1# Configuration
2
3vev reads `~/.config/vev/config` (`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` respected). No file means defaults. The daemon picks up changes within a couple of seconds; no restart needed.
4
5```text
6# Theme: auto follows the client; dark/light use neutral built-in defaults.
7theme = auto
8# In auto mode with palette inheritance enabled, infer a terminal accent.
9theme.palette = on
10# Accent policy: auto or one exact ANSI slot number from 0 through 15.
11theme.accent = auto
12
13# Palette placement: auto, center, top-left, top, top-right, left, right,
14# bottom-left, bottom, or bottom-right.
15palette.anchor = center
16
17# One prewarmed floating terminal per tab. An empty command uses the normal shell.
18floating.command =
19floating.width = 80%
20floating.height = 80%
21
22# Let directional keyboard focus continue past a pane edge. Both default off.
23nav.overflow-tabs = off
24nav.overflow-sessions = off
25
26# Show the focused pane's terminal title in tab labels; off keeps the process name only.
27tabs.terminal-title = on
28
29# Rebindable actions. Leave a line out to keep its built-in binding.
30open-palette = alt+space
31toggle-floating-pane = alt+f
32jump-attention = alt+a
33focus-pane-left = alt+h
34focus-pane-right = alt+l
35focus-pane-up = alt+k
36focus-pane-down = alt+j
37# Optional pane rearrangement actions are unbound by default.
38# consume-or-expel-pane-left = alt+H
39# consume-or-expel-pane-right = alt+L
40switch-tab-1 = alt+1
41# ... through switch-tab-9 = alt+9
42
43# Processes relaunched when a named session is restored. Empty disables relaunch.
44snapshot.restore_processes = vi,vim,nvim,emacs,man,less,more,tail,top,htop,btop,claude,codex,pi,opencode
45
46# Optional right bar anchors: commands run on the daemon host. Empty disables an anchor.
47bar.top-right =
48bar.bottom-right =
49bar.interval = 5s
50
51# Command palette codes: 2-3 letters or digits.
52code.new-tab = CNT
53code.new-session = CNS
54code.close-tab = CLT
55code.split-right = SPR
56code.split-left = SPL
57code.split-up = SPU
58code.split-down = SPD
59code.consume-or-expel-pane-left = CEL
60code.consume-or-expel-pane-right = CER
61code.stack-pane = STP
62code.toggle-stack = TST
63code.close-pane = CLP
64code.focus-pane-left = FPL
65code.focus-pane-right = FPR
66code.focus-pane-up = FPU
67code.focus-pane-down = FPD
68code.next-tab = NXT
69code.previous-tab = PVT
70code.back-session = BSK
71code.jump-recent-session = JRS
72code.session-picker = SSP
73code.visual-mode = VIS
74code.toggle-floating-pane = FLT
75code.rename-session = RNS
76code.rename-tab = RNT
77code.detach = DET
78```
79
80Invalid values log a warning and resolve that setting to its default on both initial load and reload.
81
82## Logs and durable state
83
84Set `VEV_LOG=debug`, `VEV_LOG=warn`, or `VEV_LOG=error` to change verbosity; the default is `info`. JSON-line logs such as `vev-daemon.log` live in `$XDG_STATE_HOME/vev`, or `~/.local/state/vev` when unset. The same state directory contains the strict session catalogue, migration journal, notices, and `snapshots/`. The lifecycle lock and socket live in `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/vev` (with platform runtime fallbacks).
85
86Recovery events include `lifecycle_owner_wait`, `lifecycle_owner_acquired`, `lifecycle_owner_released`, `catalogue_validated`, `catalogue_compaction_recovery_complete`, `session_restore_complete`, `fallback_checkpoint_promoted`, `snapshot_head_repair_complete`, `session_degraded`, `snapshot_maintenance_progress`, `interrupted_transaction_recovery_complete`, and `daemon_startup_complete`.
87
88Catalogue failure is fail-closed: vev does not publish an empty replacement daemon. Preserve the state directory, inspect `catalogue_validation_failed`, correct storage or ownership problems, and retry without editing catalogue files. See [Durable session recovery](durable-session-recovery.md) for explicit recovery commands, migration, diagnostics, and the committed checkpoint plus up to two direct fallbacks retention policy.
89
90## Theme
91
92With `theme = auto`, vev follows the terminal's reported foreground, background, light/dark scheme, and ANSI palette. `theme.palette = on` is the default. `theme.accent = auto` derives one accent from the terminal's chromatic ANSI colors; repeated terminal colors are preferred, otherwise vev uses an eligible blue slot when available. `theme.accent = 0` through `theme.accent = 15` selects exactly that ANSI slot. Arbitrary RGB values and `off` are not accepted for `theme.accent`.
93
94When the terminal provides truecolor defaults and a usable RGB palette slot, vev uses the resolved accent for active chrome and derives softer bar, inactive, recent-session, and border colors from it. It preserves readability by reducing a surface intensity when needed. Terminal application/pane colors are not recolored. Without truecolor default colors or a usable RGB resolved accent, chrome backgrounds remain neutral; an available selected ANSI slot can still decorate foregrounds or borders. An explicit unavailable slot is never replaced with another slot.
95
96Slots `0`, `7`, `8`, and `15` are valid explicit selections, but log a warning because conventional neutral slots may provide little or no accent separation. An invalid accent value logs a warning and falls back to `auto`, including on hot reload.
