Configuration file reference

Sevak stores settings in a TOML file. You can edit it by hand or use the Settings window, which has a page for every section except [[snippet]] entries. This page documents every configuration key.

Where the file is

WindowsmacOSLinux

%APPDATA%\sevak\config.toml

Example: C:\Users\Ninad\AppData\Roaming\sevak\config.toml

~/Library/Application Support/sevak/config.toml

~/.config/sevak/config.toml

You can override the config folder with the SEVAK_CONFIG_DIR environment variable or the --config flag. The Settings window's "Open config file" button opens it in your editor.

Editing and reloading

After making changes to config.toml:

• Choose Reload index from the tray menu or menu bar (fastest).
• Or restart Sevak.

If the file has a mistake (invalid TOML or a value of the wrong type), Sevak never overwrites it. At startup it runs with the default settings; on Reload index it keeps the settings already in use. Either way the problem is written to the log, so check there if a change seems to have no effect. Comments and key order are preserved when Settings saves changes.

A minimal config works: missing fields use their defaults, so a nearly empty file is valid.

Keywords

Every keyword is one word, and no two searches may share one: the configurable keywords ([files] keyword / index_keyword / content_keyword, [bookmarks], [tasks], [media], [window_management] keyword / switcher_keyword, [contacts], [onepassword], [dictionary] define_keyword / spell_keyword, [ai]), the fixed ones (>, cb, s, emoji, :, @, uuid) and your web search keywords. Settings refuses to save a clash; in a hand-edited file a clashing keyword is ignored and logged. An empty keyword turns that keyword off.

Keywords of workflows and script plugins are checked the same way but only produce a warning (in Settings and in the log), because both plugins then answer the keyword and show their results.

How configuration is loaded

flowchart TD
    S["Sevak starts"] --> R["Read config.toml<br/>(created with defaults if missing)"]
    T["You edit config.toml,<br/>then choose Reload index"] --> R
    W["Settings window: Save<br/>(writes the file, keeps comments)"] --> R
    R --> P{"Valid TOML<br/>and value types?"}
    P -->|Yes| N["Normalize: clamp ranges,<br/>trim text, drop invalid entries"]
    N --> U["New settings in use"]
    P -->|"No, at startup"| D["Run with default settings<br/>and log a warning"]
    P -->|"No, on reload"| K["Keep the settings in use<br/>and log a warning"]

Configuration sections

[general]

Main hotkeys and startup behaviour.

Key	Type	Default	Description
hotkey	string	"Super+Space"	Global keyboard shortcut to show/hide Sevak. Super is the Windows key (Cmd on macOS; Win, Windows and Meta are accepted spellings). Examples: "Alt+Space", "Ctrl+Space", "Ctrl+Shift+K". On macOS, Alt is the Option key. Super+Space is used by the system too; Sevak takes it over (a keyboard hook on Windows; a question on macOS and GNOME) - see Troubleshooting. Existing config files keep the key they have. On Linux Wayland, run sevak --setup-hotkey to bind this in GNOME instead.
actions_hotkey	string	"Ctrl+Alt+Space"	Hotkey for Universal Actions: capture the selection in the foreground app and offer actions on it. Empty string "" turns Universal Actions off. On Wayland, run sevak --setup-hotkey to bind this in GNOME.
accept_injected_hotkeys	boolean	false	Windows keyboard hook only. By default the hook ignores key events that another program sends (SendInput), so no program on your desktop can open Sevak or make Universal Actions copy the foreground app's selection by pressing the shortcut for you. Turn it on if AutoHotkey, PowerToys Keyboard Manager or another remapper is meant to type Sevak's shortcut. Shortcuts that Windows itself registers (not Win-key combinations or keys another app owns) are still delivered by the system whoever sends them.
hide_on_blur	boolean	true	Hide the launcher when it loses focus to another window. Press Esc or click elsewhere to close; this setting hides it automatically.
launch_at_login	boolean	false	Start Sevak in the background after this account signs in to Windows, macOS or Linux. Set in Settings → General → Start Sevak when I sign in, then Save; the Windows installer uses the same preference. An OS-level startup restriction can still prevent launch; Settings shows registration errors or a disabled/missing entry.
check_for_updates	boolean	true	Check GitHub for a new version shortly after startup, every six hours, and whenever you open Sevak (if the last check is over an hour old). Updates are only installed after you confirm. Apart from optional currency rates, this is the only automatic network request.
update_channel	"stable" or "beta"	"stable"	Which releases the update check follows. "beta" also offers pre-release builds (X.Y.Z-beta.N), which arrive earlier and may be less tested; Sevak then reads latest-beta.json from GitHub Releases as well as latest.json and offers the newer of the two. Switching back to "stable" never downgrades: Sevak waits for a stable version newer than the one installed. Any other value means "stable".

[general]
hotkey = "Super+Space"
actions_hotkey = "Ctrl+Alt+Space"
accept_injected_hotkeys = false
hide_on_blur = true
launch_at_login = false
check_for_updates = true
update_channel = "stable"

Startup is per user, including a Windows installation for all users. It does not launch before sign-in, require administrator rights to run, or open the search window automatically. Windows uses a per-user Startup apps entry, macOS a user LaunchAgent, and Linux a desktop autostart entry. See Start Sevak after sign-in for controls and troubleshooting.

The saved opt-in and the OS's effective startup state are separate. Disabling startup in Windows Startup apps or a Linux desktop's startup settings is respected during ordinary startup and unrelated Settings saves. To opt in again through Sevak, save false, then save true. A failed Settings save keeps the previous preference and shows the error; check the registration warning before assuming automatic launch is active.

[window]

Launcher window appearance.

Key	Type	Default	Range	Description
width	integer	720	400–1600 (logical pixels)	Width of the search bar window. Logical pixels scale with the display's DPI.

[window]
width = 720

[linux]

Linux-specific settings (ignored on Windows and macOS).

