Client Configuration

Both the TUI (conclave-cli) and GUI (conclave-gui) read configuration from:

$CONCLAVE_CONFIG_DIR/config.toml
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/conclave/config.toml (typically ~/.config/conclave/config.toml)

All fields have sensible defaults and can be omitted. The client works without a config file.

Command-Line Arguments

Flag	Description
`-c`, `--config <path>`	Path to config file (overrides default search)
`-d`, `--data-dir <path>`	Path to data directory (overrides config file and env vars)

Running conclave-cli with no subcommand launches the interactive TUI. Running conclave-gui launches the graphical interface.

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Default	Description
`data_dir`	string	`$CONCLAVE_DATA_DIR` or `$XDG_DATA_HOME/conclave`	Local data directory for SQLite databases, MLS keys, session state, and group mappings.
`accept_invalid_certs`	boolean	`false`	Accept invalid TLS certificates (e.g., self-signed). Only enable for development or when using Caddy’s internal CA.
`show_verified_indicator`	boolean	`false`	Show verification indicators next to verified users and fully-verified rooms. When `false`, only unverified `[?]` and changed `[!]` indicators are shown.
`notifications`	string	`"Native"`	TUI-only. Notification method for new messages: `"Native"`, `"Bell"`, `"Both"`, or `"None"`.

Theme Customization

The GUI supports theme customization via the [theme] section. All fields are optional — unset fields keep the built-in defaults. Colors use #rrggbb hex format.

Preset themes are available in assets/themes/. Copy the [theme] section from a preset into your config file to use it.

Available presets: conclave, ferra, greyscale, navy.

Full Reference

# Local data directory.
# Default: $CONCLAVE_DATA_DIR, or $XDG_DATA_HOME/conclave
#   (typically ~/.local/share/conclave)
#data_dir = "/home/user/.local/share/conclave"

# Accept invalid TLS certificates (e.g., self-signed). Default: false.
# Only enable this for development or testing environments.
#accept_invalid_certs = false

# Show verification indicators for verified users and fully-verified rooms.
# Default: false (hides verified indicators to reduce visual clutter).
#show_verified_indicator = false

# TUI-only: notification method for new messages.
# Possible values: "Native" (default), "Bell", "Both", "None".
#notifications = "Native"

# GUI theme overrides. All fields are optional; unset fields keep the
# built-in defaults. Colors use "#rrggbb" hex format.
# Theme presets are available in the assets/themes/ directory.
#[theme]
#background = "#2B292D"
#surface = "#242226"
#surface_bright = "#323034"
#title_bar = "#1E1C20"
#input_area = "#1E1C20"
#primary = "#FECDB2"
#text = "#FECDB2"
#text_secondary = "#AB8A79"
#text_muted = "#685650"
#error = "#E06B75"
#on_error = "#FFFFFF"
#warning = "#FFA07A"
#on_warning = "#2B292D"
#success = "#B1B695"
#border = "#4F474D"
#scrollbar = "#323034"
#selection = "#453D41"

Data Directory Layout

After logging in, the client stores data under data_dir:

~/.local/share/conclave/
  conclave.lock             # Exclusive file lock (prevents multiple instances)
  session.toml              # Server URL, auth token, user ID
  users/<username>/
    mls.db                  # MLS key material (SQLite)
    message_history.db      # Message store and TOFU fingerprints (SQLite)

Only one Conclave client instance can run at a time per data directory. Launching a second instance will fail with an error. The lock is released automatically when the process exits.