llmx/docs/config.md

# Config

LLMX configuration gives you fine-grained control over the model, execution environment, and integrations available to the CLI. Use this guide alongside the workflows in [`llmx exec`](./exec.md), the guardrails in [Sandbox & approvals](./sandbox.md), and project guidance from [AGENTS.md discovery](./agents_md.md).

## Quick navigation

- [Feature flags](#feature-flags)
- [Model selection](#model-selection)
- [Execution environment](#execution-environment)
- [MCP integration](#mcp-integration)
- [Observability and telemetry](#observability-and-telemetry)
- [Profiles and overrides](#profiles-and-overrides)
- [Reference table](#config-reference)

LLMX supports several mechanisms for setting config values:

- Config-specific command-line flags, such as `--model o3` (highest precedence).
- A generic `-c`/`--config` flag that takes a `key=value` pair, such as `--config model="o3"`.
  - The key can contain dots to set a value deeper than the root, e.g. `--config model_providers.openai.wire_api="chat"`.
  - For consistency with `config.toml`, values are a string in TOML format rather than JSON format, so use `key='{a = 1, b = 2}'` rather than `key='{"a": 1, "b": 2}'`.
    - The quotes around the value are necessary, as without them your shell would split the config argument on spaces, resulting in `llmx` receiving `-c key={a` with (invalid) additional arguments `=`, `1,`, `b`, `=`, `2}`.
  - Values can contain any TOML object, such as `--config shell_environment_policy.include_only='["PATH", "HOME", "USER"]'`.
  - If `value` cannot be parsed as a valid TOML value, it is treated as a string value. This means that `-c model='"o3"'` and `-c model=o3` are equivalent.
    - In the first case, the value is the TOML string `"o3"`, while in the second the value is `o3`, which is not valid TOML and therefore treated as the TOML string `"o3"`.
    - Because quotes are interpreted by one's shell, `-c key="true"` will be correctly interpreted in TOML as `key = true` (a boolean) and not `key = "true"` (a string). If for some reason you needed the string `"true"`, you would need to use `-c key='"true"'` (note the two sets of quotes).
- The `$LLMX_HOME/config.toml` configuration file where the `LLMX_HOME` environment value defaults to `~/.llmx`. (Note `LLMX_HOME` will also be where logs and other LLMX-related information are stored.)

Both the `--config` flag and the `config.toml` file support the following options:

## Feature flags

Optional and experimental capabilities are toggled via the `[features]` table in `$LLMX_HOME/config.toml`. If you see a deprecation notice mentioning a legacy key (for example `experimental_use_exec_command_tool`), move the setting into `[features]` or pass `--enable <feature>`.

```toml
[features]
streamable_shell = true          # enable the streamable exec tool
web_search_request = true        # allow the model to request web searches
# view_image_tool defaults to true; omit to keep defaults
```

Supported features:

| Key                                       | Default | Stage        | Description                                          |
| ----------------------------------------- | :-----: | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| `unified_exec`                            |  false  | Experimental | Use the unified PTY-backed exec tool                 |
| `streamable_shell`                        |  false  | Experimental | Use the streamable exec-command/write-stdin pair     |
| `rmcp_client`                             |  false  | Experimental | Enable oauth support for streamable HTTP MCP servers |
| `apply_patch_freeform`                    |  false  | Beta         | Include the freeform `apply_patch` tool              |
| `view_image_tool`                         |  true   | Stable       | Include the `view_image` tool                        |
| `web_search_request`                      |  false  | Stable       | Allow the model to issue web searches                |
| `experimental_sandbox_command_assessment` |  false  | Experimental | Enable model-based sandbox risk assessment           |
| `ghost_commit`                            |  false  | Experimental | Create a ghost commit each turn                      |
| `enable_experimental_windows_sandbox`     |  false  | Experimental | Use the Windows restricted-token sandbox             |

Notes:

- Omit a key to accept its default.
- Legacy booleans such as `experimental_use_exec_command_tool`, `experimental_use_unified_exec_tool`, `include_apply_patch_tool`, and similar `experimental_use_*` keys are deprecated; setting the corresponding `[features].<key>` avoids repeated warnings.

## Model selection

### model

The model that LLMX should use.

```toml
model = "gpt-5"  # overrides the default ("gpt-5-llmx" on macOS/Linux, "gpt-5" on Windows)
```

### model_providers

This option lets you add to the default set of model providers bundled with LLMX. The map key becomes the value you use with `model_provider` to select the provider.

> [!NOTE]
> Built-in providers are not overwritten when you reuse their key. Entries you add only take effect when the key is **new**; for example `[model_providers.openai]` leaves the original OpenAI definition untouched. To customize the bundled OpenAI provider, prefer the dedicated knobs (for example the `OPENAI_BASE_URL` environment variable) or register a new provider key and point `model_provider` at it.

