Config File

Where Otty keeps its settings, how to edit the file by hand, and how changes take effect.

Most settings have a control in the Settings panel, and the panel writes the same file for you — so you rarely have to touch it. But editing the file directly is handy when you want to version-control your setup, copy it between machines, comment your choices, or set a key that only lives in the file.

Where it is

~/.config/otty/config.toml

Despite the .toml extension, the file is parsed as Ghostty-style key = value lines — one assignment per line, # for comments. It is not real TOML; quotes around string values are optional. This keeps the file portable for people coming from Ghostty.

The file doesn't have to exist — Otty runs on defaults until you create it. If you've only ever used the Settings panel, the panel created it the first time you changed something.

Opening it

The quickest way is from the app:

1. Open Settings (⌘,, or Otty menu → Settings…).
2. Go to the Advanced tab.
3. Under Config File, the Path row shows the exact location, and Open Config File opens it in your default editor — creating an empty file first if you don't have one yet.

Or just open ~/.config/otty/config.toml in any editor directly.

Editing it

Each line sets one key:

# A comment
font-family = "JetBrains Mono"
font-size   = 14
background-opacity = 0.95
theme = Nord

# Repeat a key to add list entries
keybind = cmd+shift+t=new_tab

• One assignment per line; whitespace around = is optional.
• Unknown keys are silently ignored, so a typo won't break startup and a config written for a newer Otty still loads on an older build.
• ~ and $VAR expand inside string values (working-directory = ~/projects).
• include = <path> pulls in another file; later includes win, and the main file is read last.

For the full grammar see Config File Format, and for every available key and its default see the Configuration Reference.

Reloading

Saving the file applies the changes immediately to every open window — no restart, no signal. Otty watches the file and hot-reloads it.

If you ever need to force a re-read (for example after editing an included file), use Settings → Advanced → Config File → Reload Config, or run the Reload Config command from the Command Palette.

See also

• Advanced / All Settings — find and edit any key from the GUI.
• Import / Export Settings — bring in a config from Ghostty, Kitty, or Alacritty.