Configuration
Default Command
# Set the default command pre-filled in the new-pane form
dot-agent-deck config set default_command "claude"
# Read the current value
dot-agent-deck config get default_command
Environment Variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
DOT_AGENT_DECK_SOCKET | $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/dot-agent-deck.sock or /tmp/dot-agent-deck-{uid}.sock | Unix socket path for daemon IPC. {uid} in the /tmp fallback is the user's POSIX uid, included so two users on the same host get disjoint sockets (the XDG path is already per-user since XDG_RUNTIME_DIR typically resolves to /run/user/{uid}). |
DOT_AGENT_DECK_CONFIG | ~/.config/dot-agent-deck/config.toml | Config file path |
DOT_AGENT_DECK_SESSION | ~/.config/dot-agent-deck/session.toml | Session file path |
DOT_AGENT_DECK_LOG | (unset) | When set, enables file-based tracing logs. Empty value or 1 writes to /tmp/dot-agent-deck.log; any other value is treated as the target log file path. |
Project Configuration
Per-project workspace modes are defined in .dot-agent-deck.toml at the project root. This file is loaded automatically when you select a directory in the new-pane flow.
Quick Example
[[modes]]
name = "dev"
[[modes.panes]]
command = "git log --oneline -20"
name = "Recent Commits"
[[modes.rules]]
pattern = "cargo\\s+(build|test|check)"
watch = false
Schema Overview
| Block | Key Fields |
|---|---|
[[modes]] | name (required), init_command (optional), panes, rules, reactive_panes (default: 2) |
[[modes.panes]] | command (required), name (optional label), watch (default: true) |
[[modes.rules]] | pattern (regex, required), watch (bool), interval (seconds) |
For the full reference and more examples, see Workspace Modes.
Scaffolding
Run dot-agent-deck init inside a project directory to generate a starter .dot-agent-deck.toml.
Idle ASCII Art
When a session has been idle long enough, the dashboard can generate a short, context-aware ASCII art animation on the card using a lightweight LLM call. The feature is opt-in and disabled by default.
Enabling
dot-agent-deck config set idle_art.enabled true
Set the API key for your chosen provider as an environment variable:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-... # for Anthropic (default)
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... # for OpenAI
# Ollama requires no API key
Options
| Key | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
idle_art.enabled | false | Enable idle ASCII art on dashboard cards |
idle_art.provider | anthropic | LLM provider: anthropic, openai, or ollama |
idle_art.model | claude-haiku-4-5 | LLM model to use for generation |
idle_art.timeout_secs | 300 | Seconds a session must be idle before art is triggered |
Note: Idle art only appears in Spacious card density. Normal and Compact densities show the standard flashing-dot indicator instead.
Standalone CLI
You can generate ASCII art outside the dashboard with the ascii subcommand:
dot-agent-deck ascii --input "debug the login flow" --output "fixed auth token refresh"
Optional --provider and --model flags override the configured defaults. The CLI works regardless of the idle_art.enabled setting.