command-assistant/docs/user/configuration.md

Configuration

Edison provides several ways to configure its behavior to suit your needs. This guide explains the available configuration options and how to set them.

Configuration File

The primary way to configure Edison is through the edison.yaml file. This file is located in the Edison installation directory.

flowchart LR
    A[edison.yaml] --> B[OpenAI Settings]
    A --> C[Safety Settings]
    A --> D[Shell Settings]
    
    B --> B1[Model]
    B --> B2[Temperature]
    B --> B3[Max Tokens]
    B --> B4[API Key]
    
    C --> C1[Safety Mode]
    
    D --> D1[Shell Type]
    
    style A fill:#f9d5e5,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style B fill:#eeeeee,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style C fill:#d3f6db,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style D fill:#d3f6f5,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Sample Configuration File

Here's an example edison.yaml file with all available options:

# OpenAI API settings
model: gpt-4o-mini
temperature: 0
max_tokens: 500
openai_api_key: your_api_key_here  # Optional, can be set via environment variable
streaming: true  # Enable streaming command generation

# Safety settings
safety: true

# UI settings
show_generating_prefix: true  # Show "Generating command:" prefix during generation

# Shell settings
shell: bash  # Options: bash, zsh, powershell.exe, cmd.exe, etc.

Configuration Options

OpenAI API Settings

Option	Description	Default	Possible Values
model	OpenAI model to use	gpt-4o-mini	gpt-4o-mini, gpt-3.5-turbo, gpt-4, etc.
temperature	Randomness of completions	0	0.0 - 1.0
max_tokens	Maximum tokens in response	500	1 - 4096
openai_api_key	Your OpenAI API key	-	Valid API key
streaming	Enable streaming command generation	true	true, false

Safety Settings

Option	Description	Default	Possible Values
safety	Require confirmation before execution	true	true, false

UI Settings

Option	Description	Default	Possible Values
show_generating_prefix	Show "Generating command:" prefix during generation	true	true, false

Shell Settings

Option	Description	Default	Possible Values
shell	Shell to use for command execution	(system default)	bash, zsh, powershell.exe, cmd.exe, etc.

Setting Your OpenAI API Key

There are several ways to set your OpenAI API key, listed in order of precedence:

1. Environment variable:

   • Linux/macOS: export OPENAI_API_KEY=<yourkey>
   • Windows: $env:OPENAI_API_KEY="<yourkey>"

2. API key file: Create a file at ~/.openai.apikey containing only your API key.

3. Configuration file: Add your key to the edison.yaml file:

   openai_api_key: your_api_key_here
   

Viewing Current Configuration

To view your current configuration:

edison -c

This will display all current settings, including where your OpenAI API key is being loaded from (but will not display the key itself for security reasons).

Configuration Load Order

Edison loads configuration in this order:

1. Default values
2. Values from edison.yaml
3. Environment variables (for API key)
4. Command-line arguments

Later sources override earlier ones.

Recommended Configurations

For Beginners

model: gpt-4o-mini
temperature: 0
max_tokens: 500
safety: true

For Advanced Users

model: gpt-4  # If you have access
temperature: 0.2  # Slightly more creative
max_tokens: 1000  # For more detailed responses
safety: true  # Keep safety on unless you really know what you're doing

For Performance

model: gpt-3.5-turbo  # Fastest option if you need maximum speed
temperature: 0
max_tokens: 300  # Lower limits can be faster

Troubleshooting Configuration Issues

• Configuration not applying: Ensure your edison.yaml file is in the correct location
• API key not recognized: Check for extra whitespace or quotes in your key
• Model not available: Verify you have access to the specified model in your OpenAI account