App Settings

Settings Overview

Strayfiles stores user preferences in ~/.strayfiles/config.csv. Access settings via the Settings menu in the app.

Settings Sections

The Settings UI is organized into 7 sections:

General - Theme and editor preferences
Terminal - Embedded terminal configuration
Discovery - File discovery exclusions
Encryption - E2E encryption status and setup
Sync - Sync backend and preferences
Advanced - Backend switching and proxy
About - Version and updates

General Settings

Theme

Choose from 6 color themes:

Theme	Description
Dark	Default dark theme
Light	Light background
Pastel	Soft pastel colors
Sunrise	Warm morning tones
Midnight	Deep dark blue
Forest	Green-tinted dark

Show Line Numbers

Toggle line numbers in the editor. Default: On

Terminal Settings

Strayfiles includes an optional embedded terminal.

Setting	Options	Default
Show Terminal	On/Off	Off
Position	Bottom, Right	Right
Size	Rows/columns	50

Use + and - to adjust terminal size.

Discovery Settings

Configure which files and folders to exclude from file discovery.

Excluded Directories

Folders to skip when discovering files:

node_modules, .git, target, .next, dist

Add directories like vendor, build, .cache as needed.

Excluded Extensions

File extensions to ignore:

.log, .bak, .tmp

Excluded Patterns

Glob patterns to exclude:

**/*.min.js, **/generated/**, **/*.draft.md

These exclusions apply when you use File Discovery to search your machine for Markdown files.

Encryption Settings

Manage end-to-end encryption for Stray Cloud.

Item	Description
Status	Shows: Unlocked, Locked, or Not configured
Setup Key	Create encryption key file
Lock	Lock encryption (requires password next session)

See Encryption for detailed setup.

Sync Settings

Backend

Displays your current storage backend:

Local - File-based storage
Git - Git repository
Supabase - Stray Cloud (Pro)
Proxy - Remote server

Auto-sync

Automatically sync changes. Default: On

When enabled:

Changes sync immediately after save
Background sync keeps devices in sync
Conflicts detected and queued for resolution

Sync Settings to Stray Cloud

Sync your preferences across devices. Default: Off

When enabled:

Theme, exclusions, and preferences sync to Stray Cloud
New devices get your settings automatically
Requires Pro subscription

Manage Devices

View and manage paired devices:

See all registered devices
View last active time
Remove devices you no longer use

Git Remote

Git remote name for sync operations. Default: origin

Git Branch

Git branch for sync operations. Default: main

Advanced Settings

Instant Mode

Switch to ephemeral in-memory storage:

Notes exist only for current session
Useful for testing or temporary notes
All data lost on quit

Proxy Connect

Connect to a remote Strayfiles server:

Enter proxy server URL
Optionally enter auth token
Connect to remote storage

Useful for accessing notes on a remote machine.

About

Version

Displays current app version.

Check for Updates

Check for new releases. Downloads are available from strayfiles.com/download.

Website

Link to strayfiles.com documentation and resources.

Settings File

Settings are stored in:

~/.strayfiles/config.csv

Example contents:

key,value
auto_sync,true
excluded_directories,"node_modules,.git,target,.next,dist"
excluded_extensions,
excluded_patterns,
last_theme,dark
settings_sync_enabled,false
show_line_numbers,true
terminal_enabled,false
terminal_position,right
terminal_size,50
last_git_remote,origin
last_git_branch,main

Sensitive Data

Secrets (API keys, auth tokens) are stored in your system keychain, not the config file:

macOS: Keychain Access
Linux: Secret Service
Windows: Credential Manager

Navigate settings with these keys:

Key	Action
`j` / `↓`	Move down
`k` / `↑`	Move up
`Enter` / `l`	Select / Enter
`Esc` / `h`	Back
`Tab`	Switch sections ↔ items
`+` / `-`	Adjust numeric values
`q`	Close settings

Resetting Settings

To reset all settings to defaults:

Quit Strayfiles
Delete ~/.strayfiles/config.csv
Restart Strayfiles

A fresh config file will be created with default values.