Config file.

Minimal working config.

A small project config can look like this. Fields you omit use Aura's defaults.

{
  "worker": "claude",
  "project_root": "/Users/you/projects/my-repo",
  "provider": {
    "engine": "grok_realtime"
  },
  "voice": {
    "hot_mic": false,
    "wake_phrase": "Aura"
  }
}

Key reference.

worker — The active worker agent. Accepted values: "claude" or "codex". If omitted, Aura keeps the default worker path.

project_root — The specific project folder Aura should bind to this config. Broad personal folders such as Home, Desktop, Documents, and Downloads are rejected by the project-selection path; use the concrete repo folder.

provider.engine — The realtime voice provider. Accepted values: "grok_realtime" or "openai_realtime".

voice.hot_mic and voice.wake_phrase — Hot-mic is on by default. Set voice.hot_mic to false if you want manual start only; when hot mic is enabled, the wake phrase controls when Aura flips from idle to listening.

API keys — Do not put provider keys in this file. Use macOS Keychain or environment variables for AURA_TOKEN, XAI_API_KEY, or OPENAI_API_KEY.

Manual edits.

Edit the file while Aura is not running. Aura writes config updates through the settings bridge; editing while the app is open may cause your changes to be overwritten on the next Settings save. Quit Aura first, edit, then relaunch.

Verify effective config.

After editing, confirm the effective configuration with the CLI. This shows the merged result of the config file, environment overrides, and defaults.

$ aura config show