Key	Type	Default	Description
wayland_use_xwayland	boolean	true	On Wayland sessions, draw Sevak through XWayland (X11 compatibility layer). Native Wayland windows cannot position themselves or request focus reliably, so XWayland keeps the launcher centred and typeable. Set to false to use the native Wayland backend (window may appear off-centre and not accept input). Only used on Wayland; X11 sessions ignore this.

[linux]
wayland_use_xwayland = true

[search]

Search behaviour and fallback when no results match.

Key	Type	Default	Range	Description
max_results	integer	8	1–20	Maximum number of results shown at once.
fallback_web_search	string or list	"g"	any keyword from [[web_search]] entries	When a query has no local results, offer a web search with this engine. Write as a single string "g" or a list to try several in order: ["g", "yt", "gh"]. Empty string "" disables the fallback. Keywords are matched case-insensitively; only one keyword per engine.
query_history	boolean	true	—	Remember the last 50 queries you ran. Press Up/Down on an empty search box to recall them. false disables history and clears it.

[search]
max_results = 8
fallback_web_search = "g"
query_history = true

[appearance]

Launcher theme and styling.

Key	Type	Default	Range/Values	Description
theme	string	"system"	"system", "light", "dark"	"system" follows your OS dark-mode preference. Invalid values fall back to "system" and are reported in the log and Settings.
accent	string	"" (empty)	"#rgb", "#rrggbb", "rgb(r, g, b)", or ""	Override the theme's accent colour for buttons and highlights. "" uses the theme's own accent. Invalid values fall back to "" with a warning.
font_size	integer	15	12–22 (pixels)	Size of result titles. The rest of the launcher (icons, text, spacing) scales with it. Clamped to the range.
font_family	string	"" (empty)	any font family name, comma-separated	Comma-separated font family list, e.g. "Fira Sans, sans-serif". Empty uses your system font. CSS font-family syntax; if the font is missing, the next in the list is used.
opacity	integer	100	30–100 (percent)	Background opacity of the search bar. 100 is fully opaque; 30 is quite transparent. Whole numbers only.
blur	boolean	false	true, false	Frosted-glass blur of the desktop behind the search bar (Windows Acrylic, macOS vibrancy); ignored on Linux. You only see it when opacity is below 100. On Windows 11 the corners are rounded by the system, so radius is fixed at 8 px while blur is on.
radius	integer	14	0–32 (pixels)	Corner radius of the search bar. 0 is sharp corners; 32 is very rounded. Whole numbers only.
theme_file	string	"" (empty)	path in config folder, or ""	A theme file, such as "themes/Nord.toml", made, imported or installed in Settings → Appearance → Theme editor. Applied between the built-in light/dark look and the settings above; "" uses none. See Theme files and the editor.
custom_css	string	"" (empty)	filename in config folder, or ""	Stylesheet to override theme colours and layout. Must be a file in the config folder (same folder as config.toml), e.g. "theme.css". "" loads none. See Themes guide for available CSS variables.

[appearance]
theme = "system"
accent = ""
font_size = 15
font_family = ""
opacity = 100
radius = 14
theme_file = ""
custom_css = ""

[plugins]

Which plugins are active. Each built-in plugin can be disabled.

Key	Type	Default	Description
disabled	array of strings	[]	Plugin ids to turn off. Available ids: "apps", "calculator", "web" (all engines) or "web:<keyword>" (one engine), "files" (its instances "files:names" and "files:content" are the ff and in searches), "bookmarks", "system", "tasks" (automation tasks), "media" (media controls), "windows" (window layouts; "windows:switch" is the window switcher), "shell", "clipboard", "snippets", "emoji" (the emoji picker; "emoji:word" and "emoji:colon" are its two keywords), "selection" (Universal Actions), "contacts", "1password", "dict" (define and spell), "uuid", "backup" (the backup settings and restore settings launcher commands), "script" or "script:<name>" (script plugins) and "workflow" or "workflow:<folder>" (workflows; each also has its own switch in Settings → Workflows). Example: disabled = ["files", "web:yt"] turns off file search and YouTube search. Unknown ids are ignored.

[plugins]
disabled = []

[calculator]

Calculator and unit conversion settings.

Key	Type	Default	Description
currency	boolean	false	Enable currency conversion (e.g. 100 usd in eur). Off by default because it requires network access: Sevak downloads the European Central Bank's daily reference rates (a small XML file, no API key) at most once per day and caches them. Unit conversion (e.g. 10 km in mi) never needs the network and is always on.

[calculator]
currency = false

[files]

Indexed file search settings.

Key	Type	Default	Description
directories	array of strings	["~/Desktop", "~/Documents", "~/Downloads"]	Root folders to index recursively. ~ expands to your home directory and works on all platforms. Relative paths are anchored at the working directory when Sevak starts (usually your home). Forward slashes work everywhere; avoid unescaped backslashes. The index caps at 100,000 entries; reduce roots or depth if you hit this.
max_depth	integer	4	How many folder levels below each root are indexed. 1 means only files directly in the root.
include_hidden	boolean	false	Index dot-files and dot-folders (starting with .). false ignores them.
keyword	string	"f"	Prefix to search only files: type f filename. Leave empty "" to disable keyword search.
global	boolean	true	Show file results even in ordinary queries without the keyword. false requires f <name> to search files.
use_os_index	boolean	true	Whole-disk (ff) and content (in) search through the operating system's own file index (Windows Search, Spotlight, locate, Tracker or Baloo). Queries go only to that local index, never over the network. false turns both off. See what each OS needs.
index_keyword	string	"ff"	Keyword for file names anywhere on the disk: ff report. "" turns off just this search.
content_keyword	string	"in"	Keyword for words inside files: in invoice 2026. "" turns off just this search.
allow_network_paths	boolean	false	Windows only. Use paths on other computers (\\server\share, //server/share) and mapped network drives. While false, such a path is refused before anything touches it (Windows signs in to a computer as soon as it looks at its path), a typed one shows "Network paths are turned off", and directories on a share are skipped. Device paths (\\.\pipe\...) are refused either way. Turn on only for servers you trust.

