---
title: "File Configuration"
id: "1966"
type: "page"
slug: "config"
published_at: "2026-09-30T22:50:50+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-10-01T00:18:22+00:00"
url: "https://xedant.com/agents/news/docs/config"
markdown_url: "https://xedant.com/agents/news/docs/config.md"
excerpt: "News Agent’s settings are not a hidden internal file but a understandable folder of text…"
---

# File Configuration

[https://xedant.com/agents/news/docs/config.md](https://xedant.com/agents/news/docs/config.md)

News Agent’s settings are not a hidden internal file but a understandable folder of text files next to the project. This is the most practical part of the product: the folder can be put under version control, copied whole to another server, and looked at with your own eyes to see what is configured.

## Where the settings live

All settings live in one project folder — `/project/apps/news` by default. Every change is an edit of one small file. Moving to another server is copying the folder: nothing needs restoring from a database backup.

The folder can be kept under version control — and then it is visible who changed a threshold or added a source, and when. For settings that change together with the business, this matters more than it seems.

## Nine sections

- **Settings** — the general ones: language, timezone, the mail server, AI limits, the address for links.
- **Sources** — where we collect from: sites, feeds, channels, search queries.
- **Monitors** — what exactly we watch and at which change we raise the alarm.
- **Rules** — what to do with which events.
- **Alerts** — whom to wake and where, with which noise limits.
- **Channels** — the delivery addresses: email, Telegram, Slack and the rest.
- **Digests** — the digest schedules: what to gather into one roundup, and when.
- **Publishing** — the publishing targets and their style: where and how to publish.
- **Scripts** — your own Python code extending any step: a source, an AI provider, a delivery channel, a publishing target or a hook.

Some sections can hold many files — one per source or rule. That is normal: one file — one entity; it is easier to edit and to discuss.

## Hints right in the folders

Every folder carries a short hint: all the fields of that section, what they mean and which values are allowed. Next to it are ready examples — looking at a properly filled source or rule is usually faster than reading a description.

No separate documentation is needed for the person configuring: the reference lives next to the settings and updates together with them.

## Changes on the fly

An edit is picked up within seconds — no restart needed. You changed a schedule or a threshold, and the product already works the new way.

When a file is written with an error, the product does not fall over: it keeps working from the last good version and shows what exactly is wrong. News watching will not halt over an extra quote mark.

## Validation on write

When the agent changes the settings, everything is validated before saving: a wrong value is rejected with an explanation of which field is missing or written incorrectly. This matters most in linked settings: when a rule refers to a channel that does not exist, the product will not save such a setting “for later”.

The validation rules are the same for everyone: for a source, for a rule, for an alert. A typo does not turn into silently broken watching.

## Backups and the journal

Every edit made through the agent is saved: the previous version of the file remains, together with a record of what changed. That is how you can take a step back — for example, when extra alerts started pouring in after a new setting.

The backups are kept in the data folder, not in the settings folder: they hold real secrets, and that is why they are not shown in the file manager.

## Secrets

- **Secrets are masked on read** — tokens, passwords and addresses with keys are replaced with “***”. No real secrets are visible in the interface or in the agent’s replies.
- **On write, a secret need not be retyped** — send the “***” placeholder back and the product keeps the previous value.
- **The settings backups hold the secrets as they are** — which is why they live in the data folder and are not reachable through the file manager.

## Two ways to edit

- **Through the agent** — with validation, a backup and the journal. The usual path; nothing extra needs doing.
- **Directly on disk** — faster, when that suits you, but without validation, without a backup and without a journal record. The edit is picked up on the fly, but the typo is on you.

When you do edit on disk, it is worth asking the agent afterwards to re-read the settings and validate them: one command, and you are back in the safe mode.

Next → [Management API](/agents/news/docs/api)

[← Back to the documentation index](/agents/news/docs)