Configuration

Z.E.N. tries hard to need no configuration at all. Install it, fire a workflow, and you'll never open a config file. The settings exist for the moments you want to change something: pick a different default provider, point Z.E.N. at a Postgres database instead of the local SQLite, restrict the Slack bot to a specific user, or run two projects with different defaults.

Three layers, in increasing order of specificity: defaults baked into the binary, a YAML file in ~/.zen/config.yaml (your machine), and a YAML file in .zen/config.yaml (this project). Environment variables override all three. The lower layers fill in what the higher ones don't set; you only write the keys you want to change.

Advanced: full configuration reference

Z.E.N. supports a layered configuration system with sensible defaults, optional YAML config files, and environment variable overrides. For a quick introduction, see Getting Started: Configuration.

Directory Structure

User-Level (~/.zen/)

~/.zen/
├── workspaces/owner/repo/  # Project-centric layout
│   ├── source/             # Clone or symlink -> local path
│   ├── worktrees/          # Git worktrees for this project
│   ├── artifacts/          # Workflow artifacts
│   └── logs/               # Workflow execution logs
├── zen.db               # SQLite database (when DATABASE_URL not set)
└── config.yaml             # Global configuration (optional)

Repository-Level (.zen/)

.zen/
├── commands/       # Custom commands
│   └── plan.md
├── workflows/      # Workflow definitions (YAML files)
└── config.yaml     # Repo-specific configuration (optional)

Configuration Priority

Settings are loaded in this order (later overrides earlier):

Defaults - Sensible built-in defaults
Global Config - ~/.zen/config.yaml
Repo Config - .zen/config.yaml in repository
Environment Variables - Always highest priority

Global Configuration

Create ~/.zen/config.yaml for user-wide preferences:

yaml

# Default provider
defaultAssistant: claude # or 'codex'

# Assistant defaults
assistants:
  claude:
    model: sonnet
    settingSources:   # Which CLAUDE.md files the SDK loads (default: ['project'])
      - project       # Project-level CLAUDE.md (always recommended)
      - user          # Also load ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (global preferences)
  codex:
    model: gpt-5.3-codex
    modelReasoningEffort: medium
    webSearchMode: disabled
    additionalDirectories:
      - /absolute/path/to/other/repo

# Streaming preferences per platform
streaming:
  telegram: stream # 'stream' or 'batch'
  slack: batch
  github: batch

# Custom paths (usually not needed)
paths:
  workspaces: ~/.zen/workspaces
  worktrees: ~/.zen/worktrees

# Concurrency limits
concurrency:
  maxConversations: 10

# Env-leak gate bypass (last resort; weakens a security control)
# allow_target_repo_keys: false  # Set true to skip the env-leak-gate
                                 # globally for all codebases on this machine.
                                 # `env_leak_gate_disabled` is logged once per
                                 # process per source. See security.md.

Repository Configuration

Create .zen/config.yaml in any repository for project-specific settings:

yaml

# provider for this project (used as default provider for workflows)
assistant: claude

# Assistant defaults (override global)
assistants:
  claude:
    model: sonnet
    settingSources:  # Override global settingSources for this repo
      - project
  codex:
    model: gpt-5.3-codex
    webSearchMode: live

# Commands configuration
commands:
  folder: .zen/commands
  autoLoad: true

# Worktree settings
worktree:
  baseBranch: main  # Optional: auto-detected from git when not set
  copyFiles:  # Optional: Additional files to copy to worktrees
    - .env.example -> .env  # Rename during copy
    - .vscode               # Copy entire directory

# Documentation directory
docs:
  path: docs  # Optional: default is docs/

# Defaults configuration
defaults:
  loadDefaultCommands: true   # Load app's bundled default commands at runtime
  loadDefaultWorkflows: true  # Load app's bundled default workflows at runtime

# Concurrency policy (opt-in; default off)
concurrency:
  allowParallelWorkflows: false   # When true, different workflow names can run
                                  # in parallel on the same cwd. The dispatch
                                  # lock scopes by (working_path, workflow_name)
                                  # instead of working_path alone. Same-name
                                  # back-to-back dispatches still block
                                  # themselves. Useful for fleets that share a
                                  # cwd with `worktree.enabled: false`.

# Default subprocess timeouts for bash/script nodes (ms).
# Per-node `timeout:` in the workflow yaml always overrides these.
# Values must be positive integers ≤ 2147483647 (≈24.8 days); invalid values
# are ignored and the built-in 2-minute default applies.
timeouts:
  bash: 600000                    # 10 minutes for bash nodes
  script: 900000                  # 15 minutes for script nodes

# Per-project environment variables for workflow execution (Claude SDK only)
# Injected into the Claude subprocess env. Use the Web UI Settings panel for secrets.
# env:
#   MY_API_KEY: value
#   CUSTOM_ENDPOINT: https://...

