Settings

~/.e/settings.json holds your preferences. /settings edits the same file from inside a session. After you edit the file by hand, run /reload to apply it without restarting e.

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Settings

Key	Values	Default	What it changes
`theme`	`auto`, or a theme name	`auto`	The palette. `auto` follows the system.
`tui_mode`	`inline`, `fullscreen`	`inline`	`inline` keeps the conversation in the terminal's scrollback. `fullscreen` pins the composer and e scrolls the conversation itself.
`show_thinking`	`on`, `off`	`off`	Expand reasoning, or retain it behind a one-line hint. Ctrl+O reveals thinking received during this session.
`auto_update`	`on`, `off`	`on`	The launch-time update check.
`effort`	the model's levels	`high`	The reasoning effort a session starts at.
`editor`	a command	`$VISUAL`, `$EDITOR`, then `vi`	Where ctrl+g opens the draft.
`tool_label_rows`	1 to 20	`2`	The height of a tool command's label.
`tool_preview_rows`	up to 20	`5`	How many live output lines a running tool shows.
`tool_history_limit`	0 to 1000	`10`	Recent successful tools shown per group. Failures and running tools stay visible, and Ctrl+O shows every call.
`scroll_lines`	1 to 100	`3`	Rows per wheel event in chat and the detail reader.
`scroll_hint`	text	`Scrolled · End to follow`	Status text while reading earlier chat.
`thinking_hint`	text	`Thinking · ctrl o to view`	The collapsed reasoning row.
`tool_history_hint`	a template	`{count} earlier successful tools · ctrl o to view`	Summary of folded successful tools.
`no_answer_message`	text	`The model finished without an answer. Retry or ask it to continue.`	Warning when a completed turn contains reasoning but no answer.
`paste_placeholder`	codepoints	`1000`	The size at which a paste collapses to a token. `0` keeps pastes raw.
`paste_label`	a template	`[Pasted text #{id}, {chars} chars]`	The collapsed paste token.

A missing or invalid value keeps the default. /settings writes the same keys, so a preference set there means the same as one typed in the file.

The wheel and PageUp/PageDown scroll chat in both TUI modes without changing the draft. Scrolling upward pauses following output. End, scrolling to the bottom, or submitting a prompt resumes following. Inline mode keeps native terminal history at the tail and temporarily uses the alternate screen while reading earlier rows. Fullscreen uses the alternate screen throughout. Hold your terminal's selection modifier, commonly Shift, for native mouse selection while e captures mouse events.

Existing show_thinking: "off" settings now collapse reasoning instead of discarding it from the live display. Changing it to on reveals thinking already received in the current session. Settings files need no migration.

Keys e maintains

Two keys are records, not preferences. A command owns each one, so change them through that command:

packages lists the package sources you installed and where each came from. e install and e remove write it. See packages.
scoped_models lists the models ctrl+p cycles. /scoped-models writes it.

The home directory

Everything e remembers lives under ~/.e:

Path	What it holds
`settings.json`	The preferences above.
`auth.json`	Provider credentials stored by `/login`. See models.
`models.json`	Models you added or corrected. See models.
`models-dev.json`	Cached model facts read from models.dev.
`sessions/`	One JSONL file per conversation. See sessions.
`history.jsonl`	The prompts Up recalls on an empty composer.
`extensions/`	Programs e starts at launch. See extensions.
`skills/`	`SKILL.md` folders. See skills.
`prompts/`	`/name` templates. See prompt templates.
`themes/`	Palettes. See themes.
`keybindings.json`	Composer chords. See keybindings.
`layout.json`	Side panes and status rows. See layout.
`packages/`	Package clones. See packages.
`AGENTS.md`	Instructions that apply in every workspace.
`trust.json`	Which directories you trusted.

Move the home with `E_HOME`

E_HOME moves the whole directory. This keeps a PR preview and a local ./x dev build out of each other's way. Production uses ~/.e, a PR preview uses ~/.e-pr, and a local build uses ~/.e-dev. See install.