97
98`theme.palette = off` is authoritative: it keeps exact neutral foreground/background rendering and ignores `theme.accent`. Forced `theme = dark` or `theme = light` is also neutral and ignores both palette and accent policy. Configuration reload immediately reapplies the current terminal snapshot; vev updates a live palette when the terminal reports a light/dark scheme change, but cannot detect palette changes a terminal does not report.
99
100## Bindings
101
102Key specs: `alt+<char>`, `alt+space`, `alt+left/right/up/down`, `alt+1` through `alt+9`. Configuring an action replaces all of its built-in aliases (set `focus-pane-left` and the Alt+Arrow alias is gone). Tab switching also accepts the top-row symbols of non-QWERTY layouts, so AZERTY works without extra config.
103
104`alt+[` is unsupported because terminals frame it as the CSI prefix `ESC [`, which vev passes through as terminal input. Cmd/Super is not a vev key-spec modifier; map a physical Cmd/Super chord in the terminal emulator to an unused, safe `ESC` + character sequence (not `ESC [`), then configure the matching `alt+<char>` in vev.
105
106## Pane consume or expel
107
108The `consume-or-expel-pane-left` and `consume-or-expel-pane-right` actions are unbound by default; the commented Alt+H/Alt+L bindings above are optional examples. Use palette codes `CEL` and `CER`, or script them as `vev cmd consume-or-expel-pane-left` and `vev cmd consume-or-expel-pane-right`.
109
110A singleton pane moves into the immediate column on the requested side; at the outer edge, nothing changes. A pane in a multi-member vertical or stack column moves out as an adjacent singleton column. This works only with canonical column layouts: one column, or a top-level horizontal split of columns, where each column is a singleton pane, a vertical split of panes, or a pane stack. Nested mixed splits are unsupported.
111
112## Navigation overflow
113
114Both settings are independent and default to `off`. With `nav.overflow-tabs = on`, left/right keyboard focus (`Alt+H`/`Alt+L` by default) continues from a pane edge to the adjacent tab. With `nav.overflow-sessions = on`, up/down keyboard focus (`Alt+K`/`Alt+J` by default) continues to the adjacent live session in alphabetical order. Neither setting wraps at the first or last destination.
115
116Overflow applies only to keyboard focus actions; mouse navigation does not overflow, and floating panes never overflow. Hot reload applies either setting to subsequent navigation without restarting the daemon.
117
118## Copy mode
119
120Scroll up with the mouse to enter copy mode. Use `h`, `j`, `k`, and `l` to move, `w`, `b`, and `e` for word motions, `v` or Space to start line selection, and `y` or Enter to copy.
121
122Mouse drag selects a text range. Double-click selects the word under the pointer; dragging after a double-click extends by complete words.
123
124```ini
125# Unicode whitespace always separates words.
126# The default is " -_@".
127copy.word-separators = " -_@"
128```
129
130Set `copy.word-separators = ""` to use only Unicode whitespace as a separator.
131
132## Responsive overlays
133
134On complete frames below 80 columns, interactive overlays use full-width bottom drawers immediately above the bottom bar. This applies to the floating terminal, command palette, session picker, notification history, prompts, and copy search. A drawer keeps its overlay's preferred outer height, capped at the frame height minus four rows, so frame rows 0–2 remain visible. Drawers use only a top border.
135
136Opening an interactive overlay dims the complete underlying frame, including panes, both bars, notices, and any lower-priority overlay. Notice toasts remain compact rather than becoming drawers. Copy mode remains full-screen; only its search prompt uses the responsive drawer.
137
138## Palette anchor
139
140The command palette is centered by default. With `palette.anchor = auto`, it uses a full-width bottom shelf from 80 through 95 columns and a 64-column bottom-right rail from 96 columns up. Set an explicit anchor to position the shelf or rail. Below 80 columns, the palette is always a bottom drawer, so an explicit anchor does not override the responsive layout. Reload moves an open palette without losing your query.
141
142## Floating terminal
143
144The command runs through your shell. A changed command applies on the next launch; changed dimensions on the next show or resize. Below 80 columns, `floating.height` continues to determine the drawer's outer height, capped to preserve the first three frame rows and the bottom bar; `floating.width` is replaced by the full frame width. Floating state is not restored across daemon restarts.
145
146## Bar anchors
147
148Anchor commands run on the daemon host every `bar.interval` (minimum 1s). vev reads the first line of stdout, strips ANSI codes, and keeps the last good value on failure. Scripts get `VEV_ANCHOR`, `VEV_SESSION`, `VEV_TAB`, `VEV_PANE`, `VEV_PANE_CWD`, and `VEV_COLS`.
149
150Commands resolve against the environment of the client currently attached to the session, the same environment new panes inherit. A command that works in your shell will work as an anchor without restarting the daemon. When an anchor fails, the daemon logs the exit code and the command's stderr; exit 127 means the command was not found on that `PATH`.
151
152Both anchors are disabled by default, so `go install github.com/bnema/vev@latest` needs no companion scripts. Set either command to opt in; explicit commands are run unchanged. Checkout and release installs include `vev-bar-top-right` and `vev-bar-bottom-right` example scripts, which can be configured by name when they are on the attaching client's `PATH`. The bottom-right example runs `git status --porcelain` on each refresh; raise the interval or replace it if that is too heavy for your repository.