Documentation
Configuration
Every setting lives in the Settings view. There is no config file to hand-edit — Bentomux writes its own.
Where settings live
Preferences, workspaces, tabs and split layouts are written to one JSON file in the app data directory. It is created on first run:
~/Library/Application Support/bentomux/bentomux.json (macOS) ~/.config/bentomux/bentomux.json (Linux) %APPDATA%\bentomux\bentomux.json (Windows)
Close the app before editing it. Anything you change is overwritten the next time Bentomux saves.
Shortcuts
Three actions are rebindable. Click a shortcut chip, then press the new combination. macOS uses Cmd, Windows and Linux use Ctrl.
| Action | Default | Rebindable |
|---|---|---|
| Command palette | Cmd/Ctrl + K | Yes |
| Split pane (horizontal) | Cmd/Ctrl + \\ | Yes |
| Split pane (vertical) | Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + \\ | Yes |
| Copy selection, paste, close modal | Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V / Esc | No |
There is no modal prefix key. Everything else is on the mouse, the command palette, or the Cmd/Ctrl + K palette.
Appearance
Light, dark or follow the system. On a fresh install the theme follows the OS, and an explicit choice from then on wins.
Palettes:
default · catppuccin · catppuccin-frappe · catppuccin-macchiato catppuccin-mocha · rose-pine · gruvbox · dracula nord · classic · eink · tokyo-night · pastel-pixel custom
Custom takes three colours — background, ink and accent — and derives every other token from them in CSS.
The terminal font family and size are set separately from the interface font.
Shell and terminal
The shell setting applies to new terminals. Leave it unset and Bentomux auto-detects, preferring PowerShell on Windows, then the classic shell. Panes that are already running keep the shell they started with.
Notifications
Agent approval prompts raise an always-on-top overlay plus an optional sound. Both are on by default; you can silence the sound, or turn the notification off entirely. The overlay window is resizable and remembers its size.
Prompts only arrive if the agent hook bridge is installed. See Approvals.
Layout and updates
Sidebar width, which sidebar sections are expanded, custom tab titles, and your last eight recent folders are all remembered. Auto-update is on by default and can be turned off in Settings.
Safe mode
A plugin that throws on every launch would otherwise make the app unusable. Bentomux counts consecutive failed boots and drops into safe mode on its own, disabling plugins until you clear it. You can also start it deliberately:
bentomux --safe-mode