Configuration

Kaimon.jl uses a layered configuration system with global preferences, per-project settings, and environment variable overrides.

Preferences

Kaimon uses Preferences.jl for persistent settings, stored in LocalPreferences.toml in your project directory.

Preference	Type	Description
gate_mirror_repl	Bool	Mirror eval output from MCP agents into the host REPL. Useful for seeing what agents are executing in real time.

Layout preferences for TUI panels (sizes, positions, visibility) are also persisted through the Preferences system.

Directory Layout

Kaimon organizes files across three locations: a global config directory, a cache directory for runtime data, and a per-project .kaimon/ directory.

Global config — ~/.config/kaimon/

Respects XDG_CONFIG_HOME on Linux/macOS; uses APPDATA on Windows.

File	Purpose
config.json	Global settings: security mode, API keys, editor, qdrant prefix
projects.json	Allowed projects for managed sessions (details)
extensions.json	Extension registry (details)
tcp_gates.json	Registered TCP gate connections (host, port, name, token, stream_port)

Cache — ~/.cache/kaimon/

Respects XDG_CACHE_HOME on Linux/macOS; uses LOCALAPPDATA on Windows.

File / pattern	Purpose
server.log	Main server log (TUI and standalone modes)
sessions/<name>.log	Per managed-session log
extensions/<namespace>.log	Per extension subprocess log
indexer.log	Qdrant indexer log
kaimon.db	SQLite database (activity history, session metadata)
sessions.json	Active MCP session registry
qdrant_projects.json	Qdrant index tracking (which projects are indexed)
*.sock	Unix sockets for REPL-to-MCP communication

Per-project — .kaimon/

Located in the project root directory.

File	Purpose
tools.json	Enable or disable individual MCP tools for this project
sessions.json	Tracks active MCP sessions connected to this project

Security Configuration

The security config controls access to the MCP server via config.json at ~/.config/kaimon/:

{
  "mode": "strict",
  "api_keys": ["km_abc123..."],
  "allowed_ips": ["127.0.0.1", "::1"]
}

Fields

Field	Description
mode	Security mode: "strict" (require API key + IP check), "relaxed" (localhost only, no key required), or "lax"
api_keys	List of authorized API keys
allowed_ips	IP addresses permitted to connect
editor	Editor for file:line links: "vscode", "cursor", "zed", "windsurf"
qdrant_prefix	Prefix for Qdrant collection names (for shared instances). Set via Config tab [Q] or KAIMON_QDRANT_PREFIX env var.

Use the security management tools to modify these settings programmatically:

• Kaimon.security_status() – View current security configuration

• Kaimon.setup_security() – Run the interactive security setup

• Kaimon.generate_key() – Create a new API key

• Kaimon.revoke_key() – Remove an API key

• Kaimon.allow_ip() / Kaimon.deny_ip() – Manage the IP allowlist

• set_security_mode – Switch between security modes

Projects Configuration

The projects.json file at ~/.config/kaimon/projects.json controls which Julia projects can be spawned as managed sessions via the start_session MCP tool. It also holds per-project session preferences.

{
  "projects": [
    {
      "project_path": "/path/to/MyProject",
      "enabled": true
    },
    {
      "project_path": "/path/to/AnotherProject",
      "enabled": false
    }
  ],
  "session_prefs": {
    "MyProject": {
      "mirror_repl": true,
      "allow_restart": false
    },
    "*": {
      "allow_restart": true
    }
  }
}

Projects

Field	Description
project_path	Absolute path to a Julia project directory (must contain Project.toml)
enabled	Whether agents can spawn sessions for this project

Manage the projects list through the TUI Config tab or by editing the file directly. The start_session tool called with no arguments lists all allowed projects and their current status.

Session Preferences

Per-project preferences are matched by project name (case-insensitive directory basename), full path, or * wildcard:

Preference	Type	Description
mirror_repl	Bool	Mirror agent eval output into the host REPL
allow_restart	Bool	Whether manage_repl(command="restart") is permitted

See Sessions for details on how preferences are resolved.

Tools Configuration

The .kaimon/tools.json file controls which MCP tools are available in a project:

{
  "disabled_tools": ["pkg_add", "pkg_rm"],
  "enabled_tools": ["*"]
}

This is useful for restricting which operations MCP agents can perform in sensitive projects.

Environment Variables

Variable	Platform	Description
XDG_CONFIG_HOME	Linux/macOS	Override the default config directory (~/.config). Kaimon stores config in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/kaimon/.
APPDATA	Windows	Windows config directory. Kaimon stores config in $APPDATA/Kaimon/.
XDG_CACHE_HOME	Linux/macOS	Override the default cache directory (~/.cache). Kaimon stores data in $XDG_CACHE_HOME/kaimon/.
LOCALAPPDATA	Windows	Windows equivalent of the cache directory. Kaimon stores data in $LOCALAPPDATA/Kaimon/.

TUI Configuration

The TUI (Terminal User Interface) built on Tachikoma.jl supports customization of:

• Themes – Visual appearance of the TUI panels and widgets

• Layouts – Panel arrangement, sizes, and visibility

These settings are saved automatically via Tachikoma's preference system and persist across sessions. Use the TUI's built-in controls to adjust themes and layouts interactively.