Configuration

MonoClaw separates secrets from normal config so you can safely version-control your settings without leaking API keys.

Where config lives

File	Purpose	Safe to commit?
`~/.monoclaw/config.yaml`	Non-secret settings (model, backends, flags)	Yes
`~/.monoclaw/.env`	Secrets and tokens (API keys, bot tokens)	No

The easiest way to set values correctly is through the CLI:

monoclaw config set model anthropic/claude-opus-4.6
monoclaw config set terminal.backend docker
monoclaw config set OPENROUTER_API_KEY sk-or-...

The right value goes to the right file automatically.

Key config sections

Model

model:
  default: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4"
  fallback: "openai/gpt-5.5"

Set via monoclaw model or directly in config.yaml.

Terminal backends

terminal:
  backend: docker    # docker | ssh | local | daytona | modal

local — runs commands directly on your machine (fastest, least isolated)
docker — runs commands inside a Docker container (recommended for safety)
ssh — runs commands on a remote server via SSH
daytona / modal — cloud sandbox backends

Gateway

gateway:
  platforms:
    - telegram
    - discord
    - slack
  allowlist:
    - "your-telegram-user-id"

Cron

cron:
  enabled: true
  jobs:
    - name: "daily-briefing"
      schedule: "0 9 * * *"
      prompt: "Generate a daily briefing"
      deliver: telegram

MCP servers

mcp_servers:
  github:
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    env:
      GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: "ghp_xxx"

Environment variables

All config values can be overridden via environment variables. Prefix with MONOCLAW_:

export MONOCLAW_MODEL_DEFAULT=anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
export MONOCLAW_TERMINAL_BACKEND=docker

Profiles

MonoClaw supports multiple profiles for different contexts (work, personal, different teams):

monoclaw profile create work
monoclaw profile switch work

Each profile has its own config.yaml and .env under ~/.monoclaw/profiles/<name>/.

Config validation

monoclaw config check      # Validate current config
monoclaw config migrate    # Interactively add missing options after updates
monoclaw doctor            # Full system diagnostics