Configuration

Denkeeper is configured via a single TOML file, typically at ~/.denkeeper/denkeeper.toml. The denkeeper serve command reads this file on startup. All behavior is driven by config — nothing is hardcoded.

Config file location

Denkeeper searches for the config in this order:

--config / -c flag (explicit path)
DENKEEPER_CONFIG environment variable
~/.denkeeper/denkeeper.toml

When installed via .deb/.rpm, the systemd service uses /etc/denkeeper/denkeeper.toml.

Sections overview

Section	Purpose
`[telegram]`	Telegram bot token and user allowlist
`[discord]`	Discord bot token and user allowlist
`[llm]`	Default provider, model, cost limits
`[llm.openrouter]`	OpenRouter API key
`[llm.anthropic]`	Direct Anthropic API key
`[llm.ollama]`	Ollama base URL
`[llm.openai]`	OpenAI-compatible API key and endpoint
`[[llm.fallback]]`	Fallback strategies (cost limit, rate limit, error)
`[session]`	Default permission tier
`[[agents]]`	Multi-agent definitions
`[memory]`	SQLite database path
`[log]`	Log level and format
`[voice]`	STT/TTS configuration
`[api]`	REST API server settings
`[[api.keys]]`	API key definitions
`[[schedules]]`	Recurring task schedules
`[plugins.*]`	Plugin definitions
`[security]`	Plugin signing (trusted keys, allow unsigned)
`[mcp]`	Global MCP settings (timeout, auto-restart, SSE URL allowlist)
`[tools.*]`	MCP tool server definitions (stdio or SSE transport)
`[kv]`	Agent KV store limits

Environment variable overrides

Secrets and select config fields can be set via DENKEEPER_* environment variables. These take precedence over values in the TOML file, enabling the standard Kubernetes pattern of a ConfigMap for config and a Secret for credentials.

Env Var	Config Field
`DENKEEPER_TELEGRAM_TOKEN`	`telegram.token`
`DENKEEPER_DISCORD_TOKEN`	`discord.token`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_PROVIDER`	`llm.default_provider`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_MODEL`	`llm.default_model`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_OPENROUTER_API_KEY`	`llm.openrouter.api_key`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	`llm.anthropic.api_key`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL`	`llm.anthropic.base_url`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_OLLAMA_BASE_URL`	`llm.ollama.base_url`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_OPENAI_API_KEY`	`llm.openai.api_key`
`DENKEEPER_LLM_OPENAI_BASE_URL`	`llm.openai.base_url`
`DENKEEPER_VOICE_OPENAI_API_KEY`	`voice.openai.api_key`
`DENKEEPER_LOG_LEVEL`	`log.level`
`DENKEEPER_LOG_FORMAT`	`log.format`
`DENKEEPER_MEMORY_DB_PATH`	`memory.db_path`
`DENKEEPER_API_ENABLED`	`api.enabled` (accepts `"true"`/`"1"` to enable, `"false"`/`"0"` to disable)
`DENKEEPER_API_LISTEN`	`api.listen`
`DENKEEPER_SESSION_TIER`	`session.tier`

In-value expansion

Additionally, string values in tool and plugin env maps support $VAR and ${VAR} expansion:

[tools.my-tool]
env = { API_KEY = "$MY_SECRET" }

Validation

Denkeeper validates the config on startup using a three-phase pattern: parse TOML, apply defaults, then validate. If validation fails, the process exits with a descriptive error message and a suggested fix.

See the full configuration reference for every option.

Skills

REST API Reference