For example, if you wanted to add a provider that uses the OpenAI 4o model via the chat completions API, then you could add the following configuration:

```toml
# Recall that in TOML, root keys must be listed before tables.
model = "gpt-4o"
model_provider = "openai-chat-completions"

[model_providers.openai-chat-completions]
# Name of the provider that will be displayed in the LLMX UI.
name = "OpenAI using Chat Completions"
# The path `/chat/completions` will be amended to this URL to make the POST
# request for the chat completions.
base_url = "https://api.openai.com/v1"
# If `env_key` is set, identifies an environment variable that must be set when
# using LLMX with this provider. The value of the environment variable must be
# non-empty and will be used in the `Bearer TOKEN` HTTP header for the POST request.
env_key = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
# Valid values for wire_api are "chat" and "responses". Defaults to "chat" if omitted.
wire_api = "chat"
# If necessary, extra query params that need to be added to the URL.
# See the Azure example below.
query_params = {}
```

Note this makes it possible to use LLMX CLI with non-OpenAI models, so long as they use a wire API that is compatible with the OpenAI chat completions API. For example, you could define the following provider to use LLMX CLI with Ollama running locally:

```toml
[model_providers.ollama]
name = "Ollama"
base_url = "http://localhost:11434/v1"
```

Or a third-party provider (using a distinct environment variable for the API key):

```toml
[model_providers.mistral]
name = "Mistral"
base_url = "https://api.mistral.ai/v1"
env_key = "MISTRAL_API_KEY"
```

It is also possible to configure a provider to include extra HTTP headers with a request. These can be hardcoded values (`http_headers`) or values read from environment variables (`env_http_headers`):

```toml
[model_providers.example]
# name, base_url, ...

# This will add the HTTP header `X-Example-Header` with value `example-value`
# to each request to the model provider.
http_headers = { "X-Example-Header" = "example-value" }

# This will add the HTTP header `X-Example-Features` with the value of the
# `EXAMPLE_FEATURES` environment variable to each request to the model provider
# _if_ the environment variable is set and its value is non-empty.
env_http_headers = { "X-Example-Features" = "EXAMPLE_FEATURES" }
```

#### Azure model provider example

Note that Azure requires `api-version` to be passed as a query parameter, so be sure to specify it as part of `query_params` when defining the Azure provider:

```toml
[model_providers.azure]
name = "Azure"
# Make sure you set the appropriate subdomain for this URL.
base_url = "https://YOUR_PROJECT_NAME.openai.azure.com/openai"
env_key = "AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY"  # Or "OPENAI_API_KEY", whichever you use.
query_params = { api-version = "2025-04-01-preview" }
wire_api = "responses"
```

Export your key before launching LLMX: `export AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=…`

#### Per-provider network tuning

The following optional settings control retry behaviour and streaming idle timeouts **per model provider**. They must be specified inside the corresponding `[model_providers.<id>]` block in `config.toml`. (Older releases accepted top‑level keys; those are now ignored.)

Example:

```toml
[model_providers.openai]
name = "OpenAI"
base_url = "https://api.openai.com/v1"
env_key = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
# network tuning overrides (all optional; falls back to built‑in defaults)
request_max_retries = 4            # retry failed HTTP requests
stream_max_retries = 10            # retry dropped SSE streams
stream_idle_timeout_ms = 300000    # 5m idle timeout
```

##### request_max_retries

How many times LLMX will retry a failed HTTP request to the model provider. Defaults to `4`.

##### stream_max_retries

Number of times LLMX will attempt to reconnect when a streaming response is interrupted. Defaults to `5`.

##### stream_idle_timeout_ms

How long LLMX will wait for activity on a streaming response before treating the connection as lost. Defaults to `300_000` (5 minutes).

### model_provider

Identifies which provider to use from the `model_providers` map. Defaults to `"openai"`. You can override the `base_url` for the built-in `openai` provider via the `OPENAI_BASE_URL` environment variable.

Note that if you override `model_provider`, then you likely want to override
`model`, as well. For example, if you are running ollama with Mistral locally,
then you would need to add the following to your config in addition to the new entry in the `model_providers` map:

```toml
model_provider = "ollama"
model = "mistral"
```

### model_reasoning_effort

If the selected model is known to support reasoning (for example: `o3`, `o4-mini`, `llmx-*`, `gpt-5`, `gpt-5-llmx`), reasoning is enabled by default when using the Responses API. As explained in the [OpenAI Platform documentation](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/reasoning?api-mode=responses#get-started-with-reasoning), this can be set to:

- `"minimal"`
- `"low"`
- `"medium"` (default)
- `"high"`

Note: to minimize reasoning, choose `"minimal"`.

### model_reasoning_summary

If the model name starts with `"o"` (as in `"o3"` or `"o4-mini"`) or `"llmx"`, reasoning is enabled by default when using the Responses API. As explained in the [OpenAI Platform documentation](https://platform.openai.com/docs/guides/reasoning?api-mode=responses#reasoning-summaries), this can be set to:

- `"auto"` (default)
- `"concise"`
- `"detailed"`

To disable reasoning summaries, set `model_reasoning_summary` to `"none"` in your config:

```toml
model_reasoning_summary = "none"  # disable reasoning summaries
```

### model_verbosity

Controls output length/detail on GPT‑5 family models when using the Responses API. Supported values:

- `"low"`
- `"medium"` (default when omitted)
- `"high"`

When set, LLMX includes a `text` object in the request payload with the configured verbosity, for example: `"text": { "verbosity": "low" }`.

Example:

```toml
model = "gpt-5"
model_verbosity = "low"
```

Note: This applies only to providers using the Responses API. Chat Completions providers are unaffected.