# Per-repo override for the env-leak-gate bypass.
# Set to `false` to re-enable the gate for THIS repo even when the global
# config has `allow_target_repo_keys: true`. Set to `true` to grant the
# bypass for THIS repo only. Wins over the global flag in either direction.
# allow_target_repo_keys: false

Claude settingSources

Controls which CLAUDE.md files the Claude Agent SDK loads during sessions:

Value	Description
`project`	Load the project's `CLAUDE.md` (default, always included)
`user`	Also load `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` (user's global preferences)

Default: ['project']; only project-level instructions are loaded.

Set in global or repo config:

yaml

assistants:
  claude:
    settingSources:
      - project
      - user

This is useful when you maintain coding style or identity preferences in ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and want Z.E.N. sessions to respect them.

Default behavior: When a workflow opts into a worktree via worktree.enabled: true, the .zen/ directory is copied automatically (artifacts, plans, workflows). Use copyFiles only for additional files like .env or .vscode.

Defaults behavior: The app's bundled default commands and workflows are loaded at runtime and merged with repo-specific ones. Repo commands/workflows override app defaults by name. Set defaults.loadDefaultCommands: false or defaults.loadDefaultWorkflows: false to disable runtime loading.

Base branch behavior: Before creating a worktree, the canonical workspace is synced to the latest code. Resolution order:

If worktree.baseBranch is set: Uses the configured branch. Fails with an error if the branch doesn't exist on remote (no silent fallback).
If omitted: Auto-detects the default branch via git remote show origin. Works without any config for standard repos.
If auto-detection fails and a workflow references $BASE_BRANCH: Fails with an error explaining the resolution chain.

Docs path behavior: The docs.path setting controls where the $DOCS_DIR variable points. When not configured, $DOCS_DIR defaults to docs/. Unlike $BASE_BRANCH, this variable always has a safe default and never throws an error. Configure it when your documentation lives outside the standard docs/ directory (e.g., packages/docs).

Environment Variables

Environment variables override all other configuration. They are organized by category below.

Core

Variable	Description	Default
`ZEN_HOME`	Base directory for all Z.E.N.-managed files	`~/.zen`
`PORT`	HTTP server listen port	`3090` (auto-allocated in worktrees)
`LOG_LEVEL`	Logging verbosity (`fatal`, `error`, `warn`, `info`, `debug`, `trace`)	`info`
`BOT_DISPLAY_NAME`	Bot name shown in batch-mode "starting" messages	`Z.E.N.`
`DEFAULT_AI_ASSISTANT`	Default provider (`claude` or `codex`)	`claude`
`MAX_CONCURRENT_CONVERSATIONS`	Maximum concurrent AI conversations	`10`
`SESSION_RETENTION_DAYS`	Delete inactive sessions older than N days	`30`

AI Providers; Claude

Variable	Description	Default
`CLAUDE_USE_GLOBAL_AUTH`	Use global auth from `claude /login` (`true`/`false`)	Auto-detect
`CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN`	Explicit OAuth token (alternative to global auth)	;
`CLAUDE_API_KEY`	Explicit API key (alternative to global auth)	;
`TITLE_GENERATION_MODEL`	Lightweight model for generating conversation titles	SDK default
`ZEN_CLAUDE_FIRST_EVENT_TIMEOUT_MS`	Timeout (ms) before Claude subprocess is considered hung (throws with diagnostic log)	`60000`

When CLAUDE_USE_GLOBAL_AUTH is unset, Z.E.N. auto-detects: it uses explicit tokens if present, otherwise falls back to global auth.

AI Providers; Codex

Variable	Description	Default
`CODEX_ID_TOKEN`	Codex ID token (from `~/.codex/auth.json`)	;
`CODEX_ACCESS_TOKEN`	Codex access token	;
`CODEX_REFRESH_TOKEN`	Codex refresh token	;
`CODEX_ACCOUNT_ID`	Codex account ID	;

Platform Adapters; Slack

Variable	Description	Default
`SLACK_BOT_TOKEN`	Slack bot token (`xoxb-...`)	;
`SLACK_APP_TOKEN`	Slack app-level token for Socket Mode (`xapp-...`)	;
`SLACK_ALLOWED_USER_IDS`	Comma-separated Slack user IDs for whitelist	Open access
`SLACK_STREAMING_MODE`	Streaming mode (`stream` or `batch`)	`batch`

