Configuration overview

How the config files are laid out and what each switch does.

Bi’s configuration is not one big table — it is split into small files by responsibility, all under .bi/ in the launch directory:

File	Controls
`config.json`	Runtime settings: port, workspace, default model, loop limits, thresholds
`llm.json`	Multi-provider / multi-model config, plus each provider’s API key
`permissions.json`	Tool permission rules and auto-approval rules
`intercept_rules.json`	Intercept rules (match = reject)
`bi.db`	SQLite session database (messages, tool calls, usage stats)
`history.json`	Plaintext cross-session conversation log
`checkpoints/`	Workspace shadow Git repo for “roll back to this step”
`skills/`, `plugins/`	Skill and plugin directories
`logs/`	Runtime logs and network activity records

Key fields in config.json

Field	Default	Meaning
`base_url`	`https://api.deepseek.com/v1`	Model endpoint
`model`	`deepseek-chat`	Default model
`port`	`8080`	Local server port
`workspace`	Launch directory	Workspace root for the agent
`max_loops`	`200`	Max tool-loop iterations per turn
`max_sub_agents` / `max_sub_depth`	`5` / `2`	Sub-agent count and depth limits
`turn_timeout`	`30` (minutes)	Total time cap for one turn
`recent_turns_full`	`6`	Recent turns injected in full when packing context
`tool_result_keep`	`4`	Tool results kept in full inside a tool loop
`read_cache_enabled`	`true`	Read-result cache (mtime+size checked)
`network_log_enabled`	`false`	Network activity log (off by default, privacy first)
`auto_search`	`true`	New conversations start with smart search on
`disabled_tools`	—	Tool ids to disable

Two fields worth attention:

network_log_enabled is off by default. When on, every LLM call and every full exec command is appended as JSONL under .bi/logs/network/. That is sensitive data, so enable it only when you specifically need it.
link_schemes is the protocol whitelist for rendering Markdown into clickable links — http, https, mailto by default. Executable protocols like javascript: are never rendered as links.

Missing-field behaviour

An absent field falls back to the defaults above; an explicit 0 / false usually means “off” and is respected (a few fields like recent_turns_full have no meaningful 0, so they fall back too). When unsure, delete the field entirely and let it return to default — don’t guess.

Providers and keys

Provider and key configuration lives separately in llm.json; it migrates once from a legacy config.json. Keys only travel to the endpoint you configured — Bi has no server of its own. See model providers.

UI vs files

The settings UI edits exactly these files, so both stay in sync. For bulk edits or version-controlled configuration, edit the files directly — changes are picked up on save without a restart.