### model_supports_reasoning_summaries

By default, `reasoning` is only set on requests to OpenAI models that are known to support them. To force `reasoning` to set on requests to the current model, you can force this behavior by setting the following in `config.toml`:

```toml
model_supports_reasoning_summaries = true
```

### model_context_window

The size of the context window for the model, in tokens.

In general, LLMX knows the context window for the most common OpenAI models, but if you are using a new model with an old version of the LLMX CLI, then you can use `model_context_window` to tell LLMX what value to use to determine how much context is left during a conversation.

### model_max_output_tokens

This is analogous to `model_context_window`, but for the maximum number of output tokens for the model.

> See also [`llmx exec`](./exec.md) to see how these model settings influence non-interactive runs.

## Execution environment

### approval_policy

Determines when the user should be prompted to approve whether LLMX can execute a command:

```toml
# LLMX has hardcoded logic that defines a set of "trusted" commands.
# Setting the approval_policy to `untrusted` means that LLMX will prompt the
# user before running a command not in the "trusted" set.
#
# See https://github.com/valknar/llmx/issues/1260 for the plan to enable
# end-users to define their own trusted commands.
approval_policy = "untrusted"
```

If you want to be notified whenever a command fails, use "on-failure":

```toml
# If the command fails when run in the sandbox, LLMX asks for permission to
# retry the command outside the sandbox.
approval_policy = "on-failure"
```

If you want the model to run until it decides that it needs to ask you for escalated permissions, use "on-request":

```toml
# The model decides when to escalate
approval_policy = "on-request"
```

Alternatively, you can have the model run until it is done, and never ask to run a command with escalated permissions:

```toml
# User is never prompted: if the command fails, LLMX will automatically try
# something out. Note the `exec` subcommand always uses this mode.
approval_policy = "never"
```

### sandbox_mode

LLMX executes model-generated shell commands inside an OS-level sandbox.

In most cases you can pick the desired behaviour with a single option:

```toml
# same as `--sandbox read-only`
sandbox_mode = "read-only"
```

The default policy is `read-only`, which means commands can read any file on
disk, but attempts to write a file or access the network will be blocked.

A more relaxed policy is `workspace-write`. When specified, the current working directory for the LLMX task will be writable (as well as `$TMPDIR` on macOS). Note that the CLI defaults to using the directory where it was spawned as `cwd`, though this can be overridden using `--cwd/-C`.

On macOS (and soon Linux), all writable roots (including `cwd`) that contain a `.git/` folder _as an immediate child_ will configure the `.git/` folder to be read-only while the rest of the Git repository will be writable. This means that commands like `git commit` will fail, by default (as it entails writing to `.git/`), and will require LLMX to ask for permission.

```toml
# same as `--sandbox workspace-write`
sandbox_mode = "workspace-write"

# Extra settings that only apply when `sandbox = "workspace-write"`.
[sandbox_workspace_write]
# By default, the cwd for the LLMX session will be writable as well as $TMPDIR
# (if set) and /tmp (if it exists). Setting the respective options to `true`
# will override those defaults.
exclude_tmpdir_env_var = false
exclude_slash_tmp = false

# Optional list of _additional_ writable roots beyond $TMPDIR and /tmp.
writable_roots = ["/Users/YOU/.pyenv/shims"]

# Allow the command being run inside the sandbox to make outbound network
# requests. Disabled by default.
network_access = false
```

To disable sandboxing altogether, specify `danger-full-access` like so:

```toml
# same as `--sandbox danger-full-access`
sandbox_mode = "danger-full-access"
```

This is reasonable to use if LLMX is running in an environment that provides its own sandboxing (such as a Docker container) such that further sandboxing is unnecessary.

Though using this option may also be necessary if you try to use LLMX in environments where its native sandboxing mechanisms are unsupported, such as older Linux kernels or on Windows.

### tools.\*

Use the optional `[tools]` table to toggle built-in tools that the agent may call. `web_search` stays off unless you opt in, while `view_image` is now enabled by default:

```toml
[tools]
web_search = true   # allow LLMX to issue first-party web searches without prompting you (deprecated)
view_image = false  # disable image uploads (they're enabled by default)
```

`web_search` is deprecated; use the `web_search_request` feature flag instead.

The `view_image` toggle is useful when you want to include screenshots or diagrams from your repo without pasting them manually. LLMX still respects sandboxing: it can only attach files inside the workspace roots you allow.

### approval_presets

LLMX provides three main Approval Presets:

- Read Only: LLMX can read files and answer questions; edits, running commands, and network access require approval.
- Auto: LLMX can read files, make edits, and run commands in the workspace without approval; asks for approval outside the workspace or for network access.
- Full Access: Full disk and network access without prompts; extremely risky.

You can further customize how LLMX runs at the command line using the `--ask-for-approval` and `--sandbox` options.

> See also [Sandbox & approvals](./sandbox.md) for in-depth examples and platform-specific behaviour.

