What is the proper way to store user settings?

[mattppal]

Excellent library, thank you @simonw

I have several workflows built on llm, but I use nix home manager, which means I try to be declarative about my tool settings.

What's the best way to store llm configs via dotfiles or declaratively? Specifically, I'd like to store plugins, default model choices, and other config. Likely the SQLite db as well.

[gyanu2507]

For nix / home-manager I'd treat LLM's user directory as the thing you make declarative, then point everything at it.

LLM keeps keys, templates, prefs, the SQLite log DB, and extra-openai-models.yaml under one path:

dirname "$(llm logs path)"
# or
llm keys path

Override it with LLM_USER_PATH:

export LLM_USER_PATH=/home/you/.config/llm

In home-manager that's just home.sessionVariables.LLM_USER_PATH = "...";.

What belongs in that directory:

• extra-openai-models.yaml: remote / extra models
• keys.json: from llm keys set ... (secrets. Inject with sops/agenix, don't commit plaintext)
• default model: whatever llm models default <id> writes
• templates / fragments
• the logs DB: often leave this mutable, or park it on a volume

Plugins are packages, not files in that folder. Install them the same way you install llm:

llm install llm-anthropic
# or
uv tool install llm --with llm-anthropic

From home-manager that usually means a package/overlay or an activation hook that runs llm install ....

Rough split: LLM_USER_PATH for config and optional DB, llm install for plugins, YAML / models default for remotes and the default model, and secrets via keys.json or env vars like OPENAI_API_KEY.

More in the docs: custom directory location.