi,vim,nvim,emacs,man,less,more,tail,top,htop,btop,claude,codex,pi,opencode
72
73# Optional right bar anchors: commands run on the daemon host. Empty disables an anchor.
74bar.top-right =
75bar.bottom-right =
76bar.interval = 5s
77
78# Command palette codes: 2-3 letters or digits.
79code.new-tab = CNT
80code.new-session = CNS
81code.create-ephemeral-session = CES
82code.close-tab = CLT
83code.split-right = SPR
84code.split-left = SPL
85code.split-up = SPU
86code.split-down = SPD
87code.consume-or-expel-pane-left = MPL
88code.consume-or-expel-pane-right = MPR
89code.stack-pane = STP
90code.toggle-stack = TFS
91code.close-pane = CFP
92code.focus-pane-left = FPL
93code.focus-pane-right = FPR
94code.focus-pane-up = FPU
95code.focus-pane-down = FPD
96code.resize-pane = RSZ
97code.grow-pane-width = GPW
98code.shrink-pane-width = SPW
99code.grow-pane-height = GPH
100code.shrink-pane-height = SPH
101code.equalize-panes = EQP
102code.move-pane = MFP
103code.move-tab = MAT
104code.next-tab = NXT
105code.previous-tab = PVT
106code.back-session = BCK
107code.jump-recent-session = JRS
108code.session-picker = SSP
109code.visual-mode = VIS
110code.toggle-floating-pane = TFP
111code.rename-session = RNS
112code.rename-tab = RNT
113code.detach = DET
114code.notifications = NTC
115code.yank-last-notification = YLN
116```
117
118## Scrollback
119
120| Key | Range | Default | Zero means |
121|---|---|---|---|
122| `scrollback.megabytes` | 0–4096 MB | 50 | no history |
123| `scrollback.lines` | 0–1,000,000 | 10,000 | no line limit, bytes only |
124
125- Limits are per pane, including hidden floating panes.
126- They count uncompressed history, not process memory.
127- A reload applies to existing panes right away. Lowering a limit drops the oldest rows.
128- Idle panes compress old history in the background. This saves memory but does not raise the limit.
129
130## Ephemeral sessions
131
132With `ephemeral.close-on-exit = on` (default), a numbered session is removed once its last client is gone for good:
133
134- The client process ends (terminal closed, SIGHUP, or SIGTERM). The client tells the daemon on a best-effort basis; if that message is lost, the rule below applies.
135- A client that lost its connection does not reconnect before the resume window (15 minutes) expires.
136
137The session stays while any other client is attached. A detach (keybinding, palette, or picker switch) keeps it, and so does a network drop within the resume window. Named sessions are never affected. Set `off` to keep numbered sessions until you kill them.
138
139Closing the terminal of a client running inside SSH also sends SIGHUP, so a dropped SSH connection removes the session. Use a named session for work you want to resume.
140
141## Development environments
142
143Set `VEV_ENV=<name>` to move every vev file into `.dev/<name>/` under the current directory. Use it to test a build without touching your real sessions.
144
145```sh
146VEV_ENV=dev go run .
147VEV_ENV=dev go run . kill --sessions
148rm -rf .dev/dev
149```
150
151- Name: up to 64 letters, digits, `.`, `_`, or `-`, starting with a letter or digit.
152- The same name shares one daemon. Use different names to run builds side by side.
153- Config, sessions, hosts, snapshots, and logs are isolated.
154- If the socket path gets too long, sockets move to `/tmp/vev-<uid>-<hash>`. Everything else stays in `.dev/<name>/`.
155- It is not a sandbox: pane processes see your real system.
156
157## Remote hosts
158
159```sh
160vev host add user@host                    # add a host (QUIC, the default)
161vev host add --transport ssh user@host    # add a host that uses SSH only
162vev host rm user@host                     # remove it
163vev host list                             # show hosts and their status
164```
165
166- `--transport quic|ssh` selects the carriage. `quic` (default) opens a direct QUIC connection bootstrapped over SSH; `ssh` carries everything over SSH, for networks that block UDP.
167- A host keeps the transport it was added with. To change it, run `vev host rm` and then `vev host add` again; adding it with a different transport is refused.
168- The broker stores hosts in `~/.local/state/vev/broker/state/state.json`.
169- Hosts connect over SSH, so your SSH config (aliases, keys) applies.
170- Remote sessions appear as `session@host` in `vev ls --all` and in the picker.
171
172### Warm remote transports
173
174After you leave a remote, vev keeps its connection open for a while. Going back is then instant: no new SSH login or QUIC handshake.
175
176Configure this in `~/.config/vev/broker.json`. The file is created on first use and read when the broker starts.
177
178```json
179{
180  "marker": "vev.broker.offline/v1",
181  "registrations": [],
182  "warmTransports": 8,
183  "warmIdleTimeout": "off"
184}
185```
186
187- `warmTransports`: how many idle connections to keep (0–64, default 8). The oldest one closes first. `0` disables it.
188- `warmIdleTimeout`: close an idle connection after this long, such as `5m` (max `24h`). Default `off`: no time limit.
189
190Warm connections never keep the broker running.
191
192## Logs and durable state
193
194| What | Where |
195|---|---|
196| Logs (JSON lines, e.g. `vev-daemon.log`) | `~/.local/state/vev/` |
197| Sessions and snapshots | `~/.local/state/vev/` |
198| Broker hosts and logs | `~/.local/state/vev/broker/` |
199| Socket and lock | `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/vev/` |
200
201`$XDG_STATE_HOME` is respected. Set `VEV_LOG=debug|warn|error` to change the log level (default `info`).
