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Customize mecatui

Client settings change how mecatui looks and handles input. Server settings control model access, storage, and policy.

Know which settings you can change​

mecatui client settings control local presentation and input: themes, keybindings, and similar UI behavior. They apply whether the client uses an embedded or remote server.

Bare mecatui also starts an embedded server, so its server flags can control the local provider, storage, and policy. With mecatui connect, the remote server controls credentials, providers, models, workspace policy, storage, retention, and learning. The client rejects server-only flags in this mode.

Customize the client​

  • Keybindings explains default keys, precedence, and safe remapping.
  • Themes explains built-in themes, custom palette locations, and selection.

Show benign guardrail notices​

mecatui retains contextual guardrail summaries and live review details. It hides a completed, acceptable execute or release_result review while conversation details are collapsed. Findings, outages, unresolved reviews, approval requests, withheld results, denied actions, warnings, and unknown outcomes remain visible.

Press your configured ExpandConversation keybinding (f9 by default) to show retained benign notices temporarily in live and replayed conversations. To keep them visible while details are collapsed, add this setting to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mecatui/settings.yaml:

hook_notices:
  show_benign: true

This changes display only; guardrail checks still run.

Customize the status line​

$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mecatui/settings.yaml may customize the local header and footer with status_customization. Project files and remote servers cannot configure this client-only setting. Choose either a responsive template set or a local executable. The client sends command input only through standard input.

See Status line customization for template and executable examples, the input reference, StatusML syntax, and safety limits.

Next steps​