Byte Configuration Settings

Byte's configuration system uses a YAML file located at .byte/config.yaml to control all aspects of the application's behavior. Configuration is organized into logical sections covering CLI behavior, LLM providers, file handling, and feature-specific settings.

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Boot

Field	Type	Default	Description
read_only_files	array[string]	-	Files to add to read-only context
editable_files	array[string]	-	Files to add to editable context

Cli

Field	Type	Default	Description
ui_theme	mocha, macchiato, latte, frappe	mocha	Catppuccin theme variant for the CLI interface (mocha/macchiato are dark, latte is light, frappe is cool dark)
syntax_theme	github-dark, bw, sas, staroffice, xcode, monokai, lightbulb, rrt	monokai	Pygments theme for code block syntax highlighting in CLI output

Edit_Format

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable_shell_commands	boolean	false	Enable execution of shell commands from AI responses. When disabled, shell command blocks will not be executed.
mask_message_count	integer	1	Number of recent AI messages to exclude from masking. Messages older than this count will have their SEARCH/REPLACE blocks removed to reduce token usage.

Files

Field	Type	Default	Description
ignore	array[string]	['.byte/cache', '.ruff_cache', '.idea', '.venv', '.env', '.git', '.pytest_cache', '__pycache__', 'node_modules', 'dist']	List of gitignore-style patterns to exclude from file discovery. Patterns support wildcards and are combined with .gitignore rules.

Files > Watch

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Enable file watching for AI comment markers (AI:, AI@, AI?, AI!). When enabled, Byte automatically detects changes and processes AI instructions.

Lint

Code linting and formatting configuration

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Enable or disable the linting functionality
commands	array[LintCommand]	[]	List of lint commands to run on files with their target extensions

Lint > LintCommand

Field	Type	Default	Description
command	array[string]	-	Command and arguments to execute for linting (e.g., ['ruff', 'check', '--fix'])
languages	array[string]	-	List of language names this command handles (e.g., ['python', 'php']). Empty list means all files.

Llm

Field	Type	Default	Description
model	anthropic, gemini, openai	anthropic	The LLM provider to use for AI operations

Llm > Gemini

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Whether this LLM provider is enabled and available for use
api_key	string	-	API key for authenticating with the LLM provider
model_params	object	-	Additional parameters to pass to the model initialization

Llm > Anthropic

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Whether this LLM provider is enabled and available for use
api_key	string	-	API key for authenticating with the LLM provider
model_params	object	-	Additional parameters to pass to the model initialization

Llm > Openai

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Whether this LLM provider is enabled and available for use
api_key	string	-	API key for authenticating with the LLM provider
model_params	object	-	Additional parameters to pass to the model initialization

Lsp

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Enable or disable LSP functionality
timeout	integer	30	Timeout in seconds for LSP requests
servers	object	-	Map of server names to their configurations

Presets

Field	Type	Default	Description
id	string	-	Unique identifier for the preset, used in /preset command
read_only_files	array[string]	-	Files to add to read-only context
editable_files	array[string]	-	Files to add to editable context
conventions	array[string]	-	Convention files to load
prompt	string | null	-	Preset prompt to load into chat input
load_on_boot	boolean	false	Automatically load this preset when byte starts

Web

Field	Type	Default	Description
enable	boolean	false	Enable web commands
chrome_binary_location	string	/usr/bin/google-chrome	Path to Chrome/Chromium binary executable for headless browser automation