202
203If the daemon refuses to start because its session data is broken, do not edit the files. See [durable session recovery](durable-session-recovery.md).
204
205## Theme
206
207| Setting | Effect |
208|---|---|
209| `theme = auto` | Follow your terminal's colors and light/dark mode. |
210| `theme = dark` / `light` | Neutral built-in colors. Ignores the two settings below. |
211| `theme.palette = off` | Neutral colors, no accent. |
212| `theme.accent = auto` | Pick an accent from your terminal's ANSI colors (blue if unsure). |
213| `theme.accent = 0`–`15` | Use exactly that ANSI color as the accent. |
214
215- vev only colors its own UI (bars, borders, palette). Pane content is never recolored.
216- Tinted backgrounds need a truecolor or 256-color terminal. On 16-color and monochrome terminals vev uses bold, reverse, and faint instead. See [terminal colors](terminal.md#colors).
217- `terminal.colors` forces the color mode of your terminal (`auto`, `truecolor`, `256`, `16`, `mono`). `VEV_COLORS` overrides it. See [terminal colors](terminal.md#colors).
218- vev follows light/dark switches your terminal reports. It cannot see palette changes the terminal does not report.
219
220## Bindings
221
222Valid keys: `alt+<char>`, `alt+space`, `alt+left/right/up/down`, `alt+1` to `alt+9`.
223
224- Setting an action replaces all its default keys. For example, setting `focus-pane-left` removes Alt+Left too.
225- Tab switching works with AZERTY and other layouts without extra config.
226- Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9 (recent sessions) are fixed and not rebindable. Turn them off with `keyboard.kitty-protocol = off`.
227- `alt+[` is not supported: terminals use it for escape sequences.
228- Cmd/Super is not supported. Map it in your terminal to `ESC` + a character, then bind `alt+<char>` in vev.
229
230## Pane consume or expel
231
232Moves the focused pane between columns, like the Niri window manager. It has no default key: use palette codes `MPL` / `MPR`, or bind `consume-or-expel-pane-left/right`.
233
234- A pane alone in its column joins the column next to it.
235- A pane sharing a column leaves it and becomes its own column.
236- Works only with column layouts. Nested mixed splits are not supported.
237
238## Navigation overflow
239
240Both are `off` by default.
241
242- `nav.overflow-tabs = on`: Alt+h/l at the edge of the tab moves to the next tab.
243- `nav.overflow-sessions = on`: Alt+k/j at the edge moves to the next session (alphabetical).
244
245No wrap-around. Only keyboard focus overflows, never the mouse or floating panes.
246
247## Copy mode
248
249Scroll up with the mouse to enter. Scroll back to the bottom to leave.
250
251| Key | Action |
252|---|---|
253| `h` `j` `k` `l` | move |
254| `w` `b` `e` | word motions |
255| `v` or Space | start selection |
256| `y` or Enter | copy |
257
258With the mouse: drag to select, double-click to select a word.
259
260```ini
261# Unicode whitespace always separates words.
262# The default is " -_@".
263copy.word-separators = " -_@"
264# Disable animated wheel scrolling (default: off).
265copy.reduce-motion = off
266```
267
268- `copy.word-separators = ""` uses only whitespace.
269- `copy.reduce-motion = on` scrolls three rows per wheel step, without animation.
270
271## Responsive overlays
272
273Below 80 columns, popups (palette, picker, floating terminal, prompts) become full-width drawers at the bottom of the screen. The background dims while a popup is open.
274
275## Palette anchor
276
277- Default: centered.
278- `palette.anchor = auto`: bottom bar from 80 to 95 columns, right-side rail from 96 columns.
279- Any other value places it at that spot. Below 80 columns it is always a bottom drawer.
280
281## Floating terminal
282
283- `floating.command` runs through your shell. Changes apply on the next launch.
284- Below 80 columns, the terminal takes the full width and keeps `floating.height`.
285- Floating terminals are not restored after a daemon restart.
286
287## Bar anchors
288
289`bar.top-right` and `bar.bottom-right` show the output of a command in the bar. Both are off by default.
290
291- The command runs on the daemon host every `bar.interval` (minimum `1s`), with the same environment as your panes.
292- vev shows the first line of output, without colors. On failure it keeps the last good value.
293- Scripts receive `VEV_ANCHOR`, `VEV_SESSION`, `VEV_TAB`, `VEV_PANE`, `VEV_PANE_CWD`, `VEV_COLS`, and `VEV_CLIENT_PID`.
294- `VEV_CLIENT_PID` is the PID of a local attached client, so a script can find the terminal window and monitor showing the bar. With several clients attached, it is the one whose terminal has focus, else the first local one. It is empty when only remote clients (SSH or another machine) are attached, since their process lives elsewhere.
295- Failures are logged with the exit code and stderr. Exit 127 means "command not found".
296
297Release installs ship two example scripts: `vev-bar-top-right` and `vev-bar-bottom-right`. Under the NeferWL compositor, the first one also shows the client's monitor and workspaces (`DP-2 [x][ ][ ]`); set `bar.interval = 1s` to follow workspace changes. The second one runs `git status` on every refresh; raise the interval on large repositories.