# Configuration

vev reads `~/.config/vev/config` (`$XDG_CONFIG_HOME` is respected).

- No file means defaults.
- Changes apply live within a couple of seconds.
- Exception: `web.listen` and `web.origin` need a gateway restart. See [browser terminal](web-terminal.md#listener-and-public-origin).
- Invalid values log a warning and fall back to the default.

The full list with defaults:

```text
# Browser gateway: HTTP listener and browser-facing origin, read at startup.
web.listen = 127.0.0.1:8778
web.origin = http://127.0.0.1:8778

# Theme: auto follows the client; dark/light use neutral built-in defaults.
theme = auto
# In auto mode with palette inheritance enabled, infer a terminal accent.
theme.palette = on
# Accent policy: auto or one exact ANSI slot number from 0 through 15.
theme.accent = auto

# Palette placement: auto, center, top-left, top, top-right, left, right,
# bottom-left, bottom, or bottom-right.
palette.anchor = center

# One floating terminal per tab. An empty command uses the normal shell.
floating.command =
floating.width = 80%
floating.height = 80%

# Let directional keyboard focus continue past a pane edge. Both default off.
nav.overflow-tabs = off
nav.overflow-sessions = off

# Show the focused pane's terminal title in tab labels; off keeps the process name only.
tabs.terminal-title = on

# Remove a numbered (ephemeral) session when its last client exits.
ephemeral.close-on-exit = on

# Use the kitty keyboard protocol when the terminal supports it (enables Ctrl+1..9).
keyboard.kitty-protocol = on

# Outer terminal colors: auto (detect), truecolor, 256, 16, or mono.
terminal.colors = auto

# Draw typed characters on remote sessions before the server echoes them:
# adaptive (only on a slow link), always, or never.
echo.predict = adaptive

# Rebindable actions. Leave a line out to keep its built-in binding.
open-palette = alt+space
toggle-floating-pane = alt+f
jump-attention = alt+a
focus-pane-left = alt+h
focus-pane-right = alt+l
focus-pane-up = alt+k
focus-pane-down = alt+j
# Optional pane rearrangement actions are unbound by default.
# consume-or-expel-pane-left = alt+H
# consume-or-expel-pane-right = alt+L
# grow-pane-width, shrink-pane-width, grow-pane-height, shrink-pane-height,
# and equalize-panes are also unbound by default.
switch-tab-1 = alt+1
# ... through switch-tab-9 = alt+9

# Per-pane scrollback: decimal MB; zero disables history.
scrollback.megabytes = 50
# Optional additional line ceiling; zero means byte-only retention.
scrollback.lines = 10000

# Processes relaunched when a named session is restored. Empty disables relaunch.
snapshot.restore_processes = vi,vim,nvim,emacs,man,less,more,tail,top,htop,btop,claude,codex,pi,opencode

# Optional right bar anchors: commands run on the daemon host. Empty disables an anchor.
bar.top-right =
bar.bottom-right =
bar.interval = 5s

# Command palette codes: 2-3 letters or digits.
code.new-tab = CNT
code.new-session = CNS
code.create-ephemeral-session = CES
code.close-tab = CLT
code.split-right = SPR
code.split-left = SPL
code.split-up = SPU
code.split-down = SPD
code.consume-or-expel-pane-left = MPL
code.consume-or-expel-pane-right = MPR
code.stack-pane = STP
code.toggle-stack = TFS
code.close-pane = CFP
code.focus-pane-left = FPL
code.focus-pane-right = FPR
code.focus-pane-up = FPU
code.focus-pane-down = FPD
code.resize-pane = RSZ
code.grow-pane-width = GPW
code.shrink-pane-width = SPW
code.grow-pane-height = GPH
code.shrink-pane-height = SPH
code.equalize-panes = EQP
code.move-pane = MFP
code.move-tab = MAT
code.next-tab = NXT
code.previous-tab = PVT
code.back-session = BCK
code.jump-recent-session = JRS
code.session-picker = SSP
code.visual-mode = VIS
code.toggle-floating-pane = TFP
code.rename-session = RNS
code.rename-tab = RNT
code.detach = DET
code.notifications = NTC
code.yank-last-notification = YLN
```

## Scrollback

| Key | Range | Default | Zero means |
|---|---|---|---|
| `scrollback.megabytes` | 0–4096 MB | 50 | no history |
| `scrollback.lines` | 0–1,000,000 | 10,000 | no line limit, bytes only |

- Limits are per pane, including hidden floating panes.
- They count uncompressed history, not process memory.
- A reload applies to existing panes right away. Lowering a limit drops the oldest rows.
- Idle panes compress old history in the background. This saves memory but does not raise the limit.

## Ephemeral sessions

With `ephemeral.close-on-exit = on` (default), a numbered session is removed once its last client is gone for good:

- 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.
- A client that lost its connection does not reconnect before the resume window (15 minutes) expires.

The 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.

Closing 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.

## Development environments

Set `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.

```sh
VEV_ENV=dev go run .
VEV_ENV=dev go run . kill --sessions
rm -rf .dev/dev
```

- Name: up to 64 letters, digits, `.`, `_`, or `-`, starting with a letter or digit.
- The same name shares one daemon. Use different names to run builds side by side.
- Config, sessions, hosts, snapshots, and logs are isolated.
- If the socket path gets too long, sockets move to `/tmp/vev-<uid>-<hash>`. Everything else stays in `.dev/<name>/`.
- It is not a sandbox: pane processes see your real system.

