Configuration

TribalMind uses a layered configuration system. Settings are resolved from multiple sources with a clear precedence order.

Config file locations

Scope	Path	Created by
Per-project	.tribal/config.yaml	tribal init
Global	~/.config/tribalmind/tribal.yaml	tribal init --global

A per-project config takes precedence over the global config. The global config provides defaults for repos that don’t have their own.

Config file format

.tribal/config.yaml

provider: backboard
backboard_base_url: https://api.backboard.dev
project_assistant_id: asst_abc123def456
llm_provider: anthropic
model_name: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

Settings reference

Key	Description	Default
provider	Memory provider: backboard or mem0	backboard
backboard_base_url	Backboard API endpoint	https://api.backboard.dev
project_assistant_id	Assistant ID for this project	Set during tribal init
llm_provider	LLM provider: anthropic, openai, or google	anthropic
model_name	Model name for the chosen provider	Provider default
mem0_api_key	Mem0 API key (when using Mem0 provider)
mem0_org_id	Mem0 organization ID
mem0_project_id	Mem0 project ID

Environment variables

Every setting can be overridden with an environment variable using the TRIBAL_ prefix:

Variable	Overrides
TRIBAL_BACKBOARD_BASE_URL	backboard_base_url
TRIBAL_PROJECT_ASSISTANT_ID	project_assistant_id
TRIBAL_LLM_PROVIDER	llm_provider
TRIBAL_MODEL_NAME	model_name
TRIBAL_BACKBOARD_API_KEY	API key (but see keyring note below)
TRIBAL_PROVIDER	provider
TRIBAL_MEM0_API_KEY	mem0_api_key
TRIBAL_MEM0_ORG_ID	mem0_org_id
TRIBAL_MEM0_PROJECT_ID	mem0_project_id

Secrets and the keyring

API keys are stored in your OS system keyring (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service) — not in config files.

# Store your API key securely
tribal config set-secret backboard-api-key

Caution

The keyring takes precedence over the TRIBAL_BACKBOARD_API_KEY environment variable. If you’ve stored a key in the keyring and want to switch to a different one via env var, you’ll need to update the keyring value first.

Resolution order

Settings are resolved in this order (first match wins):

1. Environment variable (TRIBAL_*)
2. Per-project config (.tribal/config.yaml)
3. Global config (~/.config/tribalmind/tribal.yaml)
4. Built-in defaults

For the API key specifically:

1. OS keyring
2. Environment variable (TRIBAL_BACKBOARD_API_KEY)
3. Config file (not recommended — use keyring or env var)

Managing config via CLI

# View all resolved settings
tribal config list

# Get a specific value
tribal config get llm-provider

# Set a value
tribal config set llm-provider openai
tribal config set model-name gpt-4o

# Store a secret
tribal config set-secret backboard-api-key

# Debug API key issues
tribal config debug-key

See tribal config for the full command reference.