[files]
directories = ["~/Desktop", "~/Documents", "~/Downloads"]
max_depth = 4
include_hidden = false
keyword = "f"
global = true
use_os_index = true
index_keyword = "ff"
content_keyword = "in"
allow_network_paths = false

[bookmarks]

Browser bookmark search settings.

Key	Type	Default	Description
browsers	array of strings	[]	Browser profiles to index. Empty [] means every browser found on your system. Supported ids: "chrome", "edge", "brave", "vivaldi", "chromium", "opera", "opera-gx", "firefox", "librewolf", "zen", and on macOS "safari" (needs Full Disk Access). All profiles of each browser are searched. Unknown ids are ignored.
keyword	string	"b"	Prefix to search only bookmarks: type b term. Leave empty "" to disable keyword search.
global	boolean	true	Show bookmark results in ordinary queries without the keyword. false requires b <term> to search bookmarks.

[bookmarks]
browsers = []
keyword = "b"
global = true

[system]

System commands (lock, sleep, restart, etc.) and settings pages.

Key	Type	Default	Description
confirm	boolean	true	Ask for confirmation before restart, shut down, log out and emptying the trash. Power commands are destructive so default to "ask".
disabled	array of strings	[]	Commands and settings pages to hide. Options: "lock", "sleep", "hibernate", "restart", "shutdown", "logout", "empty_trash", "settings" (all settings pages), or specific pages like "settings:bluetooth", "settings:wifi". Case-insensitive. Unknown entries are ignored. To turn off the entire plugin, add "system" to [plugins] disabled instead.

[system]
confirm = true
disabled = []

[tasks]

Automation tasks: dark mode, show the desktop, volume, screenshots, quit or kill an app, eject a drive, keep the computer awake and more.

Key	Type	Default	Description
confirm	boolean	true	Ask before force quitting an app, ending a process and restarting Explorer or Finder.
disabled	array of strings	[]	Tasks to hide: "dark_mode", "show_desktop", "hide_others", "minimize_all", "screenshot", "downloads", "recent_files", "flush_dns", "restart_shell", "empty_clipboard", "mute", "unmute", "volume_up", "volume_down", "volume", "wifi", "bluetooth", "keep_awake", "stop_keep_awake", "quit_app", "force_quit_app", "kill", "eject". To turn the whole plugin off, add "tasks" to [plugins] disabled instead.
keyword	string	"t"	t lists the tasks. "" removes the keyword.
global	boolean	true	Also match task names in ordinary searches (dark mode, kill chrome).

[tasks]
confirm = true
disabled = []
keyword = "t"
global = true

[media]

Media controls: play/pause, next, previous, stop and what is playing now.

Key	Type	Default	Description
keyword	string	"play"	play lists the buttons and the track. "" removes the keyword.
global	boolean	true	Also match pause, next track… in ordinary searches.
now_playing	boolean	true	Show the playing track (title, artist, app) as a row. It is read from the system's media player on request; nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

To turn the plugin off, add "media" to [plugins] disabled.

[media]
keyword = "play"
global = true
now_playing = true

[window_management]

Window management: snap, resize and move the window you were using (win left, win max, win next display) and switch between open windows (w code).

Key	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	true	Turns the layouts and the window switcher on or off together.
keyword	string	"win"	win lists the layouts. "" removes the keyword.
switcher_keyword	string	"w"	w lists the open windows; type part of a title or app to filter. "" turns the switcher off.
gap	integer	0	Space between snapped windows and the screen edge, in logical pixels (0 to 200; clamped when loaded, refused by Settings outside the range).
global	boolean	false	Also match layout names in ordinary searches (snap left, maximize).

To turn the plugin off, add "windows" to [plugins] disabled (the layouts are windows, the switcher is windows:switch).

[window_management]
enabled = true
keyword = "win"
switcher_keyword = "w"
gap = 8
global = false

[shell]

Shell command execution settings (type > <command> to run a command).

Key	Type	Default	Description
terminal	string	"" (auto-detect)	Terminal program to run commands in. Empty means auto-detect: Windows Terminal (else a console window) on Windows, Terminal.app on macOS, $TERMINAL environment variable then common terminals on Linux. You can give a program name ("wt", "iterm", "kitty"), a full path, or a command with arguments ("alacritty --class sevak").
shell	string	"" (auto-detect)	Shell that runs the command. Empty means auto-detect: pwsh, then powershell, then cmd on Windows; $SHELL environment variable or sh on Linux. Ignored on macOS, where the terminal starts your login shell. You can give a program name or full path.
keep_open	boolean	true	Keep the terminal open at a shell prompt after the command exits. false closes it when done.

[shell]
terminal = ""
shell = ""
keep_open = true

[paste]

How text is pasted into the previously focused app.

Key	Type	Default	Description
restore_clipboard	boolean	false	After pasting from clipboard history or snippets, restore the previous clipboard contents. false leaves the pasted text in the clipboard.

[paste]
restore_clipboard = false

[actions]

Universal Actions: how the selection in another app is captured.

Key	Type	Default	Description
use_primary_selection	boolean	true	Linux X11 only: read the PRIMARY selection (highlighted text) first, without pressing Ctrl+C. Ignored on Wayland (no PRIMARY selection) and other platforms.
use_clipboard_fallback	boolean	false	When the selection cannot be captured (Wayland, terminal windows, missing macOS Accessibility permission), act on the current clipboard contents instead. true adds a fallback; false does nothing if capture fails.

[actions]
use_primary_selection = true
use_clipboard_fallback = false

[clipboard]

Clipboard history settings (opt-in feature).