### shell_environment_policy

LLMX spawns subprocesses (e.g. when executing a `local_shell` tool-call suggested by the assistant). By default it now passes **your full environment** to those subprocesses. You can tune this behavior via the **`shell_environment_policy`** block in `config.toml`:

```toml
[shell_environment_policy]
# inherit can be "all" (default), "core", or "none"
inherit = "core"
# set to true to *skip* the filter for `"*KEY*"` and `"*TOKEN*"`
ignore_default_excludes = false
# exclude patterns (case-insensitive globs)
exclude = ["AWS_*", "AZURE_*"]
# force-set / override values
set = { CI = "1" }
# if provided, *only* vars matching these patterns are kept
include_only = ["PATH", "HOME"]
```

| Field                     | Type                 | Default | Description                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------------------- | -------------------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `inherit`                 | string               | `all`   | Starting template for the environment:<br>`all` (clone full parent env), `core` (`HOME`, `PATH`, `USER`, …), or `none` (start empty).           |
| `ignore_default_excludes` | boolean              | `false` | When `false`, LLMX removes any var whose **name** contains `KEY`, `SECRET`, or `TOKEN` (case-insensitive) before other rules run.               |
| `exclude`                 | array<string>        | `[]`    | Case-insensitive glob patterns to drop after the default filter.<br>Examples: `"AWS_*"`, `"AZURE_*"`.                                           |
| `set`                     | table<string,string> | `{}`    | Explicit key/value overrides or additions – always win over inherited values.                                                                   |
| `include_only`            | array<string>        | `[]`    | If non-empty, a whitelist of patterns; only variables that match _one_ pattern survive the final step. (Generally used with `inherit = "all"`.) |

The patterns are **glob style**, not full regular expressions: `*` matches any
number of characters, `?` matches exactly one, and character classes like
`[A-Z]`/`[^0-9]` are supported. Matching is always **case-insensitive**. This
syntax is documented in code as `EnvironmentVariablePattern` (see
`core/src/config_types.rs`).

If you just need a clean slate with a few custom entries you can write:

```toml
[shell_environment_policy]
inherit = "none"
set = { PATH = "/usr/bin", MY_FLAG = "1" }
```

Currently, `LLMX_SANDBOX_NETWORK_DISABLED=1` is also added to the environment, assuming network is disabled. This is not configurable.

## MCP integration

### mcp_servers

You can configure LLMX to use [MCP servers](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/about) to give LLMX access to external applications, resources, or services.

#### Server configuration

##### STDIO

[STDIO servers](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/basic/transports#stdio) are MCP servers that you can launch directly via commands on your computer.

```toml
# The top-level table name must be `mcp_servers`
# The sub-table name (`server-name` in this example) can be anything you would like.
[mcp_servers.server_name]
command = "npx"
# Optional
args = ["-y", "mcp-server"]
# Optional: propagate additional env vars to the MVP server.
# A default whitelist of env vars will be propagated to the MCP server.
# https://github.com/valknar/llmx/blob/main/llmx-rs/rmcp-client/src/utils.rs#L82
env = { "API_KEY" = "value" }
# or
[mcp_servers.server_name.env]
API_KEY = "value"
# Optional: Additional list of environment variables that will be whitelisted in the MCP server's environment.
env_vars = ["API_KEY2"]

# Optional: cwd that the command will be run from
cwd = "/Users/<user>/code/my-server"
```

##### Streamable HTTP

[Streamable HTTP servers](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-06-18/basic/transports#streamable-http) enable LLMX to talk to resources that are accessed via a http url (either on localhost or another domain).

```toml
[mcp_servers.figma]
url = "https://mcp.figma.com/mcp"
# Optional environment variable containing a bearer token to use for auth
bearer_token_env_var = "ENV_VAR"
# Optional map of headers with hard-coded values.
http_headers = { "HEADER_NAME" = "HEADER_VALUE" }
# Optional map of headers whose values will be replaced with the environment variable.
env_http_headers = { "HEADER_NAME" = "ENV_VAR" }
```

Streamable HTTP connections always use the experimental Rust MCP client under the hood, so expect occasional rough edges. OAuth login flows are gated on the `experimental_use_rmcp_client = true` flag:

```toml
experimental_use_rmcp_client = true
```

After enabling it, run `llmx mcp login <server-name>` when the server supports OAuth.

#### Other configuration options

```toml
# Optional: override the default 10s startup timeout
startup_timeout_sec = 20
# Optional: override the default 60s per-tool timeout
tool_timeout_sec = 30
# Optional: disable a server without removing it
enabled = false
# Optional: only expose a subset of tools from this server
enabled_tools = ["search", "summarize"]
# Optional: hide specific tools (applied after `enabled_tools`, if set)
disabled_tools = ["search"]
```

When both `enabled_tools` and `disabled_tools` are specified, LLMX first restricts the server to the allow-list and then removes any tools that appear in the deny-list.

#### Experimental RMCP client

This flag enables OAuth support for streamable HTTP servers.

```toml
experimental_use_rmcp_client = true

[mcp_servers.server_name]
…
```

#### MCP CLI commands

```shell
# List all available commands
llmx mcp --help

# Add a server (env can be repeated; `--` separates the launcher command)
llmx mcp add docs -- docs-server --port 4000

# List configured servers (pretty table or JSON)
llmx mcp list
llmx mcp list --json

# Show one server (table or JSON)
llmx mcp get docs
llmx mcp get docs --json

# Remove a server
llmx mcp remove docs

# Log in to a streamable HTTP server that supports oauth
llmx mcp login SERVER_NAME

# Log out from a streamable HTTP server that supports oauth
llmx mcp logout SERVER_NAME
```

### Examples of useful MCPs

There is an ever growing list of useful MCP servers that can be helpful while you are working with LLMX.

