/jarvis-settings - Jarvis Configuration
Re-runnable configuration manager for Jarvis. Jump to any setting, change what you need, leave the rest.
First-time setup? If ~/.jarvis/config.json doesn't exist, guide the user through initial config (vault path + basics), then offer to explore advanced settings.
Execution Flow
1. Load and display current config
Read ~/.jarvis/config.json and show a summary:
code
Jarvis Configuration -------------------- Vault: ~/.jarvis/vault/ Auto-Extract: background (cooldown: 120s, min text: 200 chars) Memory DB: ~/.jarvis/memory_db/ (configurable) Shell: jarvis command in ~/.zshrc Version: 1.15.0
If config doesn't exist, say: "No config found. Let's set up the basics." and go to Step 2a (first-time flow).
2. Ask what to configure
Use AskUserQuestion:
code
AskUserQuestion:
questions:
- question: "What would you like to configure?"
header: "Settings"
options:
- label: "Vault path"
description: "Change where Jarvis stores your knowledge"
- label: "Auto-Extract"
description: "Configure observation capture from conversations"
- label: "Advanced settings"
description: "Promotion thresholds, vault paths, memory tuning"
- label: "View full config"
description: "Show all settings with current values"
multiSelect: false
2a. First-time flow (no config exists)
If no config exists, skip the menu and walk through essentials:
- •Vault path (Step 3a)
- •Auto-Extract mode (Step 3b) - quick preset selection only
- •Shell integration (Step 3e below)
- •Write full config with ALL defaults visible
- •Offer: "Want to explore advanced settings? Or you're good to go."
3a. Vault path
Scan for common vault locations, then ask:
code
AskUserQuestion:
questions:
- question: "Where should Jarvis store your knowledge vault?"
header: "Vault"
options:
- label: "~/.jarvis/vault/ (Recommended)"
description: "Starter vault - good for trying Jarvis or if you don't have a PKM"
- label: "[detected Obsidian vault]"
description: "Use your existing Obsidian vault at [path]"
- label: "Enter custom path"
description: "Specify your own directory"
multiSelect: false
Scan these locations for Obsidian vaults (contain .obsidian/):
- •
~/Documents/Obsidian* - •
~/Obsidian* - •
~/vaults/* - •
~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~md~obsidian/Documents/*
What is a vault? If the user seems confused, explain briefly:
A vault is just a folder of markdown files. If you use Obsidian, it's your Obsidian vault. If not, Jarvis creates a simple folder structure for journals, notes, and strategic context.
After changing vault path: ask if user wants to reindex for semantic search.
3b. Auto-Extract
Show current mode, then ask:
code
AskUserQuestion:
questions:
- question: "Auto-Extract mode? (current: [mode])"
header: "Auto-Extract"
options:
- label: "Background (Recommended)"
description: "Smart fallback: tries API first, then CLI. Near-zero cost (~$0.02/session)."
- label: "Background API only"
description: "Requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Fastest extraction (~200ms)."
- label: "Background CLI only"
description: "Uses Claude CLI via OAuth. No API key needed (~2-5s)."
- label: "Disabled"
description: "No automatic observation capture."
multiSelect: false
Map to mode values:
- •"Background" ->
"background" - •"Background API only" ->
"background-api" - •"Background CLI only" ->
"background-cli" - •"Disabled" ->
"disabled"
If NOT disabled, ask about thresholds:
code
AskUserQuestion:
questions:
- question: "Extraction sensitivity?"
header: "Tuning"
options:
- label: "Defaults (Recommended)"
description: "Cooldown: 120s, Min text: 200 chars"
- label: "Frequent capture"
description: "Cooldown: 30s, Min text: 100 chars (more observations, slightly noisier)"
- label: "Conservative"
description: "Cooldown: 300s, Min text: 500 chars (fewer, higher quality)"
- label: "Custom values"
description: "Enter your own thresholds"
multiSelect: false
Preset mapping:
- •"Defaults" ->
cooldown_seconds: 120, min_turn_chars: 200 - •"Frequent capture" ->
cooldown_seconds: 30, min_turn_chars: 100 - •"Conservative" ->
cooldown_seconds: 300, min_turn_chars: 500 - •"Custom" -> Ask for
cooldown_seconds(int) andmin_turn_chars(int)
3c. Advanced settings
code
AskUserQuestion:
questions:
- question: "Which advanced area?"
header: "Advanced"
options:
- label: "Promotion thresholds"
description: "When tier 2 content gets promoted to vault files"
- label: "Vault directory paths"
description: "Where journals, notes, inbox, etc. are stored"
- label: "Memory system"
description: "Secret detection, importance scoring, DB location"
- label: "Back to main menu"
multiSelect: false
Promotion thresholds
Show current values and let user adjust:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
importance_threshold | 0.85 | Auto-promote score threshold |
retrieval_count_threshold | 3 | Promote after N retrievals |
age_importance_days | 30 | Age-based promotion trigger |
age_importance_score | 0.7 | Importance threshold for aged content |
on_promoted_file_deleted | "remove" | What happens when promoted file is deleted |
Always offer "Reset to defaults" as an option.
