Config File

Magic Shell stores configuration in ~/.magic-shell/config.json.

Location

Platform	Path
macOS	~/.magic-shell/config.json
Linux	~/.magic-shell/config.json
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\.magic-shell\config.json

Default Configuration

{
  "provider": "opencode-zen",
  "defaultModel": "big-pickle",
  "safetyLevel": "moderate",
  "dryRunByDefault": false,
  "repoContext": false,
  "theme": "opencode",
  "blockedCommands": [],
  "confirmedDangerousPatterns": []
}

Options Reference

provider

The AI provider to use for translations.

Value	Description
"opencode-zen"	OpenCode Zen (default, has free models)
"openrouter"	OpenRouter

{
  "provider": "opencode-zen"
}

defaultModel

The model ID to use for translations.

{
  "defaultModel": "big-pickle"
}

Run msh --models to see available models for your provider.

safetyLevel

Controls when commands require confirmation.

Value	Description
"strict"	Confirm all potentially risky commands
"moderate"	Confirm high and critical severity (default)
"relaxed"	Only block critical severity

{
  "safetyLevel": "moderate"
}

dryRunByDefault

When true, always show commands without executing them.

{
  "dryRunByDefault": false
}

repoContext

When true, Magic Shell detects your project type and available commands. This sends minimal, non-sensitive information (script names, not contents) to the AI for better context.

Detected project types:

• Node.js: Reads package.json scripts and detects package manager (npm, bun, yarn, pnpm)
• Makefile: Extracts make targets
• Rust: Knows standard cargo commands
• Python: Detects pyproject.toml, setup.py, requirements.txt
• Go: Detects go.mod

{
  "repoContext": true
}

Enable via CLI:

msh --repo-context   # Enable permanently
msh -r "run tests"   # Use for single command

theme

Color theme for TUI mode and CLI output.

Available themes:

• "opencode" (default)
• "tokyonight"
• "catppuccin"
• "gruvbox"
• "nord"
• "dracula"
• "one-dark"
• "matrix"

{
  "theme": "opencode"
}

blockedCommands

Array of command patterns to always block.

{
  "blockedCommands": [
    "DROP TABLE",
    "TRUNCATE",
    "format c:"
  ]
}

confirmedDangerousPatterns

Patterns you’ve previously confirmed as safe for your use case.

{
  "confirmedDangerousPatterns": [
    "rm -rf node_modules",
    "docker system prune"
  ]
}

Example Configurations

Strict Mode for Production

{
  "provider": "opencode-zen",
  "defaultModel": "big-pickle",
  "safetyLevel": "strict",
  "dryRunByDefault": true,
  "theme": "nord"
}

Relaxed Mode for Development

{
  "provider": "opencode-zen",
  "defaultModel": "big-pickle",
  "safetyLevel": "relaxed",
  "dryRunByDefault": false,
  "theme": "dracula"
}

OpenRouter with Premium Model

{
  "provider": "openrouter",
  "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4.5",
  "safetyLevel": "moderate",
  "dryRunByDefault": false,
  "theme": "catppuccin"
}

Editing the Config

Via CLI

Most settings can be changed via CLI options:

msh --provider openrouter
msh --model claude-sonnet-4.5
msh --theme tokyonight

Manually

Edit the file directly:

# Open in your editor
$EDITOR ~/.magic-shell/config.json

Via TUI

In TUI mode, use Ctrl+X C to view config and various shortcuts to change settings.

Config Directory

The ~/.magic-shell/ directory also contains:

File	Description
config.json	Main configuration
history.json	Command history (if enabled)

Resetting Configuration

To reset to defaults, delete the config file:

rm ~/.magic-shell/config.json

A new default config will be created on next run.