Configuration

F:ist reads five TOML files (plus a folder of action files). Most options have shipped defaults, so a fresh install works with zero config — this page documents what's there and what each knob does.

Overview

• config.toml — application settings: panes, fd/rg behavior, history, styles, watcher.
• mm.toml — the matchmaker (UI) layer: layout, preview, overlays, and keybindings (see mm.toml).
• lessfilter.toml — preview presets and rules (see lessfilter).
• pager.toml — pager options passed to bat (see The pager).
• actions.toml plus actions/ — custom menu actions (see Menu actions).

All live in the config directory (~/.config/fist/).

CLI flag	Effect
--config <path>	Use a different config.toml
--mm-config <path>	Use a different mm.toml
--override <path>	Declared, but not applied by the current build — use --config / --mm-config to load a different file, or edit the TOML directly.
--dump-config	Print the resolved config; on a TTY, writes the config files
--style <style>	icons icon-colors colors none all auto

fs :tool check validates everything: configs, binds, and every menu-action script (see Tools).

config.toml

[interface]

Setting	Default	Meaning
prompt_locking	false (shipped config: true)	Master switch for prompt locking (see Navigation)
advance_command	fs :tool lessfilter edit {}	What advancing on a file runs
alt_accept	false	Accept prints the path instead of opening (used by --cd flows)
no_multi_accept	false	Don't accept multiple selections at once
always_paste	false	Paste without confirmation
cwd_prompt	'{} '	Prompt template for the current directory
toast_on_empty	true	Toast when an action targets nothing
autojump_advance	false	Autojump advances instead of accepting
hide_preview_when_cursor_disabled	false	Hide preview while the prompt is active
prompt_locking_allow_delete_actions	true	Allow delete actions while the prompt is locked

[fs]

Setting	Default	Meaning
rename_policy	WrappedInc("_", "")	Collision handling on paste: default suffixes _1, _2, …; Replace overwrites
refill_selections_after_reload	true	Restore selections across reloads

[fd] and [rg]

Search backends (documented in The find pane and The search pane). Highlights: [fd] dot_query_show_hidden, default_search_in_home, default_search_ignore, exclusions — all of which shape default visibility; [rg] base_args, empty_pattern.

[panes]

Per-pane settings, applied when you switch to that pane type. Common fields: show_preview, lock_prompt, preview_layout_index, plus default_sort / default_visibility (see Sorting and Visibility).

Section	Notable defaults
[panes.nav]	show_preview = 60, lock_prompt = false, default sort mtime (see Sorting)
[panes.find]	show_preview = 60, lock_prompt = true
[panes.search]	lock_prompt = true, show_preview = 20, preview_layout_index = 1, one_line = true, default_sort = "none", status templates
[panes.app]	preview_layout_index = 3, show_preview = true
[panes.history]	preview/prompt settings for Files/Folders panes
[panes.custom]	preview/prompt settings for custom panes
[panes.stashes.<name>]	per-stash kind / insert (see Stash panes)

Top-level pane plumbing:

Setting	Default	Meaning
display_script_simultaneous_count	15	Concurrent display scripts
display_script_batch_size	1000	Script batch size
apply_default_sort	true	Re-apply a pane's default sort when switching to it (see Sorting)

[styles]

Two groups — path display and toasts:

• [styles.path] — collapse_home, relative, file_icons, file_colors, dir_icons, dir_colors, icon_colors (all default true); per-file-type colors.
• [styles.toast] — normal (dark gray italic), info (light blue), success (green), warning (yellow), error (red).

[notify]

The filesystem watcher that refreshes panes live:

Setting	Default	Meaning
fs_poll_ms	—	Poll interval
debounce_ms	—	Reload debounce
thrash_threshold	{ count, duration_ms, resume_delay_ms }	Event-storm throttle: pauses reloads during bursts, then emits one authoritative reload

[misc]

Setting	Default	Meaning
clipboard_delay_ms	20	Delay before reading the clipboard
append_mode_logging	false	Append instead of overwrite fist.log
tools_append_mode_logging	false	Append fist.tools.log
spawn_with	[]	Wrappers for opened programs
list_absolute_paths	false	--list prints absolute paths

[history]

Documented in History & the database: lambda, refind, exclude, base_dir, show_missing, query_strategy, case_sensitive, resolve_symlinks, plus prune_max / prune_min.

The matchmaker layer

mm.toml — layout, preview, overlays, and keybindings — is covered on its own page: see mm.toml.

FAQ

Where do I put a custom keybinding?

~/.config/fist/mm.toml under [binds], then check it with fs :tool show-binds or fs :tool check.

How do I begin configuration?

Start from the shipped defaults — every setting is optional. To inspect or save your fully resolved configuration (defaults merged with your file), pipe --dump-config to a file:

fs --dump-config > resolved.toml

That snapshot is a complete, current reference to copy settings from or diff against. (On a TTY, --dump-config also writes the config files back — useful for migrating schema changes, but it overwrites your formatting.)