Key	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Enable clipboard history (cb <text> to search). Off by default: turning it on makes Sevak watch your clipboard and keep what you copy in its local data folder (on Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\sevak\, which does not roam): text and the paths of copied files in clipboard-history.json, images as PNG files in the clipboard folder. Encrypted for your account on Windows (see encrypt), plain but owner-only elsewhere. Content marked as secret by apps (password managers) is never recorded.
max_items	integer	200	How many clipboard items to keep, of all kinds together. Older items are dropped (with their image files). Range: 1–5000.
max_item_bytes	integer	65536 (64 KiB)	Maximum size of a clipboard item in bytes. Longer text is not recorded. Range: 1–4,194,304 (4 MiB).
images	boolean	true	Also record copied images (as PNG files with thumbnails).
files	boolean	true	Also record copied files and folders (their paths only).
max_image_bytes	integer	10485760 (10 MiB)	An image whose PNG is larger is not recorded. Range: 1–67,108,864 (64 MiB).
ignore_apps	array of strings	[]	Apps whose copies are never recorded, e.g. ["Signal", "Messages"]. Matched case-insensitively against the program or app name.
default_ignore_apps	boolean	true	Also never record copies from the built-in list of password managers (KeePass, KeePassXC, 1Password, Bitwarden, LastPass, Dashlane, Enpass, NordPass, RoboForm, Keeper, Proton Pass and others), system credential prompts and ssh/gpg passphrase prompts, in addition to ignore_apps. The full list is in the clipboard documentation. false turns it off.
encrypt	boolean	true	Encrypt the history file and the image files for the current user where the system can: Windows (DPAPI). macOS and Linux have no such encryption here; their files are plain, readable by your user only. A history stored plain is encrypted at the next start.

[clipboard]
enabled = false
max_items = 200
max_item_bytes = 65536
images = true
files = true
max_image_bytes = 10485760
ignore_apps = []
default_ignore_apps = true
encrypt = true

[file_buffer]

The file buffer (Alt+Down on a file result collects it). Set it in Settings → Files & bookmarks.

Key	Type	Default	Description
keep_between_shows	boolean	false	Keep the collected files when the launcher hides. By default the buffer is emptied whenever the launcher hides.

[file_buffer]
keep_between_shows = false

[contacts]

Contacts (c <name> or @name). Off by default. Contacts are read into memory only; nothing is written to disk or sent anywhere. Set it in Settings → Integrations.

Key	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Turn the plugin on.
keyword	string	"c"	Keyword to search contacts. The @ keyword always works too. "" keeps the default.
use_system	boolean	true	Also read the system address book: macOS Contacts (asks for permission the first time you use it), the Windows People store and Evolution's local address books on Linux.
vcard_files	array of strings	[]	vCard files (.vcf) or folders of them, e.g. ["~/contacts.vcf", "~/Contacts"]. Works everywhere and needs no permission.

[contacts]
enabled = false
keyword = "c"
use_system = true
vcard_files = []

[onepassword]

1Password logins (1p github) through the official op command-line tool. Off by default. Only titles, vault names, websites and usernames are read, never passwords or one-time codes. Set it in Settings → Integrations.

Key	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Turn the plugin on. op only runs when you type the keyword followed by a space.
keyword	string	"1p"	Keyword to search logins.
op_path	string	""	Path to the op program. "" looks on PATH and in the usual install folders.
account	string	""	Which account to use when several are signed in: its address (my.1password.com), short name or ID. "" uses op's default.
cache_minutes	integer	10	How long the list of logins is kept in memory before 1p refreshes it. Range: 1–1440.

[onepassword]
enabled = false
keyword = "1p"
op_path = ""
account = ""
cache_minutes = 10

[dictionary]

Dictionary and spelling, all offline. On by default; turn it off with "dict" in [plugins] disabled. Set it in Settings → Integrations.

Key	Type	Default	Description
define_keyword	string	"define"	Keyword for definitions.
spell_keyword	string	"spell"	Keyword for spelling corrections.
use_system	boolean	true	Use the macOS Dictionary and the Windows spell checker where available. false always uses the bundled English dictionary (WordNet) and word list.

[dictionary]
define_keyword = "define"
spell_keyword = "spell"
use_system = true

[ai]

The optional AI assistant (ai <question>). Off by default and strictly opt-in: nothing is sent anywhere until enabled = true and you press Enter on a question. Set it in Settings → AI assistant, which also has the write-only API key field and Test connection.

API keys are not in this file

A key is never written to config.toml. Save it in Settings (Windows: encrypted with DPAPI; macOS and Linux: an owner-only file) or set the OPENAI_API_KEY / ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable. See API keys.

Key	Type	Default	Description
enabled	boolean	false	Turn the assistant on.
keyword	string	"ai"	Keyword before a question. One word; "" keeps the default.
provider	string	"ollama"	"ollama" (a model on this computer), "openai" (OpenAI or any OpenAI-compatible server) or "anthropic". An unknown value is treated as "ollama", so a typo never sends anything to a cloud service.
model	string	""	Which model answers. "" uses the provider's default (llama3.2, gpt-4o-mini, claude-haiku-4-5).
base_url	string	""	Where requests go. "" uses http://localhost:11434, https://api.openai.com/v1 or https://api.anthropic.com. Must be http:// or https:// with no user name, password or query. A key is never sent over http:// to another computer.
system_prompt	string	a short "be concise" instruction	Sent with every question. At most 4000 characters.
max_tokens	integer	512	Longest answer asked for, in tokens. Range: 16–8192.
timeout_secs	integer	60	How long to wait for the whole answer. Range: 5–300.

[ai]
enabled = false
keyword = "ai"
provider = "ollama"
model = ""
base_url = ""
system_prompt = "You are a concise assistant inside a desktop launcher. Answer briefly in plain text, without Markdown headings."
max_tokens = 512
timeout_secs = 60

[snippets]

Expanding snippets as you type in any app. Off by default: while it is on, Sevak watches your keystrokes (in memory only, the last 64 characters, never stored or logged) to notice a snippet keyword. Not available on Wayland. The snippets themselves are the [[snippet]] entries below.