Some of the most common MCPs we've seen are:

- [Context7](https://github.com/upstash/context7) — connect to a wide range of up-to-date developer documentation
- Figma [Local](https://developers.figma.com/docs/figma-mcp-server/local-server-installation/) and [Remote](https://developers.figma.com/docs/figma-mcp-server/remote-server-installation/) - access to your Figma designs
- [Playwright](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@playwright/mcp) - control and inspect a browser using Playwright
- [Chrome Developer Tools](https://github.com/ChromeDevTools/chrome-devtools-mcp/) — control and inspect a Chrome browser
- [Sentry](https://docs.sentry.io/product/sentry-mcp/#llmx) — access to your Sentry logs
- [GitHub](https://github.com/github/github-mcp-server) — Control over your GitHub account beyond what git allows (like controlling PRs, issues, etc.)

## Observability and telemetry

### otel

LLMX can emit [OpenTelemetry](https://opentelemetry.io/) **log events** that
describe each run: outbound API requests, streamed responses, user input,
tool-approval decisions, and the result of every tool invocation. Export is
**disabled by default** so local runs remain self-contained. Opt in by adding an
`[otel]` table and choosing an exporter.

```toml
[otel]
environment = "staging"   # defaults to "dev"
exporter = "none"          # defaults to "none"; set to otlp-http or otlp-grpc to send events
log_user_prompt = false    # defaults to false; redact prompt text unless explicitly enabled
```

LLMX tags every exported event with `service.name = $ORIGINATOR` (the same
value sent in the `originator` header, `llmx_cli_rs` by default), the CLI
version, and an `env` attribute so downstream collectors can distinguish
dev/staging/prod traffic. Only telemetry produced inside the `llmx_otel`
crate—the events listed below—is forwarded to the exporter.

### Event catalog

Every event shares a common set of metadata fields: `event.timestamp`,
`conversation.id`, `app.version`, `auth_mode` (when available),
`user.account_id` (when available), `user.email` (when available), `terminal.type`, `model`, and `slug`.

With OTEL enabled LLMX emits the following event types (in addition to the
metadata above):

- `llmx.conversation_starts`
  - `provider_name`
  - `reasoning_effort` (optional)
  - `reasoning_summary`
  - `context_window` (optional)
  - `max_output_tokens` (optional)
  - `auto_compact_token_limit` (optional)
  - `approval_policy`
  - `sandbox_policy`
  - `mcp_servers` (comma-separated list)
  - `active_profile` (optional)
- `llmx.api_request`
  - `attempt`
  - `duration_ms`
  - `http.response.status_code` (optional)
  - `error.message` (failures)
- `llmx.sse_event`
  - `event.kind`
  - `duration_ms`
  - `error.message` (failures)
  - `input_token_count` (responses only)
  - `output_token_count` (responses only)
  - `cached_token_count` (responses only, optional)
  - `reasoning_token_count` (responses only, optional)
  - `tool_token_count` (responses only)
- `llmx.user_prompt`
  - `prompt_length`
  - `prompt` (redacted unless `log_user_prompt = true`)
- `llmx.tool_decision`
  - `tool_name`
  - `call_id`
  - `decision` (`approved`, `approved_for_session`, `denied`, or `abort`)
  - `source` (`config` or `user`)
- `llmx.tool_result`
  - `tool_name`
  - `call_id` (optional)
  - `arguments` (optional)
  - `duration_ms` (execution time for the tool)
  - `success` (`"true"` or `"false"`)
  - `output`

These event shapes may change as we iterate.

### Choosing an exporter

Set `otel.exporter` to control where events go:

- `none` – leaves instrumentation active but skips exporting. This is the
  default.
- `otlp-http` – posts OTLP log records to an OTLP/HTTP collector. Specify the
  endpoint, protocol, and headers your collector expects:

  ```toml
  [otel]
  exporter = { otlp-http = {
    endpoint = "https://otel.example.com/v1/logs",
    protocol = "binary",
    headers = { "x-otlp-api-key" = "${OTLP_TOKEN}" }
  }}
  ```

- `otlp-grpc` – streams OTLP log records over gRPC. Provide the endpoint and any
  metadata headers:

  ```toml
  [otel]
  exporter = { otlp-grpc = {
    endpoint = "https://otel.example.com:4317",
    headers = { "x-otlp-meta" = "abc123" }
  }}
  ```

If the exporter is `none` nothing is written anywhere; otherwise you must run or point to your
own collector. All exporters run on a background batch worker that is flushed on
shutdown.

If you build LLMX from source the OTEL crate is still behind an `otel` feature
flag; the official prebuilt binaries ship with the feature enabled. When the
feature is disabled the telemetry hooks become no-ops so the CLI continues to
function without the extra dependencies.

### notify

Specify a program that will be executed to get notified about events generated by LLMX. Note that the program will receive the notification argument as a string of JSON, e.g.:

```json
{
  "type": "agent-turn-complete",
  "thread-id": "b5f6c1c2-1111-2222-3333-444455556666",
  "turn-id": "12345",
  "cwd": "/Users/alice/projects/example",
  "input-messages": ["Rename `foo` to `bar` and update the callsites."],
  "last-assistant-message": "Rename complete and verified `cargo build` succeeds."
}
```

The `"type"` property will always be set. Currently, `"agent-turn-complete"` is the only notification type that is supported.

