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Config

Atuin maintains two configuration files, stored in ~/.config/atuin/. We store data in ~/.local/share/atuin (unless overridden by XDG_*).

The full path to the config file would be ~/.config/atuin/config.toml

The config location can be overridden with ATUIN_CONFIG_DIR

db_path

The path to the Atuin SQlite database. Defaults to ~/.local/share/atuin/history.db.

db_path = "~/.history.db"

key_path

The path to the Atuin encryption key. Defaults to ~/.local/share/atuin/key.

key_path = "~/.atuin-key"

session_path

The path to the Atuin server session file. Defaults to ~/.local/share/atuin/session. This is essentially just an API token

session_path = "~/.atuin-session"

dialect

This configures how the stats command parses dates. It has two possible values

dialect = "uk"

or

dialect = "us"

and defaults to “us”.

auto_sync

Configures whether or not to automatically sync, when logged in. Defaults to true

auto_sync = true/false

update_check

Configures whether or not to automatically check for updates. Defaults to true.

update_check = true/false

sync_address

The address of the server to sync with! Defaults to https://api.atuin.sh.

sync_address = "https://api.atuin.sh"

sync_frequency

How often to automatically sync with the server. This can be given in a “human-readable” format. For example, 10s, 20m, 1h, etc. Defaults to 1h.

If set to 0, Atuin will sync after every command. Some servers may potentially rate limit, which won’t cause any issues.

sync_frequency = "1h"

search_mode

Which search mode to use. Atuin supports “prefix”, “fulltext”, “fuzzy”, and “skim” search modes.

Prefix mode searches for “query*”; fulltext mode searches for “*query*”; “fuzzy” applies the fuzzy search syntax; “skim” applies the skim search syntax.

Defaults to “fuzzy”.

fuzzy search syntax

The “fuzzy” search syntax is based on the fzf search syntax.

TokenMatch typeDescription
sbtrktfuzzy-matchItems that match sbtrkt
'wildexact-match (quoted)Items that include wild
^musicprefix-exact-matchItems that start with music
.mp3$suffix-exact-matchItems that end with .mp3
!fireinverse-exact-matchItems that do not include fire
!^musicinverse-prefix-exact-matchItems that do not start with music
!.mp3$inverse-suffix-exact-matchItems that do not end with .mp3

A single bar character term acts as an OR operator. For example, the following query matches entries that start with core and end with either go, rb, or py.

^core go$ | rb$ | py$

filter_mode

The default filter to use when searching

ModeDescription
global (default)Search history from all hosts, all sessions, all directories
hostSearch history just from this host
sessionSearch history just from the current session
directorySearch history just from the current directory

Filter modes can still be toggled via ctrl-r

filter_mode = "host"

search_mode_shell_up_key_binding

Atuin version: >= 17.0

The default searchmode to use when searching and being invoked from a shell up-key binding.

Accepts exactly the same options as search_mode above

search_mode_shell_up_key_binding = "fuzzy"

Defaults to the value specified for search_mode.

filter_mode_shell_up_key_binding

The default filter to use when searching and being invoked from a shell up-key binding.

Accepts exactly the same options as filter_mode above

filter_mode_shell_up_key_binding = "session"

Defaults to the value specified for filter_mode.

workspaces

Atuin version: >= 17.0

This flag enables a pseudo filter-mode named “workspace”: the filter is automatically activated when you are in a git repository. Defaults to false.

With workspace filtering enabled, Atuin will filter for commands executed in any directory within a git repository tree.

Filter modes can still be toggled via ctrl-r.

style

Which style to use. Possible values: auto, full and compact.

  • compact:

compact

  • full:

full

Defaults to auto. This means that Atuin will automatically switch to compact mode when the terminal window is too short for full to display properly.

invert

Atuin version: >= 17.0

Invert the UI - put the search bar at the top , Default to false

invert = true/false

inline_height

Set the maximum number of lines Atuin’s interface should take up.

inline_height

If set to 0 (default), Atuin will always take up as many lines as available (full screen).

show_preview

Configure whether or not to show a preview of the selected command.

show_preview

Useful when the command is longer than the terminal width and is cut off.

max_preview_height

Atuin version: >= 17.0

Configure the maximum height of the preview to show.

Useful when you have long scripts in your history that you want to distinguish by more than the first few lines.

Defaults to 4.

show_help

Atuin version: >= 17.0

Configure whether or not to show the help row, which includes the current Atuin version (and whether an update is available), a keymap hint, and the total amount of commands in your history.

Defaults to true.

exit_mode

What to do when the escape key is pressed when searching

ValueBehaviour
return-original (default)Set the command-line to the value it had before starting search
return-querySet the command-line to the search query you have entered so far

Pressing ctrl+c or ctrl+d will always return the original command-line value.

exit_mode = "return-query"

history_format

The history format allows you to configure the default history list format - which can also be specified with the —format arg.

The specified —format arg will prioritize the config when both are present

More on history list

history_filter

The history filter allows you to exclude commands from history tracking - maybe you want to keep ALL of your curl commands totally out of your shell history, or maybe just some matching a pattern.

This supports regular expressions, so you can hide pretty much whatever you want!

## Note that these regular expressions are unanchored, i.e. if they don't start
## with ^ or end with $, they'll match anywhere in the command.
history_filter = [
"^secret-cmd",
"^innocuous-cmd .*--secret=.+"
]

cwd_filter

The cwd filter allows you to exclude directories from history tracking.

