Configuration

OpenLoop splits configuration in two: global (~/.openloop/config.json) for machine-wide defaults, and per-project (<repo>/.openloop/project.json) for everything repo-specific. Full key references live in the configuration reference; this guide is about workflow.

Global config

openloop config show     # print the whole thing

Change settable keys with dot notation (values are validated):

openloop config set budgets.dailyCostUsd 40
openloop config set runtime.maxAttemptsPerTask 5
openloop config set runtime.projectSelectionStrategy priority

Model and provider shortcuts:

openloop config set-model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
openloop config set-provider claude
openloop config list-providers

Note

Edit ~/.openloop/config.json by hand if you need keys the set command doesn’t expose (hooks, notification channels), though hooks have their own commands for exactly that reason.

Project config

openloop config project-show myapp

The file is plain JSON; edit it directly for anything structural. The parts you’ll touch most:

Validation commands: the backbone of the promotion pipeline. Stack detection fills these during project init; verify them before trusting auto-merge.

{
  "validation": {
    "lintCommand": "npm run lint",
    "testCommand": "npm test",
    "typecheckCommand": "npm run check"
  }
}

Agent & model: usually via the helper commands rather than by hand:

openloop config project-set-agent myapp claude
openloop config project-set-model myapp openai/gpt-5.2-codex

Runtime behavior: worktree isolation and branch prefix:

{
  "runtime": {
    "useWorktree": true,
    "branchPrefix": "openloop/",
    "prCommand": null
  }
}

prCommand defaults to gh pr create; override it to use another PR tool.

Review & verification: deterministic post-run checks:

{
  "review": { "enabled": true },
  "verification": { "enabled": true }
}

Policy

Scope and risk live in .openloop/policy.yaml, not project.json (see policy & risk.

Resolution order

• Provider: project agent.type → global defaultProvider → pi.
• Model: CLI --model → project pi.model → global model.
• Everything else: project settings are used where they exist; global defaults fill the gaps; hardcoded defaults (see the reference) are the floor.