Key	Type	Default	Description
auto_expand	boolean	false	Expand snippet keywords as you type. Reloading applies changes; Sevak stops watching typing when this is turned off.
prefix	string	""	Typed before every keyword, e.g. ";" so that ;sig expands and sig does not. No spaces.
expand_on	string	"immediate"	"immediate" expands the moment the keyword is typed; "delimiter" waits for a space or punctuation mark, which is kept after the text. An unknown value is treated as "delimiter".
case_sensitive	boolean	true	false: SIG and sig both expand.
ignore_apps	array of strings	[]	Never watch or expand in these apps, e.g. ["KeePassXC", "Firefox"]. Matched case-insensitively against the program or app name, like [clipboard] ignore_apps.
expand_in_terminals	boolean	false	Terminal windows are skipped unless this is on.
expand_in_browsers	boolean	false	Web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, Safari, Arc, Zen, LibreWolf, Chromium) are skipped unless this is on: a password field in a web page cannot be reliably told from other text boxes, so a keyword typed inside a password would expand there. Also in Settings → Plugins.

[snippets]
auto_expand = false
prefix = ""
expand_on = "immediate"
case_sensitive = true
ignore_apps = []
expand_in_terminals = false
expand_in_browsers = false

[[snippet]]

Snippets: text you paste often, with placeholders that expand.

Key	Type	Required	Description
name	string	yes	Name of the snippet; type s <name> to search for it. Must not be empty.
text	string	yes	Text to paste. Can include newlines (\n). Must not be empty.
keyword	string	optional	Extra word to search by, e.g. keyword = "sig" lets you find it with s sig. With [snippets] auto_expand on, typing it in any app expands the snippet. Trimmed; empty keywords are ignored.

Placeholders in text:

• {date} — today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• {time} — current time in HH:MM:SS format (24-hour)
• {datetime} — date and time, e.g. 2025-10-03 14:30:00
• {date:%d %B %Y} — date in a custom format, e.g. 03 October 2025 (uses Rust strftime syntax)
• {clipboard} — contents of the clipboard at paste time
• {uuid} — a random UUID v4
• {{ and }} — literal { and } in the output

The Settings window never reformats hand-written snippets, so they survive a save. Unknown placeholders are left as-is.

[[snippet]]
name = "Email signature"
keyword = "sig"
text = "Best regards,\nNinad\n{date}"

[[snippet]]
name = "Meeting note"
text = "{datetime}: {clipboard}"

[[web_search]]

Web search engines. Type the keyword followed by your search terms, e.g. g rust traits.

Key	Type	Required	Description
keyword	string	yes	Short name to type before the query, e.g. "g" for Google. Must be unique and contain no spaces. Trimmed.
name	string	yes	Display name shown in results, e.g. "Google".
url	string	yes	URL template. Must contain {query} (replaced by the URL-encoded search terms) and start with http:// or https://.

If you define any [[web_search]] entries, they replace the defaults entirely. The defaults are:

[[web_search]]
keyword = "g"
name = "Google"
url = "https://www.google.com/search?q={query}"

[[web_search]]
keyword = "yt"
name = "YouTube"
url = "https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query={query}"

[[web_search]]
keyword = "gh"
name = "GitHub"
url = "https://github.com/search?q={query}"

[[hotkey]]

Extra global hotkeys: bind a key to open Sevak with a query or run a result directly.

Key	Type	Required	Description
key	string	yes	Keyboard shortcut, e.g. "Ctrl+Alt+T". Parsed like [general] hotkey. Must not be empty.
query	string	optional*	Open Sevak with this text already typed. Example: query = "> " opens a shell command prompt. Either query or run, not both.
run	string	optional*	Run the result with this id without showing the launcher. Example: run = "apps:firefox.desktop". Either query or run, not both. Must not be empty.

*Exactly one of query or run must be present.

Result ids:

• Apps: apps:firefox.desktop (Linux desktop-file id), apps:Chrome or apps:AppUserModelID (Windows), apps:Safari (macOS)
• Files: files:<full path>
• Bookmarks: hover over a bookmark in Sevak to see its id
• System commands: system:lock, system:sleep, system:restart, system:shutdown, system:logout, system:settings, system:settings:bluetooth, system:settings:wifi, etc.
• Snippets: snippets:<name>
• Shell commands: shell:<command>
• Automation tasks: tasks:dark_mode, tasks:volume:30, tasks:keep_awake:45, tasks:kill:chrome.exe (see Automation tasks)
• Window layouts: windows:left, windows:maximize, windows:next_display and so on (see Window management); they act on the window that has focus when the key is pressed
• Workflows: workflow:<folder>:run:<node id>, the result a workflow's hotkey trigger runs; usually it is simpler to give the workflow its own hotkey trigger in the builder (see Triggers)

Calculator, web search and clipboard history results have no stable id and cannot be bound.

On Wayland, run sevak --setup-hotkey after editing to create GNOME desktop shortcuts. Delete old entries in GNOME's keyboard settings after removing them from config.toml. On X11 and other desktops, the keys are registered directly by Sevak.

[[hotkey]]
key = "Ctrl+Alt+T"
query = "> "

[[hotkey]]
key = "Ctrl+Alt+L"
run = "system:lock"

[[hotkey]]
key = "Super+F"
run = "apps:firefox.desktop"

Files next to config.toml

Some settings are files of their own in the config folder rather than keys in config.toml:

Folder	Contents
plugins/	Script plugins, one folder each with a plugin.toml
workflows/	Workflows, one folder each with a workflow.toml; the builder in Settings → Workflows writes them
themes/	Theme files made, imported or installed in Settings → Appearance; [appearance] theme_file picks one
backup.toml	The options of automatic backups (schedule, on_update, keep, folder); off unless you turn it on, and never part of a backup itself

Everything Sevak writes itself is in the data folders, not here: the approvals file, usage history, logs, and the clipboard history with its images, which on Windows is in the local data folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\sevak\) and encrypted for your account ([clipboard] encrypt).