`"thread-id"` contains a string that identifies the LLMX session that produced the notification; you can use it to correlate multiple turns that belong to the same task.

`"cwd"` reports the absolute working directory for the session so scripts can disambiguate which project triggered the notification.

As an example, here is a Python script that parses the JSON and decides whether to show a desktop push notification using [terminal-notifier](https://github.com/julienXX/terminal-notifier) on macOS:

```python
#!/usr/bin/env python3

import json
import subprocess
import sys


def main() -> int:
    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
        print("Usage: notify.py <NOTIFICATION_JSON>")
        return 1

    try:
        notification = json.loads(sys.argv[1])
    except json.JSONDecodeError:
        return 1

    match notification_type := notification.get("type"):
        case "agent-turn-complete":
            assistant_message = notification.get("last-assistant-message")
            if assistant_message:
                title = f"LLMX: {assistant_message}"
            else:
                title = "LLMX: Turn Complete!"
            input_messages = notification.get("input-messages", [])
            message = " ".join(input_messages)
            title += message
        case _:
            print(f"not sending a push notification for: {notification_type}")
            return 0

    thread_id = notification.get("thread-id", "")

    subprocess.check_output(
        [
            "terminal-notifier",
            "-title",
            title,
            "-message",
            message,
            "-group",
            "llmx-" + thread_id,
            "-ignoreDnD",
            "-activate",
            "com.googlecode.iterm2",
        ]
    )

    return 0


if __name__ == "__main__":
    sys.exit(main())
```

To have LLMX use this script for notifications, you would configure it via `notify` in `~/.llmx/config.toml` using the appropriate path to `notify.py` on your computer:

```toml
notify = ["python3", "/Users/mbolin/.llmx/notify.py"]
```

> [!NOTE]
> Use `notify` for automation and integrations: LLMX invokes your external program with a single JSON argument for each event, independent of the TUI. If you only want lightweight desktop notifications while using the TUI, prefer `tui.notifications`, which uses terminal escape codes and requires no external program. You can enable both; `tui.notifications` covers in‑TUI alerts (e.g., approval prompts), while `notify` is best for system‑level hooks or custom notifiers. Currently, `notify` emits only `agent-turn-complete`, whereas `tui.notifications` supports `agent-turn-complete` and `approval-requested` with optional filtering.

### hide_agent_reasoning

LLMX intermittently emits "reasoning" events that show the model's internal "thinking" before it produces a final answer. Some users may find these events distracting, especially in CI logs or minimal terminal output.

Setting `hide_agent_reasoning` to `true` suppresses these events in **both** the TUI as well as the headless `exec` sub-command:

```toml
hide_agent_reasoning = true   # defaults to false
```

### show_raw_agent_reasoning

Surfaces the model’s raw chain-of-thought ("raw reasoning content") when available.

Notes:

- Only takes effect if the selected model/provider actually emits raw reasoning content. Many models do not. When unsupported, this option has no visible effect.
- Raw reasoning may include intermediate thoughts or sensitive context. Enable only if acceptable for your workflow.

Example:

```toml
show_raw_agent_reasoning = true  # defaults to false
```

## Profiles and overrides

### profiles

A _profile_ is a collection of configuration values that can be set together. Multiple profiles can be defined in `config.toml` and you can specify the one you
want to use at runtime via the `--profile` flag.

Here is an example of a `config.toml` that defines multiple profiles:

```toml
model = "o3"
approval_policy = "untrusted"

# Setting `profile` is equivalent to specifying `--profile o3` on the command
# line, though the `--profile` flag can still be used to override this value.
profile = "o3"

[model_providers.openai-chat-completions]
name = "OpenAI using Chat Completions"
base_url = "https://api.openai.com/v1"
env_key = "OPENAI_API_KEY"
wire_api = "chat"

[profiles.o3]
model = "o3"
model_provider = "openai"
approval_policy = "never"
model_reasoning_effort = "high"
model_reasoning_summary = "detailed"

[profiles.gpt3]
model = "gpt-3.5-turbo"
model_provider = "openai-chat-completions"

[profiles.zdr]
model = "o3"
model_provider = "openai"
approval_policy = "on-failure"
```

Users can specify config values at multiple levels. Order of precedence is as follows:

1. custom command-line argument, e.g., `--model o3`
2. as part of a profile, where the `--profile` is specified via a CLI (or in the config file itself)
3. as an entry in `config.toml`, e.g., `model = "o3"`
4. the default value that comes with LLMX CLI (i.e., LLMX CLI defaults to `gpt-5-llmx`)

### history

By default, LLMX CLI records messages sent to the model in `$LLMX_HOME/history.jsonl`. Note that on UNIX, the file permissions are set to `o600`, so it should only be readable and writable by the owner.

To disable this behavior, configure `[history]` as follows:

```toml
[history]
persistence = "none"  # "save-all" is the default value
```

### file_opener

Identifies the editor/URI scheme to use for hyperlinking citations in model output. If set, citations to files in the model output will be hyperlinked using the specified URI scheme so they can be ctrl/cmd-clicked from the terminal to open them.

