Configuration Reference

Complete reference for ~/.contop/settings.json — all configurable fields, defaults, and behavior.

Settings File Location

Platform	Path
Windows	C:\Users\<name>\.contop\settings.json
macOS	/Users/<name>/.contop/settings.json
Linux	/home/<name>/.contop/settings.json

Created automatically with defaults on first server startup.

Full Schema

{
  "version": 1,
  "gemini_api_key": "",
  "openai_api_key": "",
  "anthropic_api_key": "",
  "openrouter_api_key": "",
  "provider_auth": {
    "gemini": { "mode": "api_key", "proxy_url": "" },
    "anthropic": { "mode": "api_key", "proxy_url": "" },
    "openai": { "mode": "api_key", "proxy_url": "" }
  },
  "proxy_auto_start": true,
  "conversation_system_prompt": "",
  "execution_system_prompt": "",
  "restricted_paths": [
    "/root",
    "/etc/shadow",
    "/etc/passwd",
    "C:\\Windows",
    "C:\\Windows\\System32",
    "C:\\Windows\\SysWOW64"
  ],
  "forbidden_commands": [
    "rm -rf /",
    "mkfs",
    "dd if=",
    "format C:",
    "del /f /s /q C:\\"
  ],
  "destructive_patterns": [
    "rm", "rmdir", "del", "deltree", "rd", "erase",
    "mv", "kill", "killall", "pkill", "taskkill",
    "shutdown", "halt", "reboot", "poweroff",
    "format", "mkfs", "fdisk", "dd",
    "DROP TABLE", "DROP DATABASE", "TRUNCATE",
    "remove-item", "move-item", "stop-process",
    "restart-computer", "stop-computer",
    "clear-content", "clear-item"
  ],
  "keep_host_awake": false,
  "enabled_skills": [],
  "away_mode": {
    "enabled": false,
    "pin_hash": "",
    "emergency_pin_hash": "",
    "auto_engage_minutes": 5,
    "idle_timeout_enabled": true
  },
  "pinchtab_url": "http://127.0.0.1:9867"
}

Field Reference

API Keys

Field	Type	Default	Description
gemini_api_key	string	""	Google Gemini API key
openai_api_key	string	""	OpenAI API key
anthropic_api_key	string	""	Anthropic API key
openrouter_api_key	string	""	OpenRouter API key (access to 100+ models)

API keys are stored as plaintext in settings.json. On startup, the desktop app runs migrate_keys_to_plaintext() to reverse-migrate any legacy DPAPI or keyring-encrypted keys from older installations. The GET /api/decrypted-keys endpoint still exists for backward compatibility but now reads plaintext keys directly from settings.

Subscription Auth

Field	Type	Default	Description
provider_auth.<provider>.mode	string	"api_key"	"api_key" or "cli_proxy"
provider_auth.<provider>.proxy_url	string	""	CLI proxy URL (e.g. http://localhost:3456)
proxy_auto_start	boolean	true	Auto-start CLI proxy processes with the server

Providers: gemini, anthropic, openai. When mode is "cli_proxy", the server routes LLM requests through the local CLI proxy instead of calling the API directly.

Vision limitation: CLI tools accept text only — no base64 images. In subscription mode, the execution agent's LLM vision fallback (direct screenshot analysis) is unavailable. The agent uses local vision backends and falls back to get_ui_context when none process a frame.

System Prompts

Field	Type	Default	Description
conversation_system_prompt	string	""	Custom mobile conversation model instructions
execution_system_prompt	string	""	Custom instructions appended to execution agent prompt

Empty strings use the built-in defaults. View defaults via GET /api/default-prompts.

Security

Field	Type	Default	Description
restricted_paths	string[]	OS system dirs	Paths that trigger sandbox routing
forbidden_commands	string[]	Destructive OS commands	Commands always routed to sandbox
destructive_patterns	string[]	rm, kill, shutdown, etc.	Patterns requiring user confirmation

Behavior

Field	Type	Default	Description
keep_host_awake	boolean	false	Prevent host from sleeping (persisted across restarts)
enabled_skills	string[]	[]	List of enabled skill names
pinchtab_url	string	"http://127.0.0.1:9867"	PinchTab browser automation endpoint

Away Mode

Field	Type	Default	Description
away_mode.enabled	boolean	false	Whether Away Mode is configured
away_mode.pin_hash	string	""	bcrypt hash of the unlock PIN
away_mode.emergency_pin_hash	string	""	bcrypt hash of the emergency PIN
away_mode.auto_engage_minutes	int	5	Idle timeout before auto-engaging (minutes)
away_mode.idle_timeout_enabled	boolean	true	Whether idle auto-engage is active

Required Keys

The following keys must always be present: version, restricted_paths, forbidden_commands.

Hot Reload

Settings are reloaded automatically when the file's st_mtime (modification timestamp) changes. The get_settings() function checks the mtime on each call — no polling or restart required.

Environment Variable Fallbacks

API keys can also be set via environment variables:

• GEMINI_API_KEY
• OPENAI_API_KEY
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
• OPENROUTER_API_KEY

The settings file is checked first; environment variables are used as a fallback when the settings value is empty.

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Related: Configuration Guide · REST API · Security Overview