See Files and data for the data folders.

Settings → Backup & restore saves config.toml (without its [onepassword] section and anything that looks like a key or token), these folders and the stylesheet as one file. See Files and data for the data folder.

Complete example

This is the full default configuration written on first run:

# Sevak configuration
#
# Created with default values on first run. Edit it, then choose "Reload index"
# from the tray menu (or restart Sevak) to apply changes.

[general]
# Shortcut that shows and hides Sevak. Super is the Windows key (Cmd on macOS).
# Examples: "Super+Space", "Alt+Space", "Ctrl+Space", "Ctrl+Shift+K".
# Super+Space is normally taken by the system (Windows' input-language switcher,
# macOS Spotlight, GNOME's input sources). Sevak takes the key over on Windows
# with a keyboard hook, and on macOS and GNOME after asking you once. To go back
# to a key the system leaves alone, use "Alt+Space" (Option+Space on macOS).
# On Linux Wayland sessions applications cannot grab global keys. Run
# `sevak --setup-hotkey` to bind this key to `sevak --toggle` in GNOME instead.
hotkey = "Super+Space"

# Shortcut for Universal Actions: it copies what you have selected in the app
# you are using (text, a URL, files) and offers actions for it. "" turns it off.
# On Wayland run `sevak --setup-hotkey` to bind it to `sevak --actions`. See [actions].
actions_hotkey = "Ctrl+Alt+Space"

# Windows: also react to shortcuts that another program types for you (AutoHotkey,
# PowerToys Keyboard Manager and other remappers send "injected" keys). Off by
# default so that a program on your desktop cannot open Sevak or trigger Universal
# Actions by sending the shortcut itself; turn it on if a remapper is meant to.
accept_injected_hotkeys = false

# Hide the window when it loses focus.
hide_on_blur = true

# Start Sevak in the background when you log in.
launch_at_login = false

# Check GitHub for a new version at startup, every six hours and when you open Sevak. Updates are only
# installed after you agree. Apart from the optional currency rates (see
# [calculator]), this is the only request Sevak makes on its own.
check_for_updates = true

# Which releases to follow: "stable" (the default) or "beta". Beta builds arrive
# earlier and may be less tested; they come from the same GitHub releases page.
# Switching back to "stable" never downgrades: Sevak waits for the next stable
# version that is newer than the one you have.
update_channel = "stable"

[window]
# Width of the search window in logical pixels (400-1600).
width = 720

[linux]
# On Wayland sessions, draw Sevak's window through XWayland. Native Wayland
# windows cannot position themselves and may be refused focus, so this keeps the
# launcher centered and typeable. Set to false to use the native Wayland backend.
wayland_use_xwayland = true

[search]
# Number of results shown (1-20).
max_results = 8
# Keyword of the web search engine offered when nothing else matches ("" to
# disable). A list offers several, in order: ["g", "yt", "gh"].
fallback_web_search = "g"
# Up/Down on an empty search box recalls the last 50 searches you ran. They are
# kept in usage.json in the data folder; false stops recording and forgets them.
query_history = true

[appearance]
# "system", "light" or "dark".
theme = "system"
# Accent color as "#rrggbb", "#rgb" or "rgb(r, g, b)". "" keeps the theme's own.
accent = ""
# Size of the result titles in pixels (12-22); the rest of the bar scales with it.
font_size = 15
# Font for the search bar, e.g. "Fira Sans, sans-serif". "" uses the system font.
font_family = ""
# How opaque the search bar's background is, in percent (30-100).
opacity = 100
# Frosted-glass blur of the desktop behind the search bar (Windows and macOS).
# You only see it when opacity is below 100.
blur = false
# Corner radius of the search bar in pixels (0-32).
radius = 14
# A theme file inside this config folder, for example "themes/Nord.toml". Settings,
# Appearance, Theme editor creates and applies them. "" uses no theme file.
theme_file = ""
# A stylesheet inside this config folder that overrides the theme's CSS variables
# (see docs/themes.md), for example "theme.css". "" loads none.
custom_css = ""

[plugins]
# Ids of built-in plugins to turn off: "apps", "calculator", "files",
# "bookmarks", "system", "tasks", "media", "shell", "clipboard", "snippets",
# "emoji", "selection" (Universal Actions), "contacts", "1password", "dict",
# "windows" (window management), "web:<keyword>".
disabled = []

[calculator]
# Convert currencies ("100 usd in eur"). Off by default because it needs the
# network: when on, Sevak downloads the European Central Bank's daily reference
# rates (a small XML file, no account or key) in the background at most once a
# day and keeps them on disk. Unit conversion ("10 km in mi") never needs it.
currency = false

[files]
# Folders whose files and subfolders are searchable. "~" is your home folder.
directories = ["~/Desktop", "~/Documents", "~/Downloads"]
# How many folder levels below each directory are indexed.
max_depth = 4
# Index dot-files and dot-folders.
include_hidden = false
# Type "<keyword> <name>" to search only files.
keyword = "f"
# Also show (lower-ranked) file results for plain queries.
global = true
# Whole-disk search through the operating system's own index (Windows Search,
# Spotlight, locate / Tracker / Baloo). Nothing leaves your computer. Type
# "<index_keyword> <name>" for file names and "<content_keyword> <words>" for
# what is inside files. false turns both off.
use_os_index = true
index_keyword = "ff"
content_keyword = "in"
# Windows only. Use paths on other computers (\\server\share, or a mapped
# network drive). Off by default: merely looking at such a path makes Windows
# connect to that computer and sign in to it, which can hand your Windows
# credentials to whoever runs it. Turn on if you keep files on a file server
# you trust; folders listed in "directories" on a share are skipped while off.
allow_network_paths = false