Vault directory paths
Show all vault-relative paths with current vs default:
| Path Name | Default | Current |
|---|---|---|
journal_jarvis | journal/jarvis | [current or default] |
journal_daily | journal/daily | ... |
notes | notes | ... |
work | work | ... |
inbox | inbox | ... |
inbox_todoist | inbox/todoist | ... |
templates | templates | ... |
strategic | .jarvis/strategic | ... |
observations_promoted | journal/jarvis/observations | ... |
patterns_promoted | journal/jarvis/patterns | ... |
learnings_promoted | journal/jarvis/learnings | ... |
decisions_promoted | journal/jarvis/decisions | ... |
Let user change specific paths. All paths are relative to vault root.
Memory system
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
secret_detection | true | Scan content for secrets before storing |
importance_scoring | true | Score content importance on write |
recency_boost_days | 7 | Boost recent content in search results |
default_importance | "medium" | Default importance for new content |
db_path | ~/.jarvis/memory_db | ChromaDB database location |
3d. View full config
Pretty-print ~/.jarvis/config.json grouped by section:
code
=== Core === vault_path: ~/.jarvis/vault/ vault_confirmed: true configured_at: 2026-02-08T10:30:00Z === Memory === db_path: ~/.jarvis/memory_db secret_detection: true importance_scoring: true recency_boost_days: 7 default_importance: medium === Auto-Extract === mode: background min_turn_chars: 200 cooldown_seconds: 120 max_transcript_lines: 100 debug: false === Promotion === importance_threshold: 0.85 retrieval_count_threshold: 3 age_importance_days: 30 age_importance_score: 0.7 on_promoted_file_deleted: remove === Vault Paths (relative to vault root) === journal_jarvis: journal/jarvis journal_daily: journal/daily notes: notes ...
Highlight any non-default values with a marker. After viewing, return to main menu.
3e. Shell integration
If user chose this from advanced, or during first-time flow:
code
AskUserQuestion:
questions:
- question: "Add 'jarvis' shell command for quick access?"
header: "Shell"
options:
- label: "Yes, add to my shell config (Recommended)"
description: "Adds jarvis() function to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc"
- label: "No, skip"
description: "You can set it up later with /jarvis-settings"
multiSelect: false
If yes:
- •Detect shell from
$SHELL - •Check if already exists (grep for "function jarvis")
- •Append snippet to shell config
- •Remind to
source ~/.zshrc
4. Write config
Merge changes into existing config. Never overwrite keys that weren't changed.
For first-time setup, write the FULL config with all defaults visible:
json
{
"vault_path": "[user's choice]",
"vault_confirmed": true,
"configured_at": "[ISO 8601]",
"memory": {
"db_path": "~/.jarvis/memory_db",
"secret_detection": true,
"importance_scoring": true,
"recency_boost_days": 7,
"default_importance": "medium",
"auto_extract": {
"mode": "[selected]",
"min_turn_chars": 200,
"cooldown_seconds": 120,
"max_transcript_lines": 100,
"debug": false
}
},
"promotion": {
"importance_threshold": 0.85,
"retrieval_count_threshold": 3,
"age_importance_days": 30,
"age_importance_score": 0.7,
"on_promoted_file_deleted": "remove"
},
"paths": {
"journal_jarvis": "journal/jarvis",
"journal_daily": "journal/daily",
"notes": "notes",
"work": "work",
"inbox": "inbox",
"inbox_todoist": "inbox/todoist",
"templates": "templates",
"strategic": ".jarvis/strategic",
"observations_promoted": "journal/jarvis/observations",
"patterns_promoted": "journal/jarvis/patterns",
"learnings_promoted": "journal/jarvis/learnings",
"decisions_promoted": "journal/jarvis/decisions"
}
}
Also ensure directories exist:
bash
mkdir -p [vault_path] mkdir -p ~/.jarvis/memory_db
5. Summary
Show what changed:
code
Settings updated! Changed: - vault_path: ~/old/path -> ~/new/path - auto_extract.mode: disabled -> background Quick Start: /jarvis-recall <query> - Search vault semantically /jarvis-promote - Review & promote observations /jarvis-settings - Update configuration anytime $ jarvis - Launch from terminal (if shell configured)
Key Rules
- •Menu-driven - User jumps to any section, not forced through a linear flow
- •Merge, don't overwrite - Preserve existing config keys when updating a section
- •Show defaults - First-time config includes ALL keys so users can discover options
- •No broken references - Don't mention skills or features that don't exist
- •Reindex offer - When vault path changes, offer to reindex for semantic search
- •Always offer "back" - User can return to main menu from any sub-section