Configuration

All configuration lives in .instar/config.json, created during setup and editable at any time. All keys are top-level (no nesting under section objects).

Server

{
  "port": 4040,
  "host": "127.0.0.1"
}

Field	Default	Description
`port`	4040	Server port
`host`	127.0.0.1	Bind address (localhost only by default)
`requestTimeoutMs`	30000	Request timeout in milliseconds

Messaging

Telegram, WhatsApp, and other adapters are configured via a messaging array:

{
  "messaging": [
    {
      "type": "telegram",
      "botToken": "...",
      "chatId": -100...
    },
    {
      "type": "whatsapp"
    }
  ]
}

Each entry specifies an adapter type and its adapter-specific options. WhatsApp state is managed internally via the Baileys library.

Scheduler

{
  "scheduler": {
    "enabled": true,
    "maxConcurrentSessions": 3
  }
}

Auth

{
  "authToken": "..."
}

The auth token is a top-level key, generated during setup. Used for API authentication via Bearer header.

For dashboard web access, a simpler dashboardPin is also available:

{
  "dashboardPin": "1234"
}

Sessions

{
  "sessions": {
    "maxConcurrent": 5,
    "timeoutMinutes": 120
  }
}

Safety & Autonomy

{
  "safety": { ... },
  "agentAutonomy": { ... },
  "autonomyProfile": "supervised",
  "externalOperations": { ... }
}

Field	Description
`safety`	Safety configuration for autonomous operation
`agentAutonomy`	Agent autonomy configuration
`autonomyProfile`	Unified autonomy level: `cautious`, `supervised`, `collaborative`, `autonomous`
`externalOperations`	External operation safety — gate, sentinel, trust

Response Review (Coherence Gate)

{
  "responseReview": {
    "enabled": true,
    "mode": "observe"
  }
}

See Coherence Gate for full configuration options.

Threadline

{
  "threadline": { ... }
}

Configures the Threadline relay for inter-agent communication. See Threadline Protocol for details.

Additional Config Keys

Key	Description
`monitoring`	Health monitoring configuration
`relationships`	Relationship tracking config
`feedback`	Feedback loop config
`dispatches`	Dispatch (intelligence broadcast) config
`gitBackup`	Git backup config (opt-in for standalone agents)
`updates`	Update configuration (auto-updater behavior)
`publishing`	Publishing (Telegraph) config
`tunnel`	Cloudflare Tunnel config
`evolution`	Evolution system configuration
`multiMachine`	Multi-machine coordination config
`agentType`	`standalone` or `project-bound`
`userRegistrationPolicy`	User registration policy
`inputGuard`	Cross-topic injection defense
`notifications`	Notification preferences for autonomy events
`dashboard`	Dashboard configuration
`onboarding`	Controls what data is collected during user registration
`recoveryKey`	Recovery key for admin self-recovery

Identity Files

These aren’t in config.json but are critical configuration:

File	Purpose
`.instar/AGENT.md`	Agent identity — who it is, its principles
`.instar/USER.md`	User context — who it works with, preferences
`.instar/MEMORY.md`	Persistent learnings across sessions
`.instar/ORG-INTENT.md`	Organizational constraints (optional)

Jobs

Jobs are defined in .instar/jobs.json. See Job Scheduler for the format.

Hooks

Behavioral hooks are installed in .claude/settings.json and scripts live in .instar/hooks/ and .claude/scripts/. See Hooks reference for details.