[bookmarks]
# Browsers whose bookmarks are searchable; [] means every browser found.
# Names: "chrome", "edge", "brave", "vivaldi", "chromium", "opera", "opera-gx",
# "firefox", "librewolf", "zen", and "safari" (macOS; needs Full Disk Access).
# All profiles of each browser are read.
browsers = []
# Type "<keyword> <text>" to search only bookmarks.
keyword = "b"
# Also show (lower-ranked) bookmark results for plain queries.
global = true

[system]
# System commands: lock, sleep, hibernate, restart, shut down, log out, empty
# the trash, and shortcuts to OS settings pages. Ask before restart, shut down,
# log out and emptying the trash.
confirm = true
# Commands or pages to hide: "lock", "sleep", "hibernate", "restart",
# "shutdown", "logout", "empty_trash", "settings" (every settings page) or
# "settings:<page>" such as "settings:bluetooth". To turn the whole plugin off,
# add "system" to [plugins] disabled instead.
disabled = []

[tasks]
# Automation tasks: toggle dark mode, show the desktop, mute and set the volume
# ("vol 30"), take a screenshot, quit an app ("quit"), kill a process by name
# ("kill chrome"), eject a drive ("eject"), keep the computer awake ("awake 30")
# and more. What is offered depends on your system.
# Ask before force quitting an app, ending a process and restarting Explorer or
# Finder.
confirm = true
# Tasks to hide: "dark_mode", "show_desktop", "hide_others", "minimize_all",
# "screenshot", "downloads", "recent_files", "flush_dns", "restart_shell",
# "empty_clipboard", "mute", "unmute", "volume_up", "volume_down", "volume",
# "wifi", "bluetooth", "keep_awake", "stop_keep_awake", "quit_app",
# "force_quit_app", "kill", "eject". To turn the whole plugin off, add "tasks"
# to [plugins] disabled instead.
disabled = []
# Type "<keyword> <task>" to search only tasks.
keyword = "t"
# Also show tasks for plain queries ("dark mode", "kill chrome").
global = true

[media]
# Media controls: play/pause, next, previous, stop, and what is playing now.
# Type "<keyword> <button>" to search only the controls.
keyword = "play"
# Also show the controls for plain queries ("pause", "next track").
global = true
# Show the track that is playing as a row (Enter plays or pauses it). It is read
# from the system's media player on request; nothing is stored or sent anywhere.
now_playing = true

[window_management]
# Arrange the window you were using: snap it to a half, quarter or third of the
# screen, maximize, center, move it to another display, and undo ("win left",
# "win max", "win next display"). A second search, "w <name>", lists the open
# windows and brings the one you pick to the front. On macOS this needs the
# Accessibility permission; on Linux it works on X11 sessions only.
enabled = true
# Type "<keyword> <layout>" to list the layouts. Empty turns the layouts off.
keyword = "win"
# Type "<keyword> <name>" to find an open window by its title or app. Empty
# turns the window switcher off.
switcher_keyword = "w"
# Space in pixels between snapped windows and the screen edge (0-200).
gap = 0
# Also match layout names in plain searches ("snap left", "maximize window").
global = false

[shell]
# Type "> <command>" (or ">command") to run a command in a terminal window. It
# only runs when you press Enter; recent commands are offered again.
# Terminal to use. "" detects one: Windows Terminal (else a console window) on
# Windows, Terminal.app on macOS, $TERMINAL then common terminals on Linux.
# Examples: "wt", "iterm", "kitty", "gnome-terminal", "alacritty --class sevak".
terminal = ""
# Shell that runs the command. "" picks pwsh, powershell, then cmd on Windows
# and $SHELL (or sh) on Linux. Not used on macOS: your login shell runs it.
shell = ""
# Leave the terminal open, at a shell prompt, after the command exits.
keep_open = true

[paste]
# Clipboard history and snippets paste into the app you were using before Sevak
# opened. With this on, the clipboard's previous text is put back afterwards.
restore_clipboard = false

[actions]
# Universal Actions (see actions_hotkey under [general]). Sevak presses Ctrl+C
# (Cmd+C) in the app you were using, reads the result and puts your clipboard
# back. The selection is never stored or logged. Terminal windows are skipped
# on Windows and Linux because Ctrl+C would interrupt the running program.
# Linux (X11): read the PRIMARY selection (text you just highlighted) first,
# without pressing a key.
use_primary_selection = true
# When the selection cannot be captured (Wayland, a terminal, missing macOS
# Accessibility permission), act on the current clipboard contents instead.
use_clipboard_fallback = false

[file_buffer]
# The file buffer (Alt+Up / Alt+Down on a file result collects it). By default it
# is emptied whenever the launcher hides; true keeps what you collected.
keep_between_shows = false

[clipboard]
# Clipboard history ("cb <text>"). Off by default: turning it on makes Sevak
# watch the clipboard and keep what you copy in clipboard-history.json in its
# local data folder (on Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\sevak, which does not roam with your
# profile): text, images (as PNG files in a "clipboard" folder next to it) and
# the paths of copied files. Content that apps mark as secret (password
# managers) is never recorded.
enabled = false
# Items kept, of all kinds together (the oldest are dropped).
max_items = 200
# Longer text is not recorded.
max_item_bytes = 65536
# Record copied images, and copied files and folders (paths only).
images = true
files = true
# An image whose PNG is larger than this is not recorded.
max_image_bytes = 10485760
# Never record text copied from these apps, e.g. ["Signal", "Messages"].
# Matched case-insensitively against the program or app name.
ignore_apps = []
# Also skip password managers (KeePass, KeePassXC, 1Password, Bitwarden,
# LastPass, Dashlane, Enpass, NordPass, RoboForm, Keeper, Proton Pass), the
# system's credential prompts and ssh/gpg passphrase prompts, in addition to
# ignore_apps. The full list is in the clipboard documentation. false turns it off.
default_ignore_apps = true
# Encrypt the history file and the image files for your Windows account
# (DPAPI). macOS and Linux have no such encryption here: the files are plain,
# readable by you only. Files already stored plain are encrypted on the next
# start.
encrypt = true

