Configuration

Onadit reads 1 JSON file when the engine starts. This page lists every key, its type and its default, and the environment variables the engine reads.

The file#

Location	`~/Library/Application Support/Rift/data/config.json`
Override	`--config <path>` on any command, or the `RIFT_CONFIG` environment variable
Format	JSON
Read	Once, when the engine starts. Restart the engine after a change.
Unknown keys	Rejected. A file with a key this version does not know fails to load.

Restart the engine with:

launchctl kickstart -k gui/$UID/com.getrift.daemon

The default file#

This is what the installer writes. Capture and enrichment are off.

config.json

{
  "sources": [
    { "path": "~/Library/Application Support/Rift/data/inbox", "extraction": "cloud", "mode": "watch", "scope": "project" }
  ],
  "embedding": { "provider": "voyage", "model": "voyage-3-lite" },
  "data_paths": {
    "data_dir": "~/Library/Application Support/Rift/data",
    "jobs_dir": "~/Library/Application Support/Rift/jobs"
  },
  "rate_limit": { "window_ms": 60000, "max_requests": 100 },
  "capture": { "enabled": false, "interval_seconds": 3600, "sources": ["claude_code", "codex_cli"] },
  "enrichment": { "ai_metadata": false }
}

The real file holds absolute paths. They are shortened to ~ here.

Keys#

sources#

Folders whose documents Onadit indexes. At least 1 is required. The default is the inbox.

Key	Type	Default	Meaning
`sources[].path`	string	required	An absolute folder path
`sources[].extraction`	`"cloud"` or `"local"`	required	Where the text is embedded: with Voyage, or on your Mac with Ollama
`sources[].mode`	`"watch"` or `"scheduled_scan"`	required	Watch the folder for changes, or scan it on a schedule
`sources[].scope`	`"client"`, `"project"` or `"document"`	required	How results from this folder are grouped
`sources[].client_name`	string	none	Required when `scope` is `"client"`
`sources[].exclude`	string array	none	Relative paths inside the folder to skip
`scan.interval_seconds`	integer	`604800`	How often scheduled sources are scanned. The default is 7 days

capture#

Key	Type	Default	Meaning
`capture.enabled`	boolean	`false`	Turns scheduled Capture on
`capture.interval_seconds`	integer	`3600`	Seconds between runs
`capture.sources`	string array	`["claude_code", "codex_cli"]`	Any of `claude_code`, `codex_cli`, `cursor_composer`, `claude_desktop_sessions`, `grok_cli`
`capture.triage.provider`	`"codex_cli"` or `"claude_code"`	`"codex_cli"`	Which of your tools judges and summarises sessions
`capture.codex_cli.max_session_bytes`	integer	8 MB	Codex sessions above this size are set aside
`capture.cursor.max_session_bytes`	integer	4 MB	The same, for Cursor sessions
`codex_cli.model`	string	none	The Codex model to use, if your plan does not offer the default

embedding and enrichment#

Key	Type	Default	Meaning
`embedding.provider`	`"voyage"`	required	The embedding provider for Search by meaning
`embedding.model`	string	`"voyage-3-lite"`	The embedding model. A key provided by Onadit sets this to `voyage-4-lite`
`embedding.base_url`	URL	Voyage's API	Another endpoint for the same API
`embedding.output_dimension`	integer	none	The vector size to request
`voyage.project_label`	string	none	A display name for the Voyage project
`enrichment.ai_metadata`	boolean	`false`	Let one of your tools write richer summaries on import
`enrichment.metadata.provider`	`"codex_cli"` or `"claude_code"`	`"codex_cli"`	Which tool writes them
`local_generation.enabled`	boolean	`false`	Use a local Ollama model for summaries and digests
`local_generation.runtime`	`"ollama"`	none	Required when enabled
`local_generation.mode`	`"strict_local_only"`	`"strict_local_only"`	The only mode. Summaries never leave the Mac
`local_generation.base_url`	URL	`"http://localhost:11434"`	Where Ollama listens
`local_generation.metadata_model`	string	none	Required when enabled
`local_generation.digest_model`	string	none	Required when enabled

server and limits#

Key	Type	Default	Meaning
`server.port`	integer	`3577`	The engine's port. The installer and `rift update` assume 3577
`server.host`	`"127.0.0.1"`	`"127.0.0.1"`	Cannot be changed. The engine never listens on the network
`rate_limit.window_ms`	integer	required	The length of the rate-limit window
`rate_limit.max_requests`	integer	required	Requests allowed per window
`request_limits.json_body_limit_bytes`	integer	`10485760`	Largest JSON request, 10 MB
`request_limits.multipart_limit_bytes`	integer	`104857600`	Largest upload, 100 MB
`request_limits.read_timeout_ms`	integer	`30000`	Timeout for reads
`request_limits.mutation_timeout_ms`	integer	`120000`	Timeout for writes

storage and schedules#

Key	Type	Default	Meaning
`data_paths.data_dir`	string	`"data"`	Where the archive lives. A relative path is resolved from the config file's folder
`data_paths.jobs_dir`	string	`"jobs"`	Where the job queue lives
`compaction.age_threshold_days`	integer	`30`	Conversations older than this move to the cold table

Reserved and internal keys#

The file accepts these keys, but you should not need them. They are listed so the reference is complete.

