Chan manual
Settings & defaults
Configure appearance, editing, terminals, shortcuts, and workspace preferences.
Open settings
Open Settings from the command launcher or use Cmd+, on macOS and Ctrl+, on Windows and Linux. Sections cover Global, Editor, Terminal, File browser, Graph, Dashboard, Search, Keyboard Shortcuts, and This workspace.
Use Global for shared appearance, then individual app sections for their own preferences and theme overrides. Keyboard Shortcuts lists commands and lets you customize their bindings. This workspace holds project-specific controls such as indexing, reports, excluded directories, and screen lock.
Defaults to know
| Setting | Default and where to change it |
|---|---|
| App themes | Inherit the shared theme; choose an override in each app's settings. |
| Program status (OSC 7501) | On. Turn off in Terminal settings. |
| Code reports | On. Manage in This workspace. |
| Semantic search | Off. Configure its model and enable in This workspace. |
| Idle screen lock | Off. Its default timeout is 300 seconds and its theme is Default. |
Editor settings include fonts, page width, and save behavior; Terminal settings include fonts, colors, and program status. Use the UI to see the currently applied values on the host you are connected to.
Configuration from the terminal
chan config reads and writes named settings on the machine where it runs. For example:
$chan config get terminal.program_status
$chan config set terminal.program_status true
Run chan config --help for the command interface. CHAN_HOME chooses a separate chan state directory, useful when running an isolated devserver alongside your local desktop.