[contacts]
# Search your contacts ("c <name>" or "@name"): copy an email or phone number,
# write an email, call (tel: link), or open the card. Off by default. Contacts
# are read into memory only; nothing is written to disk or sent anywhere.
enabled = false
# Keyword (the "@" keyword always works too). "" keeps the default.
keyword = "c"
# Also read the system address book: macOS Contacts (asks for permission the
# first time you use it), the Windows People store and Evolution's local
# address books on Linux.
use_system = true
# vCard files (.vcf) or folders of them, e.g. ["~/contacts.vcf", "~/Contacts"].
# This works everywhere and needs no permission.
vcard_files = []

[onepassword]
# Search your 1Password logins ("1p github"): Enter opens the item's website,
# the action panel opens it in the 1Password app or copies the username. Needs
# the official `op` command-line tool, signed in (1Password > Settings >
# Developer > "Integrate with 1Password CLI"). Only titles, websites and
# usernames are read, never passwords or one-time codes. Off by default.
enabled = false
keyword = "1p"
# Path to the `op` program. "" looks on PATH and in the usual install folders.
op_path = ""
# Which account to use when several are signed in: its address (my.1password.com),
# short name or ID. "" uses op's default.
account = ""
# How long the list of logins is kept in memory before `1p` refreshes it.
cache_minutes = 10

[dictionary]
# "define <word>" shows definitions and "spell <word>" suggests corrections, all
# offline. macOS uses its Dictionary and Windows its spell checker; elsewhere a
# bundled English dictionary (WordNet) is used. Turn it off with "dict" in
# [plugins] disabled.
define_keyword = "define"
spell_keyword = "spell"
# false always uses the bundled dictionary and word list.
use_system = true

[ai]
# An optional AI assistant: "ai <question>" and Enter sends the question to the
# service below and shows the answer. OFF by default and strictly opt-in:
# nothing is sent anywhere until you set enabled = true AND press Enter on a
# question. What is sent: the question (or the text you chose with "Ask AI about
# selection"), the system prompt and the model name, to the host of base_url.
# Nothing else; no clipboard, files or search history. Answers are kept in memory only.
# API keys are NOT stored here: add one in Settings > AI assistant (kept encrypted
# with Windows DPAPI, or in an owner-only file elsewhere), or set the environment
# variable OPENAI_API_KEY / ANTHROPIC_API_KEY. Ollama needs no key.
enabled = false
keyword = "ai"
# "ollama" (a model running on this computer), "openai" (OpenAI or any
# OpenAI-compatible server) or "anthropic".
provider = "ollama"
# "" uses the provider's default model (llama3.2, gpt-4o-mini, claude-haiku-4-5).
model = ""
# "" uses the provider's address (http://localhost:11434, https://api.openai.com/v1,
# https://api.anthropic.com). Point "openai" at another server, such as
# "http://localhost:1234/v1" for LM Studio. An API key is never sent over plain
# http:// except to this computer.
base_url = ""
system_prompt = "You are a concise assistant inside a desktop launcher. Answer briefly in plain text, without Markdown headings."
# Longest answer asked for (16-8192 tokens) and how long to wait (5-300 seconds).
max_tokens = 512
timeout_secs = 60

# Snippets ("s <name>"): text you paste often. Placeholders: {date}, {time},
# {datetime}, {date:%d %B %Y}, {clipboard}, {uuid}; write {{ and }} for literal
# braces. "keyword" is optional and also matches the search.
# [[snippet]]
# name = "Email signature"
# keyword = "sig"
# text = "Best regards,\nNinad"

[snippets]
# Expand snippets as you type in any app (a snippet needs a "keyword"). OFF by
# default: while on, Sevak watches your keystrokes (in memory only, last 64
# characters, never stored or logged) to notice a keyword. See "Privacy" in the
# README. Not available on Wayland.
auto_expand = false
# Typed before every keyword, e.g. ";" so that ";sig" expands and "sig" does not.
prefix = ""
# "immediate" expands the moment the keyword is typed; "delimiter" waits for a
# space or punctuation mark, which is kept after the text.
expand_on = "immediate"
# false: "SIG" and "sig" both expand.
case_sensitive = true
# Never expand in these apps (program or app name, case-insensitive).
ignore_apps = []
# Terminal windows are skipped unless this is on.
expand_in_terminals = false
# Web browsers are skipped unless this is on: a password field in a web page
# cannot be reliably told from other text boxes, so a keyword typed inside a
# password would expand there. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera,
# Safari, Arc, Zen, LibreWolf and Chromium count as browsers.
expand_in_browsers = false

# Web search engines: type "<keyword> <terms>". "{query}" is replaced by the
# URL-encoded terms. Defining any [[web_search]] entry replaces this list.
[[web_search]]
keyword = "g"
name = "Google"
url = "https://www.google.com/search?q={query}"

[[web_search]]
keyword = "yt"
name = "YouTube"
url = "https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query={query}"

[[web_search]]
keyword = "gh"
name = "GitHub"
url = "https://github.com/search?q={query}"

# Extra global hotkeys. Each [[hotkey]] has a "key" and exactly one of:
#   query = "..."  open Sevak with this text already typed
#   run = "..."    run a result directly, without showing Sevak; the value is a
#                  result id such as "apps:firefox.desktop" or "files:<full path>"
# On Linux Wayland, `sevak --setup-hotkey` binds these in GNOME as well.
#
# [[hotkey]]
# key = "Ctrl+Alt+T"
# query = "> "
#
# [[hotkey]]
# key = "Ctrl+Alt+F"
# run = "apps:firefox.desktop"