## Remote hosts

```sh
vev host add user@host                    # add a host (QUIC, the default)
vev host add --transport ssh user@host    # add a host that uses SSH only
vev host rm user@host                     # remove it
vev host list                             # show hosts and their status
```

- `--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.
- 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.
- The broker stores hosts in `~/.local/state/vev/broker/state/state.json`.
- Hosts connect over SSH, so your SSH config (aliases, keys) applies.
- Remote sessions appear as `session@host` in `vev ls --all` and in the picker.

### Warm remote transports

After you leave a remote, vev keeps its connection open for a while. Going back is then instant: no new SSH login or QUIC handshake.

Configure this in `~/.config/vev/broker.json`. The file is created on first use and read when the broker starts.

```json
{
  "marker": "vev.broker.offline/v1",
  "registrations": [],
  "warmTransports": 8,
  "warmIdleTimeout": "off"
}
```

- `warmTransports`: how many idle connections to keep (0–64, default 8). The oldest one closes first. `0` disables it.
- `warmIdleTimeout`: close an idle connection after this long, such as `5m` (max `24h`). Default `off`: no time limit.

Warm connections never keep the broker running. Each open QUIC connection, warm ones included, sends a small keepalive every 2 seconds so mobile and NAT paths stay open; on battery, set `warmIdleTimeout` to close idle ones.

## Logs and durable state

| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Logs (JSON lines, e.g. `vev-daemon.log`) | `~/.local/state/vev/` |
| Sessions and snapshots | `~/.local/state/vev/` |
| Broker hosts and logs | `~/.local/state/vev/broker/` |
| Socket and lock | `$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/vev/` |

`$XDG_STATE_HOME` is respected. Set `VEV_LOG=debug|warn|error` to change the log level (default `info`).

If the daemon refuses to start because its session data is broken, do not edit the files. See [durable session recovery](durable-session-recovery.md).

## Theme

| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| `theme = auto` | Follow your terminal's colors and light/dark mode. |
| `theme = dark` / `light` | Neutral built-in colors. Ignores the two settings below. |
| `theme.palette = off` | Neutral colors, no accent. |
| `theme.accent = auto` | Pick an accent from your terminal's ANSI colors (blue if unsure). |
| `theme.accent = 0`–`15` | Use exactly that ANSI color as the accent. |

- vev only colors its own UI (bars, borders, palette). Pane content is never recolored.
- 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).
- `terminal.colors` forces the color mode of your terminal (`auto`, `truecolor`, `256`, `16`, `mono`). `VEV_COLORS` overrides it. See [terminal colors](terminal.md#colors).
- vev follows light/dark switches your terminal reports. It cannot see palette changes the terminal does not report.

## Bindings

Valid keys: `alt+<char>`, `alt+space`, `alt+left/right/up/down`, `alt+1` to `alt+9`.

- Setting an action replaces all its default keys. For example, setting `focus-pane-left` removes Alt+Left too.
- Tab switching works with AZERTY and other layouts without extra config.
- Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9 (recent sessions) are fixed and not rebindable. Turn them off with `keyboard.kitty-protocol = off`.
- `alt+[` is not supported: terminals use it for escape sequences.
- Cmd/Super is not supported. Map it in your terminal to `ESC` + a character, then bind `alt+<char>` in vev.

## Pane consume or expel

Moves 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`.

- A pane alone in its column joins the column next to it.
- A pane sharing a column leaves it and becomes its own column.
- Works only with column layouts. Nested mixed splits are not supported.

## Navigation overflow

Both are `off` by default.

- `nav.overflow-tabs = on`: Alt+h/l at the edge of the tab moves to the next tab.
- `nav.overflow-sessions = on`: Alt+k/j at the edge moves to the next session (alphabetical).

No wrap-around. Only keyboard focus overflows, never the mouse or floating panes.

## Copy mode

Scroll up with the mouse to enter. Scroll back to the bottom to leave.

| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| `h` `j` `k` `l` | move |
| `w` `b` `e` | word motions |
| `v` or Space | start selection |
| `y` or Enter | copy |

With the mouse: drag to select, double-click to select a word.

```ini
# Unicode whitespace always separates words.
# The default is " -_@".
copy.word-separators = " -_@"
# Disable animated wheel scrolling (default: off).
copy.reduce-motion = off
```

- `copy.word-separators = ""` uses only whitespace.
- `copy.reduce-motion = on` scrolls three rows per wheel step, without animation.

## Responsive overlays

Below 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.

## Palette anchor

- Default: centered.
- `palette.anchor = auto`: bottom bar from 80 to 95 columns, right-side rail from 96 columns.
- Any other value places it at that spot. Below 80 columns it is always a bottom drawer.

## Floating terminal

- `floating.command` runs through your shell. Changes apply on the next launch.
- Below 80 columns, the terminal takes the full width and keeps `floating.height`.
- Floating terminals are not restored after a daemon restart.
- Each session keeps one pre-started shell ready. The first tab that opens its floating terminal takes it, and the session starts the next one in the background. A shell started in another directory is replaced by a fresh one in the tab's directory.

## Bar anchors

`bar.top-right` and `bar.bottom-right` show the output of a command in the bar. Both are off by default.

- The command runs on the daemon host every `bar.interval` (minimum `1s`), with the same environment as your panes.
- vev shows the first line of output, without colors. On failure it keeps the last good value.
- Scripts receive `VEV_ANCHOR`, `VEV_SESSION`, `VEV_TAB`, `VEV_PANE`, `VEV_PANE_CWD`, `VEV_COLS`, and `VEV_CLIENT_PID`.
- `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.
- Failures are logged with the exit code and stderr. Exit 127 means "command not found".

Release 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.