Key	Type	Default	Status
`compaction.schedule`	cron string	`"0 2 * * 0"`	Reserved. Nothing reads it in this version. Compaction runs when you call `rift compact`
`cron.cron_enabled`	boolean	`false`	Reserved for scheduled jobs
`openai.max_cost_per_batch_usd`	number	`5`	Reserved. This version makes no call to OpenAI's API
`openai.max_parallel_requests`	integer	`4`	Reserved, as above
`auth.test_token`	string	none	Internal. For automated tests

Your Voyage key#

If you use your own Voyage key for Search by meaning, it is kept in ~/.rift.env, readable by you only, as VOYAGE_API_KEY. The engine loads that file when it starts. It reads 3 names from it and ignores the rest: VOYAGE_API_KEY, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY and HUBSPOT_ACCESS_TOKEN. Only the first is needed for anything on this page. Replace the key with:

rift onboard --reconfigure-voyage

Environment variables#

The engine is started by launchd, so it does not see what you export in your shell. To set a variable for the engine, add it to EnvironmentVariables in ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.getrift.daemon.plist. The package installer keeps those entries when you update.

Variable	Purpose
`RIFT_CONFIG`	The config file the command line uses by default
`VOYAGE_API_KEY`	The embedding key. Without it, search is keyword only
`RIFT_CLAUDE_CLI_PATH`	The `claude` binary to use when Claude Code judges or summarises sessions
`CODEX_HOME`	Codex's home folder
`CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR`	Claude Code's config folder
`RIFT_SWIFTBAR_PLUGIN_DIR`	SwiftBar's plugin folder, if it is not the default
`RIFT_POLICY_DISABLED`	`1` turns the Claude Code hook into a no-op
`RIFT_DISABLE_AI_METADATA`	`1` forces plain summaries, with no AI tool involved
`RIFT_DISABLE_WATCHERS`	`1` stops the engine from watching folders

Switches for features that are off by default#

Variable	Effect
`RIFT_CHUNKING`	`1` splits long conversations into passages when they are indexed
`RIFT_INDEX_CARDS`	`1` lets short cards for report files into search results
`RIFT_FEEDBACK_RANKING`	`1` lets recorded outcomes influence ranking
`RIFT_CONV_DEDUP`	`0` turns off the merging of duplicate conversations in results. On by default
`RIFT_CANONICAL_FILES`	`0` stops project tracker files from being read into context packs. On by default
`RIFT_RECEIPT`	`0` removes the 1-line note about what Onadit recalled from responses. On by default

Internal and development variables#

You should not need these. They are listed so the reference is complete.

Variable	Used by	Purpose
`RIFT_LOCATOR_BOOST`, `RIFT_LOCATOR_DEMOTE_EXCEPTION`	Engine	Ranking experiments
`RIFT_CURSOR_CAPTURE`, `RIFT_CURSOR_SHOW_TITLES`	Engine	One-off Cursor discovery, and showing Cursor session titles
`RIFT_KEY_RELAY_URL`	Engine	Another address for the key service
`RIFT_COMMIT`	Engine	The commit reported in build information
`RIFT_TRACE_WORKER`, `RIFT_TRACE_WORKER_PATH`	Engine	Tracing of worker processes
`NODE_ENV`	Engine	Set to `production` by the launch agent
`RIFT_SKIP_POSTINSTALL_MENUBAR`, `RIFT_POSTINSTALL_MENUBAR`	npm install	Whether the menu-bar step runs after an npm install
`RIFT_PACKAGE_SPEC`, `RIFT_SKIP_BOOTSTRAP`, `RIFT_INSTALL_DEBUG`, `RIFT_INSTALL_RESOLVE_ONLY`, `RIFT_HEALTH_TIMEOUT_S`, `RIFT_BOOTOUT_PORT_FREE_DECISECONDS`	Terminal installer	Which package to install, debugging, and timeouts
`RIFT_BASE_URL`, `RIFT_LOG_DIR`, `RIFT_CODEX_BIN`	Menu-bar item	Where the engine, the logs and Codex are
`RIFT_APP_HOME`, `RIFT_APP_NODE`, `RIFT_APP_CLI`, `RIFT_APP_CONFIG`, `RIFT_APP_LAUNCHD_LABEL`	Rift.app	Development and tests only

Last updated 12 October 2026. This page is also available as Markdown, and every page is listed in llms.txt.