Platform Adapters; Telegram

Variable	Description	Default
`TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN`	Telegram bot token from @BotFather	;
`TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USER_IDS`	Comma-separated Telegram user IDs for whitelist	Open access
`TELEGRAM_STREAMING_MODE`	Streaming mode (`stream` or `batch`)	`stream`

Platform Adapters; GitHub

Variable	Description	Default
`GITHUB_TOKEN`	GitHub personal access token (also used by `gh` CLI)	;
`GH_TOKEN`	Alias for `GITHUB_TOKEN` (used by GitHub CLI)	;
`WEBHOOK_SECRET`	HMAC SHA-256 secret for GitHub webhook signature verification	;
`GITHUB_ALLOWED_USERS`	Comma-separated GitHub usernames for whitelist (case-insensitive)	Open access
`GITHUB_BOT_MENTION`	@mention name the bot responds to in issues/PRs	Falls back to `BOT_DISPLAY_NAME`

Database

Variable	Description	Default
`DATABASE_URL`	PostgreSQL connection string (omit to use SQLite)	SQLite at `~/.zen/zen.db`

Web UI

Variable	Description	Default
`WEB_UI_ORIGIN`	CORS origin for API routes (restrict when exposing publicly)	`*` (allow all)
`WEB_UI_DEV`	When set, skip serving static frontend (Vite dev server used instead)	;

Worktree Management

Variable	Description	Default
`STALE_THRESHOLD_DAYS`	Days before an inactive worktree is considered stale	`14`
`MAX_WORKTREES_PER_CODEBASE`	Max worktrees per codebase before auto-cleanup	`25`
`CLEANUP_INTERVAL_HOURS`	How often the background cleanup service runs	`6`

Docker / Deployment

Variable	Description	Default
`ZEN_DATA`	Host path for Z.E.N. data (workspaces, worktrees, artifacts)	Docker-managed volume
`DOMAIN`	Public domain for Caddy reverse proxy (TLS auto-provisioned)	;
`CADDY_BASIC_AUTH`	Caddy basicauth directive to protect Web UI and API	Disabled
`AUTH_USERNAME`	Username for form-based auth (Caddy forward_auth)	;
`AUTH_PASSWORD_HASH`	Bcrypt hash for form-based auth password (escape `$` as `$$` in Compose)	;
`COOKIE_SECRET`	64-hex-char secret for auth session cookies	;
`AUTH_SERVICE_PORT`	Port for the auth service container	`9000`
`COOKIE_MAX_AGE`	Auth cookie lifetime in seconds	`86400`

`.env` File Locations

Infrastructure configuration (database URL, platform tokens) is stored in .env files:

Component	Location	Purpose
CLI	`~/.zen/.env`	Global infrastructure config; CWD .env keys stripped before loading (no `override` needed)
Server (dev)	`<zen-repo>/.env` + `~/.zen/.env`	Repo `.env` for platform tokens; `~/.zen/.env` loaded with `override: true`
Server (binary)	`~/.zen/.env`	Single source of truth (repo `.env` path is not available in compiled binaries)

How it works: At startup, the CLI strips all keys that Bun auto-loaded from the current working directory (from .env, .env.local, .env.development, .env.production) before loading ~/.zen/.env. This ensures CWD repo keys are fully removed rather than merely overridden. Target repo env vars cannot reach AI subprocesses; SUBPROCESS_ENV_ALLOWLIST blocks all non-whitelisted keys.

Best practice: Use ~/.zen/.env as the single source of truth:

bash

# Create global config
mkdir -p ~/.zen
cp .env.example ~/.zen/.env
# Edit with your values

Docker Configuration

In Docker containers, paths are automatically set:

/.zen/
├── workspaces/owner/repo/
│   ├── source/
│   ├── worktrees/
│   ├── artifacts/
│   └── logs/
└── zen.db

Environment variables still work and override defaults.

Command Folder Detection

When cloning or switching repositories, Z.E.N. looks for commands in this priority order:

.zen/commands/ - Always searched first
Configured folder from commands.folder in .zen/config.yaml (if specified)

Example .zen/config.yaml:

yaml

commands:
  folder: .claude/commands/zen  # Additional folder to search
  autoLoad: true

Examples

Minimal Setup (Using Defaults)

No configuration needed. Z.E.N. works out of the box with:

~/.zen/ for all managed files
Claude as default provider
Platform-appropriate streaming modes

Custom AI Preference

yaml

# ~/.zen/config.yaml
defaultAssistant: codex

Project-Specific Settings

yaml

# .zen/config.yaml in your repo
assistant: claude  # Workflows inherit this provider unless they specify their own
commands:
  autoLoad: true

Custom storage path

Set ZEN_HOME to relocate workspaces, the database, and config to a different directory. Beta users running Docker get the full container reference as part of their onboarding kit.

