Configuration and secrets

base config list
base config get graph.auto_compact
base config set devmode.enabled true

Configuration lives in base.toml and is addressed with dot-notation keys. Start with list, because it shows you the keys that exist and what they are currently set to, which beats guessing at a key name. Why it works. base.toml layers the same way everything else does: the workspace file overlays the global one by key, and inherits everything it does not override. So base config list inside a workspace shows you the merged result rather than one file.

The toggles worth knowing about

Key	Default	What it does
`devmode.enabled`	off	Adds a diagnostic block to hook output naming which domains matched and what was suppressed. While it is on, base does not update itself.
`multimodal.enabled`	off	Lets `base graph extract` read PDFs, images, audio and video, not just markdown.
`grounding.enabled`	off	Makes every prompt-time injection carry a block instructing the agent to source-verify factual claims.
`graph.auto_compact`	on	Auto-compacts a tier graph at session start once it passes the size threshold.
`graph.compact_threshold_mb`	12	The size that triggers it.
`graph.compact_cooldown_hours`	24	The minimum gap between compactions.
`graph.keep_backups`	3	Graph backups kept per tier, newest first. Was 10 before 0.16.0.
`graph.auto_migrate`	on	Runs the one-time store repair after an update, in the background.

The gotcha. devmode.enabled is for tuning, not for living in. The 0.7.0 to 0.15.2 installers turned it on for everyone; 0.16.0 installs with it off and turns the installer’s line off on the update. Turn it back on with base config set devmode.enabled true when you need it, and off again after, because it adds output to every hook event and Claude ends every reply with a DEVMODE block.

Settings added in 0.16.0

Key	Default	What it does
`budget.session_start_bytes`	10000	The most session start prints, in bytes.
`budget.prompt_bytes`	10000	The most the prompt hook prints, in bytes.
`budget.measured_on`	`2.1.287`	The Claude Code the budgets were measured on. `base doctor` says when yours differs; `base doctor --measure` re-measures.
`budget.memory_chars`	4000	The memory block at session start, filled with whole notes.
`budget.write_full_output`	on	Also writes each session’s untrimmed output to `.base/hook-output/<session id>/`.
`log.prompt_days`	90	Days the match log and the per-session output folders are kept.
`log.prompt_text`	`full`	How much of each prompt the match log keeps: `full` (secrets replaced), `matched` (only the words that matched), or `off`.
`match.bm25`	on	Ranks rules against each prompt so a tight budget holds back the weakest first. Off serves by keyword alone.
`match.min_score`	unset	When set, also serves a rule no keyword brought once its score reaches this.
`rules.topic_max`	5	Topic rules served per prompt, at most.
`rules.action_throttle_minutes`	10	An action rule shows at most once in this many minutes per session.
`corrections.enabled`	on	Notices when you correct the AI and asks it to file the correction. `corrections.phrases` and `corrections.markers` hold the words it looks for.
`tune.corrections`	3	Corrections after which the next prompt says a rule pass is due.
`tune.turns`	15	Prompts without a pass after which it is due, when one was corrected or matched nothing.
`tune.broad_share`	0.25	A rule change served on more than this share of recent prompts is flagged TOO BROAD.
`shadow.auto_promote`	on	Promotes a winning shadow candidate at session start. Off leaves it to `base shadow promote`.
`doctor.stale_next_days`	14	A project’s next step older than this is flagged.
`doctor.dead_days`	30	The window doctor’s usage section looks back over.
`defer.enabled`	off	Lets quiet handoffs, forks, tasks and milestones stop showing at session start. `defer.global_days` and `[defer.days]` set how quiet (10 days by default).
`relay.wake_nudge`	on	Shows the one-line inbox-watcher reminder to a session whose relay title is in use.

The 0.15 budget keys were counted in characters and named *_chars; the delivery budgets are now in bytes and named *_bytes, and the old names are still read. [signal] max_chars is read by nothing: the 0.16.0 update removes the installer’s 2000, and a different value you set yourself moves to budget.memory_chars. Next rung. grounding.enabled is the one people do not know about. If you are using base to hold facts you will act on, having every injection carry an instruction to verify claims against a source is worth the tokens it costs.

Secrets

base secret set GEMINI_API_KEY
base secret list
base secret rm GEMINI_API_KEY

Why it works. base secret set prompts with echo off. You paste the value, it is masked as you type, and it is never printed back. It lands in ~/.base-gbl/.env with 0600 permissions, and plugins read it from their environment. The point is the thing that does not happen: the key is never an argument, so it never reaches your shell history, and it is never typed into a chat, so it never reaches a transcript. The gotcha. base secret list shows key names with masked values and never the full secret, which is what makes it safe to run while someone is watching your screen. base secret rm is a hard delete with no preview. Next rung. .env is the one file in the global tier that should never be copied to another machine. Everything else there is either policy you wrote or state about this install. See Where things live.

Your identity

base operator init --name "Chris"
base operator show

The operator profile lives at ~/.base-gbl/operator.toml and is loaded alongside everything else, so an agent knows who it is working for without being told each session.

Extensions

Adding commands to base, and checking one before you trust it.

Setup reference

Every config, secret and operator command.

Get started

How it works

Guides

Reference

Known issues

Releases

Configuration and secrets

The toggles worth knowing about

Settings added in 0.16.0

Secrets

Your identity

Next

Extensions

Setup reference

​The toggles worth knowing about

​Settings added in 0.16.0

​Secrets

​Your identity

​Next

Extensions

Setup reference

The toggles worth knowing about

Settings added in 0.16.0

Secrets

Your identity

Next