Configuration

Seepient merges configuration across layers in this precedence order:

1. CLI command flags (highest precedence)
2. Environment variables
3. Workspace configuration file (.seepient/setting.json in current directory)
4. User global configuration file (~/.seepient/setting.json)
5. Built-in defaults (lowest precedence)

Managing settings interactively

The recommended way to configure providers and models is the interactive setup wizard:

seepient setup

The wizard writes validated configuration directly to ~/.seepient/setting.json and manages credentials securely in your operating system keychain when available.

Configuration file format

Configuration files (setting.json) use standard JSON format. Below is an annotated example of supported settings:

{
  "smtpHost": "smtp.example.com",
  "smtpPort": "587",
  "smtpUser": "agent@example.com",
  "tavilyApiKey": "tvly-sample-key",
  "autoConfirm": false,
  "permissions": {
    "consentMode": "edit-enabled",
    "approvalTimeoutMs": 600000,
    "trustedHostAllowlist": ["use_skill"]
  },
  "server": {
    "maxBodyBytes": 10485760,
    "maxSteps": 50,
    "rateLimitRpm": 120
  },
  "gatewayEnabled": true
}

Provider credentials and model routing are configured interactively via seepient setup, in the TUI Model & Provider Dock (Ctrl+M or /models), or via CLI commands (seepient auth login, seepient providers add). Seepient never reads provider API keys from the environment; embedders can inject a custom credential store through the SDK.

Environment variables

Tool integrations

Variable	Integration	Purpose
TAVILY_API_KEY	Tavily	Real-time web search tool (web_search)
SMTP_HOST	SMTP Email	Mail server host (send_email)
SMTP_PORT	SMTP Email	Mail server port
SMTP_USER	SMTP Email	Username for authentication
SMTP_PASS	SMTP Email	Password or app password
FEISHU_WEBHOOK	Feishu	Webhook endpoint for send_notification
DINGTALK_WEBHOOK	DingTalk	Webhook endpoint for send_notification
WECOM_WEBHOOK	WeCom	Webhook endpoint for send_notification

System and security settings

Variable	Default	Purpose
SEEPIENT_CONSENT_MODE	edit-enabled	Consent mode: ask-everything, edit-enabled (default), or autonomous
SEEPIENT_SESSION_DIR	~/.seepient/sessions (CLI) / ./.seepient/sessions (Server)	Directory for persisted conversation history
SEEPIENT_SKILLS_PATH	unset	Colon-separated list of custom skill directories
SEEPIENT_UNCONTAINED	unset	Set to 1 to run without platform sandbox containment
SEEPIENT_PORT	7337	Port for the HTTP/WebSocket server
SEEPIENT_HOST	127.0.0.1	Host interface for HTTP/WebSocket server (127.0.0.1 loopback, 0.0.0.0 all interfaces)

Consent modes

Seepient provides three consent modes that determine when user confirmation is requested before executing tools:

ask-everything

Every tool call that causes external side effects requires confirmation. Read-only operations like reading a file run automatically, while shell executions and file writes prompt for confirmation.

edit-enabled (default)

Permits routine workspace edits, reads, and normal development tools without prompts. Shell commands or actions outside the workspace boundary prompt for confirmation.

autonomous

Actions within the configured working directory run without confirmation. Useful for continuous integration runners, Docker containers, and batch scripts where no interactive terminal is attached.