Configuration
Settings Overview
Access settings via the gear icon in the top-right corner.
General Tab
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Anthropic API key or Google Cloud OAuth |
| Default Model | Claude model for new sessions |
| Theme | Dark or light mode |
| Notifications | Desktop notification preferences |
Approval Tab
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Suggest Mode | You approve all changes (safest) |
| Auto-Edit Mode | Claude edits files, asks for bash commands |
| Full Auto Mode | Claude has complete autonomy (risky) |
Memory Tab
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Max messages per session | 1000 | Trim older messages beyond this limit |
| Archive old messages | Enabled | Moves old messages out of active context |
| Auto-cleanup sessions | 30 days | Delete sessions older than this |
| Max total sessions | 100 | Maximum number of stored sessions |
This tab controls desktop conversation retention. Provider-neutral runtime memory
documents are separate Markdown files under .boatman/memory or
BOATMAN_MEMORY_DIR.
MCP Servers Tab
- Enable/disable individual MCP servers
- Add custom MCP servers
- Configure environment variables per server
- Review integration health for built-in MCP-backed services
Built-in integration health currently covers Datadog, Bugsnag, Linear, and
Slack. A status of needs_configuration means required environment variables or
settings are missing before Boatman can hand that integration to a provider run.
Firefighter Tab
- Okta OAuth configuration (domain, client ID, client secret)
- Sign in/out controls
- Access token status display
- Linear API key for ticket integration
- Datadog uses Claude Code MCP auth from an interactive terminal opened by the Routines tab when the Datadog plugin is installed; API/app keys remain available as a fallback for API-key MCP descriptors
About Tab
- Version information
- Links to documentation and support
Configuration Files
User Configuration
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
~/.boatman/config.json | User preferences and settings |
~/.claude/claude_mcp_config.json | MCP server configurations |
~/.boatman/sessions/ | Session data and history |
<project>/.boatman/runs/ | Recorded runtime runs, requests, events, and artifacts |
<project>/.boatman/memory/ | Inspectable runtime memory Markdown documents |
<project>/.boatman/routines/ | Markdown reports produced by repeatable routines |
Runtime Environment Variables
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
BOATMAN_RUNTIME_STORE=0 | Disable default project-local runtime recording |
BOATMAN_RUNTIME_STORE_DIR | Override the runtime run store directory |
BOATMAN_MEMORY_DIR | Override the runtime memory document directory |
BOATMAN_RUNTIME_EVENTS=1 | Emit normalized runtime events alongside legacy CLI events |
The Desktop Runtime tab reads the same run store and memory directories as the
CLI inspection commands. Desktop sessions and BoatmanMode write to the active
project's .boatman/runs and load .boatman/memory by default.
Build Configuration
Edit wails.json for build settings:
{
"name": "boatman",
"outputfilename": "boatman",
"frontend:install": "npm install",
"frontend:build": "npm run build",
"frontend:dev:watcher": "npm run dev"
}See Wails documentation (opens in a new tab) for details.
Project-Specific Settings
Each project can override global settings:
Right-click project → Project Settings
- Approval mode override
- Model override
- Custom environment variables