This supports regular expressions, so you can hide pretty much whatever you want!

## Note that these regular expressions are unanchored, i.e. if they don't start
## with ^ or end with $, they'll match anywhere in the command.
# cwd_filter = [
# "^/very/secret/directory",
# ]

After updating that parameter, you can run the prune command to remove old history entries that match the new filters.

secrets_filter

Atuin version: >= 17.0

secrets_filter = true

Defaults to true. This matches history against a set of default regex, and will not save it if we get a match. Defaults include

  1. AWS key id
  2. Github pat (old and new)
  3. Slack oauth tokens (bot, user)
  4. Slack webhooks
  5. Stripe live/test keys
  6. Atuin login command

macOS Ctrl-n key shortcuts

macOS does not have an Alt key, although terminal emulators can often be configured to map the Option key to be used as Alt. However, remapping Option this way may prevent typing some characters, such as using Option-3 to type # on the British English layout. For such a scenario, set the ctrl_n_shortcuts option to true in your config file to replace Alt-0 to Alt-9 shortcuts with Ctrl-0 to Ctrl-9 instead:

# Use Ctrl-0 .. Ctrl-9 instead of Alt-0 .. Alt-9 UI shortcuts
ctrl_n_shortcuts = true

network_timeout

Atuin version: >= 18.0

Default: 30

The max amount of time (in seconds) to wait for a network request. If any operations with a sync server take longer than this, the code will fail - rather than wait indefinitely.

network_connect_timeout

Atuin version: >= 18.0

Default: 5

The max time (in seconds) we wait for a connection to become established with a remote sync server. Any longer than this and the request will fail.

local_timeout

Atuin version: >= 18.0

Default: 5

Timeout (in seconds) for acquiring a local database connection (sqlite).

enter_accept

Atuin version: >= 17.0

Default: false

Not supported by NuShell presently

When set to true, Atuin will default to immediately executing a command rather than the user having to press enter twice. Pressing tab will return to the shell and give the user a chance to edit.

This technically defaults to true for new users, but false for existing. We have set enter_accept = true in the default config file. This is likely to change to be the default for everyone in a later release.

keymap_mode

Atuin version: >= 18.0

Default: “emacs”

The initial keymap mode of the interactive Atuin search (e.g. started by the keybindings in the shells). There are four supported values: "emacs", "vim-normal", "vim-insert", and "auto". The keymap mode "emacs" is the most basic one. In the keymap mode "vim-normal", you may use k and j to navigate the history list as in Vim, whilst pressing i changes the keymap mode to "vim-insert". In the keymap mode "vim-insert", you can search for a string as in the keymap mode "emacs", while pressing Esc switches the keymap mode to "vim-normal". When set to "auto", the initial keymap mode is automatically determined based on the shell’s keymap that triggered the Atuin search. "auto" is not supported by NuShell at present, where it will always trigger the Atuin search with the keymap mode "emacs".

keymap_cursor

Atuin version: >= 18.0

Default: (empty dictionary)

The terminal’s cursor style associated with each keymap mode in the Atuin search. This is specified by a dictionary whose keys and values being the keymap names and the cursor styles, respectively. A key specifies one of the keymaps from emacs, vim_insert, and vim_normal. A value is one of the cursor styles, default or {blink,steady}-{block,underline,bar}. The following is an example.

keymap_cursor = { emacs = "blink-block", vim_insert = "blink-block", vim_normal = "steady-block" }

If the cursor style is specified, the terminal’s cursor style is changed to the specified one when the Atuin search starts with or switches to the corresponding keymap mode. Also, the terminal’s cursor style is reset to the one associated with the keymap mode corresponding to the shell’s keymap on the termination of the Atuin search.

prefers_reduced_motion

Atuin version: >= 18.0

Default: false

Enable this, and Atuin will reduce motion in the TUI as much as possible. Users with motion sensitivity can find the live-updating timestamps distracting.

Alternatively, set env var NO_MOTION

Stats

This section of client config is specifically for configuring Atuin stats calculations

[stats]
common_subcommands = [...]
common_prefix = [...]

common_subcommands

Default

common_subcommands = [
"apt",
"cargo",
"composer",
"dnf",
"docker",
"git",
"go",
"ip",
"kubectl",
"nix",
"nmcli",
"npm",
"pecl",
"pnpm",
"podman",
"port",
"systemctl",
"tmux",
"yarn",
]

Configures commands where we should consider the subcommand as part of the statistics. For example, consider kubectl get rather than just kubectl.

common_prefix

Atuin version: >= 17.1

Default

common_prefix = [
"sudo",
]

Configures commands that should be totally stripped from stats calculations. For example, ‘sudo’ should be ignored.

sync

We have developed a new version of sync, that is both faster and more efficient than the original version.

Presently, it is the default for fresh installs but not for existing users. This will change in a later release.

To enable sync v2, add the following to your config

[sync]
records = true

dotfiles

Atuin version: >= 18.1

Default: false

To enable sync of shell aliases between hosts. Requires sync enabled.

Add the new section to the bottom of your config file, for every machine you use Atuin with

[dotfiles]
enabled = true

Note: you will need to have sync v2 enabled. See the above section.

Manage aliases using the command line options

# Alias 'k' to 'kubectl'
atuin dotfiles alias set k kubectl
# List all aliases
atuin dotfiles alias list
# Delete an alias
atuin dotfiles alias delete k

After setting an alias, you will either need to restart your shell or source the init file for the change to take affect