Configuration

Thurm uses TOML. All settings are optional. Unset settings use their defaults. Find the active file with:

thurm config-path

The default is ~/.config/thurm/config.toml. THURM_CONFIG_DIR overrides the configuration directory. Otherwise, XDG_CONFIG_HOME changes the base directory to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/thurm. Set these variables before you start the app and CLI.

Create the parent directory if needed. Edit the file, then run thurm reload or press Cmd+Shift+,. Cmd+, opens the configuration file.

Example

[font]
size = 14.0
ligatures = true

[window]
tab_style = "native"
option_as_alt = "left"

[colors]
theme = "light:catppuccin-latte,dark:catppuccin-mocha"

[session]
quit = "detach"

Use the complete reference for defaults, value ranges, and optional settings. Copy only the sections you need. Do not repeat a TOML section header when you add more settings to that section.

Change settings from the CLI

thurm set font.size 14.0
thurm set font.ligatures true
thurm set window.tab_style native
thurm theme
thurm theme nord

set writes the setting and reloads the configuration. Strings can be bare. Other values use TOML syntax. Quote arrays to protect them from your shell:

thurm set font.features '["ss01", "zero"]'

thurm theme lists available themes. A theme can also be a file path. The light:NAME,dark:NAME form follows the system appearance. Explicit color settings override theme colors.

Settings groups

Section	Controls
font	Family, size, ligatures, spacing, fallback fonts, and symbols
window	Padding, opacity, blur, initial size, tabs, and pane appearance
cursor	Shape, blink, and thickness
colors	Theme and individual colors
terminal	Shell, scrollback, protocols, selection, and shell integration
terminal.env	Environment variables for shell processes
session	Saved sessions, quit behavior, and agent resume
security	Secure input and paste confirmation
notifications	Agent, command, program, and bell notifications
agents	Detection, launch presets, and custom definitions
ai	Optional on-device features
updates	Update channel, background checks, and automatic downloads
keybindings	Key combinations mapped to action names

Shell and environment changes apply to new processes. They do not change the environment of shells that are already running.

On-device AI

Set ai.enabled = true to enable the optional Apple Intelligence model. This needs macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon, and Apple Intelligence enabled in System Settings. Model processing stays on the Mac. Thurm skips model use while a password prompt is active.

The titles, status, notifications, and explain settings let you disable individual features. Use Edit > Explain Last Command or thurm explain to explain the last finished command. Agent status inference applies to agents without hooks.

Updates

Release builds use these defaults:

[updates]
channel = "auto"
check_automatically = true
download_automatically = false

auto follows the installed build: a Tip build receives Tip updates, and a Release build receives tagged releases. Set channel to release or tip to keep a fixed channel. Tip also accepts tagged releases.

Thurm > Update Channel writes the same setting as the CLI:

thurm set updates.channel tip
thurm set updates.check_automatically true
thurm set updates.download_automatically true

Thurm checks for updates about once an hour. A background check does not open a window. When it finds an update, an Update available badge appears in the bottom-right corner of each window. Click the badge to read the release notes and install. Thurm > Check for Updates… shows the result right away.

Automatic downloads install updates when Thurm quits. Use thurm set updates.channel auto to follow the installed build again. These settings require a build with an update feed and public signing key. They do not enable updates for a local build that has neither.