Reference
Configuration file reference
Reference for the palabre.config.json format, agents, defaults, and advanced options.
This page serves as a quick reference for palabre.config.json.
For a step-by-step explanation, start with Configuration.
Full example
{
"language": "en",
"outputDir": ".palabre",
"defaults": {
"mode": "debate",
"agentA": "codex",
"agentB": "claude",
"askAgents": ["codex", "claude"],
"summaryAgent": "claude",
"askSummaryAgent": "claude",
"turns": 4
},
"agents": {
"codex": {
"type": "cli",
"command": "codex",
"args": ["exec", "--skip-git-repo-check", "--color", "never", "--sandbox", "read-only", "-"],
"promptMode": "stdin",
"shell": true,
"role": "implementer"
},
"claude": {
"type": "cli",
"command": "claude.exe",
"args": ["--print", "--output-format", "text", "--no-session-persistence"],
"promptMode": "stdin",
"shell": false,
"role": "reviewer"
}
}
}
Root
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
language | fr or en | Palabre and agent prompt language. Can be overridden for one command with --language or PALABRE_LANGUAGE. |
outputDir | string | Export folder for .debate.md and .ask.md files. |
defaults
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
mode | debate or ask | Default mode when no mode is provided. |
agentA | string | Agent that responds first. |
agentB | string | Agent that responds second. |
askAgents | string | Default ask mode agents, 4 maximum. |
summaryAgent | string | Final summary agent for debate mode, and fallback for ask mode. |
askSummaryAgent | string | Ask-specific final summary agent. |
turns | number | Total number of turns, between 1 and 20. |
CLI agent
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
type | cli or cli-pty | Agent type. |
command | string | Command to run. |
args | string | Arguments passed. |
promptMode | stdin or argument | How the prompt is passed. |
shell | boolean | Runs via the system shell. |
role | string | Agent role. |
model | string | Optional default model. |
modelArg | string | Optional model flag. |
timeoutMs | number | Global timeout. |
idleTimeoutMs | number | Idle timeout. |
cols / rows | number | Pseudo-terminal dimensions for cli-pty. |
Ollama agent
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
type | ollama | Agent type. |
baseUrl | string | Ollama API URL. |
model | string | Local model. |
role | string | Agent role. |
validateModel | boolean | Verifies that the model exists. |
autoPullModel | boolean | Downloads the model if missing. |
pullTimeoutMs | number | Download timeout. |
unloadOtherModels | boolean | Unloads other models. |
keepAlive | string | Duration to keep the model loaded. |
temperature | number | Response variation. |