Streaming Modes

Each platform adapter supports two streaming modes, configured via environment variable or ~/.zen/config.yaml.

Stream Mode

Messages are sent in real-time as the AI generates responses.

ini

TELEGRAM_STREAMING_MODE=stream
SLACK_STREAMING_MODE=stream

Pros:

Real-time feedback and progress indication
More interactive and engaging
See AI reasoning as it works

Cons:

More API calls to platform
May hit rate limits with very long responses
Creates many messages/comments

Best for: Interactive chat platforms (Telegram)

Batch Mode

Only the final summary message is sent after AI completes processing.

ini

TELEGRAM_STREAMING_MODE=batch
SLACK_STREAMING_MODE=batch

Pros:

Single coherent message/comment
Fewer API calls
No spam or clutter

Cons:

No progress indication during processing
Longer wait for first response
Can't see intermediate steps

Best for: Issue trackers and async platforms (GitHub)

Platform Defaults

Platform	Default Mode
Telegram	`stream`
Slack	`batch`
GitHub	`batch`
Web UI	SSE streaming (always real-time, not configurable)

Concurrency Settings

Control how many conversations the system processes simultaneously:

ini

MAX_CONCURRENT_CONVERSATIONS=10  # Default: 10

How it works:

Conversations are processed with a lock manager
If the max concurrent limit is reached, new messages are queued
Prevents resource exhaustion and API rate limits
Each conversation maintains its own independent context

Tuning guidance:

Resources	Recommended Setting
Low resources	3-5
Standard	10 (default)
High resources	20-30 (monitor API limits)

Health Check Endpoints

The application exposes health check endpoints for monitoring:

Basic Health Check:

bash

curl http://localhost:3090/health

Returns: {"status":"ok"}

Database Connectivity:

bash

curl http://localhost:3090/health/db

Returns: {"status":"ok","database":"connected"}

Concurrency Status:

bash

curl http://localhost:3090/health/concurrency

Returns: {"status":"ok","active":0,"queued":0,"maxConcurrent":10}

Use cases:

Docker healthcheck configuration
Load balancer health checks
Monitoring and alerting systems (Prometheus, Datadog, etc.)
CI/CD deployment verification

Troubleshooting

Config Parse Errors

If your config file has invalid YAML syntax, you'll see error messages like:

[Config] Failed to parse global config at ~/.zen/config.yaml: <error details>
[Config] Using default configuration. Please fix the YAML syntax in your config file.

Common YAML syntax issues:

Incorrect indentation (use spaces, not tabs)
Missing colons after keys
Unquoted values with special characters

The application will continue running with default settings until the config file is fixed.

Configuration ​

Advanced: full configuration reference ​

Directory Structure ​

User-Level (~/.zen/) ​

Repository-Level (.zen/) ​

Configuration Priority ​

Global Configuration ​

Repository Configuration ​

Claude settingSources ​

Environment Variables ​

Core ​

AI Providers; Claude ​

AI Providers; Codex ​

Platform Adapters; Slack ​

Platform Adapters; Telegram ​

Platform Adapters; GitHub ​

Database ​

Web UI ​

Worktree Management ​

Docker / Deployment ​

.env File Locations ​

Docker Configuration ​

Command Folder Detection ​

Examples ​

Minimal Setup (Using Defaults) ​

Custom AI Preference ​

Project-Specific Settings ​

Custom storage path ​

Streaming Modes ​

Stream Mode ​

Batch Mode ​

Platform Defaults ​

Concurrency Settings ​

Health Check Endpoints ​

Troubleshooting ​

Config Parse Errors ​

Configuration

Advanced: full configuration reference

Directory Structure

User-Level (~/.zen/)

Repository-Level (.zen/)

Configuration Priority

Global Configuration

Repository Configuration

Claude settingSources

Environment Variables

Core

AI Providers; Claude

AI Providers; Codex

Platform Adapters; Slack

Platform Adapters; Telegram

Platform Adapters; GitHub

Database

Web UI

Worktree Management

Docker / Deployment

`.env` File Locations

Docker Configuration

Command Folder Detection

Examples

Minimal Setup (Using Defaults)

Custom AI Preference

Project-Specific Settings

Custom storage path

Streaming Modes

Stream Mode

Batch Mode

Platform Defaults

Concurrency Settings

Health Check Endpoints

Troubleshooting

Config Parse Errors