For example, if the model output includes a reference such as `【F:/home/user/project/main.py†L42-L50】`, then this would be rewritten to link to the URI `vscode://file/home/user/project/main.py:42`.

Note this is **not** a general editor setting (like `$EDITOR`), as it only accepts a fixed set of values:

- `"vscode"` (default)
- `"vscode-insiders"`
- `"windsurf"`
- `"cursor"`
- `"none"` to explicitly disable this feature

Currently, `"vscode"` is the default, though LLMX does not verify VS Code is installed. As such, `file_opener` may default to `"none"` or something else in the future.

### project_doc_max_bytes

Maximum number of bytes to read from an `AGENTS.md` file to include in the instructions sent with the first turn of a session. Defaults to 32 KiB.

### project_doc_fallback_filenames

Ordered list of additional filenames to look for when `AGENTS.md` is missing at a given directory level. The CLI always checks `AGENTS.md` first; the configured fallbacks are tried in the order provided. This lets monorepos that already use alternate instruction files (for example, `CLAUDE.md`) work out of the box while you migrate to `AGENTS.md` over time.

```toml
project_doc_fallback_filenames = ["CLAUDE.md", ".exampleagentrules.md"]
```

We recommend migrating instructions to AGENTS.md; other filenames may reduce model performance.

> See also [AGENTS.md discovery](./agents_md.md) for how LLMX locates these files during a session.

### tui

Options that are specific to the TUI.

```toml
[tui]
# Send desktop notifications when approvals are required or a turn completes.
# Defaults to false.
notifications = true

# You can optionally filter to specific notification types.
# Available types are "agent-turn-complete" and "approval-requested".
notifications = [ "agent-turn-complete", "approval-requested" ]
```

> [!NOTE]
> LLMX emits desktop notifications using terminal escape codes. Not all terminals support these (notably, macOS Terminal.app and VS Code's terminal do not support custom notifications. iTerm2, Ghostty and WezTerm do support these notifications).

> [!NOTE] > `tui.notifications` is built‑in and limited to the TUI session. For programmatic or cross‑environment notifications—or to integrate with OS‑specific notifiers—use the top‑level `notify` option to run an external program that receives event JSON. The two settings are independent and can be used together.

## Authentication and authorization

### Forcing a login method

To force users on a given machine to use a specific login method or workspace, use a combination of [managed configurations](https://developers.openai.com/llmx/security#managed-configuration) as well as either or both of the following fields:

```toml
# Force the user to log in with ChatGPT or via an api key.
forced_login_method = "chatgpt" or "api"
# When logging in with ChatGPT, only the specified workspace ID will be presented during the login
# flow and the id will be validated during the oauth callback as well as every time LLMX starts.
forced_chatgpt_workspace_id = "00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000"
```

If the active credentials don't match the config, the user will be logged out and LLMX will exit.

If `forced_chatgpt_workspace_id` is set but `forced_login_method` is not set, API key login will still work.

### Control where login credentials are stored

```toml
cli_auth_credentials_store = "keyring"
```

Valid values:

- `file` (default) – Store credentials in `auth.json` under `$LLMX_HOME`.
- `keyring` – Store credentials in the operating system keyring via the [`keyring` crate](https://crates.io/crates/keyring); the CLI reports an error if secure storage is unavailable. Backends by OS:
  - macOS: macOS Keychain
  - Windows: Windows Credential Manager
  - Linux: DBus‑based Secret Service, the kernel keyutils, or a combination
  - FreeBSD/OpenBSD: DBus‑based Secret Service
- `auto` – Save credentials to the operating system keyring when available; otherwise, fall back to `auth.json` under `$LLMX_HOME`.

## Config reference

| Key                                              | Type / Values                                                     | Notes                                                                                                                      |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `model`                                          | string                                                            | Model to use (e.g., `gpt-5-llmx`).                                                                                         |
| `model_provider`                                 | string                                                            | Provider id from `model_providers` (default: `openai`).                                                                    |
| `model_context_window`                           | number                                                            | Context window tokens.                                                                                                     |
| `model_max_output_tokens`                        | number                                                            | Max output tokens.                                                                                                         |
| `approval_policy`                                | `untrusted` \| `on-failure` \| `on-request` \| `never`            | When to prompt for approval.                                                                                               |
| `sandbox_mode`                                   | `read-only` \| `workspace-write` \| `danger-full-access`          | OS sandbox policy.                                                                                                         |
| `sandbox_workspace_write.writable_roots`         | array<string>                                                     | Extra writable roots in workspace‑write.                                                                                   |
| `sandbox_workspace_write.network_access`         | boolean                                                           | Allow network in workspace‑write (default: false).                                                                         |
| `sandbox_workspace_write.exclude_tmpdir_env_var` | boolean                                                           | Exclude `$TMPDIR` from writable roots (default: false).                                                                    |
| `sandbox_workspace_write.exclude_slash_tmp`      | boolean                                                           | Exclude `/tmp` from writable roots (default: false).                                                                       |
| `notify`                                         | array<string>                                                     | External program for notifications.                                                                                        |
| `instructions`                                   | string                                                            | Currently ignored; use `experimental_instructions_file` or `AGENTS.md`.                                                    |
| `features.<feature-flag>`                        | boolean                                                           | See [feature flags](#feature-flags) for details                                                                            |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.command`                       | string                                                            | MCP server launcher command (stdio servers only).                                                                          |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.args`                          | array<string>                                                     | MCP server args (stdio servers only).                                                                                      |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.env`                           | map<string,string>                                                | MCP server env vars (stdio servers only).                                                                                  |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.url`                           | string                                                            | MCP server url (streamable http servers only).                                                                             |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.bearer_token_env_var`          | string                                                            | environment variable containing a bearer token to use for auth (streamable http servers only).                             |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.enabled`                       | boolean                                                           | When false, LLMX skips starting the server (default: true).                                                                |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.startup_timeout_sec`           | number                                                            | Startup timeout in seconds (default: 10). Timeout is applied both for initializing MCP server and initially listing tools. |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.tool_timeout_sec`              | number                                                            | Per-tool timeout in seconds (default: 60). Accepts fractional values; omit to use the default.                             |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.enabled_tools`                 | array<string>                                                     | Restrict the server to the listed tool names.                                                                              |
| `mcp_servers.<id>.disabled_tools`                | array<string>                                                     | Remove the listed tool names after applying `enabled_tools`, if any.                                                       |
| `model_providers.<id>.name`                      | string                                                            | Display name.                                                                                                              |
| `model_providers.<id>.base_url`                  | string                                                            | API base URL.                                                                                                              |
| `model_providers.<id>.env_key`                   | string                                                            | Env var for API key.                                                                                                       |
| `model_providers.<id>.wire_api`                  | `chat` \| `responses`                                             | Protocol used (default: `chat`).                                                                                           |
| `model_providers.<id>.query_params`              | map<string,string>                                                | Extra query params (e.g., Azure `api-version`).                                                                            |
| `model_providers.<id>.http_headers`              | map<string,string>                                                | Additional static headers.                                                                                                 |
| `model_providers.<id>.env_http_headers`          | map<string,string>                                                | Headers sourced from env vars.                                                                                             |
| `model_providers.<id>.request_max_retries`       | number                                                            | Per‑provider HTTP retry count (default: 4).                                                                                |
| `model_providers.<id>.stream_max_retries`        | number                                                            | SSE stream retry count (default: 5).                                                                                       |
| `model_providers.<id>.stream_idle_timeout_ms`    | number                                                            | SSE idle timeout (ms) (default: 300000).                                                                                   |
| `project_doc_max_bytes`                          | number                                                            | Max bytes to read from `AGENTS.md`.                                                                                        |
| `profile`                                        | string                                                            | Active profile name.                                                                                                       |
| `profiles.<name>.*`                              | various                                                           | Profile‑scoped overrides of the same keys.                                                                                 |
| `history.persistence`                            | `save-all` \| `none`                                              | History file persistence (default: `save-all`).                                                                            |
| `history.max_bytes`                              | number                                                            | Currently ignored (not enforced).                                                                                          |
| `file_opener`                                    | `vscode` \| `vscode-insiders` \| `windsurf` \| `cursor` \| `none` | URI scheme for clickable citations (default: `vscode`).                                                                    |
| `tui`                                            | table                                                             | TUI‑specific options.                                                                                                      |
| `tui.notifications`                              | boolean \| array<string>                                          | Enable desktop notifications in the tui (default: false).                                                                  |
| `hide_agent_reasoning`                           | boolean                                                           | Hide model reasoning events.                                                                                               |
| `show_raw_agent_reasoning`                       | boolean                                                           | Show raw reasoning (when available).                                                                                       |
| `model_reasoning_effort`                         | `minimal` \| `low` \| `medium` \| `high`                          | Responses API reasoning effort.                                                                                            |
| `model_reasoning_summary`                        | `auto` \| `concise` \| `detailed` \| `none`                       | Reasoning summaries.                                                                                                       |
| `model_verbosity`                                | `low` \| `medium` \| `high`                                       | GPT‑5 text verbosity (Responses API).                                                                                      |
| `model_supports_reasoning_summaries`             | boolean                                                           | Force‑enable reasoning summaries.                                                                                          |
| `model_reasoning_summary_format`                 | `none` \| `experimental`                                          | Force reasoning summary format.                                                                                            |
| `chatgpt_base_url`                               | string                                                            | Base URL for ChatGPT auth flow.                                                                                            |
| `experimental_instructions_file`                 | string (path)                                                     | Replace built‑in instructions (experimental).                                                                              |
| `experimental_use_exec_command_tool`             | boolean                                                           | Use experimental exec command tool.                                                                                        |
| `projects.<path>.trust_level`                    | string                                                            | Mark project/worktree as trusted (only `"trusted"` is recognized).                                                         |
| `tools.web_search`                               | boolean                                                           | Enable web search tool (deprecated) (default: false).                                                                      |
| `tools.view_image`                               | boolean                                                           | Enable or disable the `view_image` tool so LLMX can attach local image files from the workspace (default: true).           |
| `forced_login_method`                            | `chatgpt` \| `api`                                                | Only allow LLMX to be used with ChatGPT or API keys.                                                                       |
| `forced_chatgpt_workspace_id`                    | string (uuid)                                                     | Only allow LLMX to be used with the specified ChatGPT workspace.                                                           |
| `cli_auth_credentials_store`                     | `file` \| `keyring` \| `auto`                                     | Where to store CLI login credentials (default: `file`).                                                                    |