Warp CLI > Context & customization

Configuring the {{WARP_CLI}}

Configure the {{WARP_CLI}} with its local TOML settings file, themes, and statusline. CLI settings stay on your machine and are never cloud-synced.

The Warp CLI keeps its configuration in a plain TOML settings file on your machine. You can change settings by editing the file directly, by running slash commands like /theme and /statusline, or by asking the agent to update a setting for you.

The settings file

The CLI reads its settings from a settings.toml file:

macOS - ~/.warp_cli/settings.toml
Linux - ~/.config/warp-terminal/cli/settings.toml (respects $XDG_CONFIG_HOME)
Windows - %LOCALAPPDATA%\warp\Warp\config\cli\settings.toml

The file is created the first time you change a setting, and you can also create it yourself. Settings use dotted TOML sections. For example:

[appearance]
theme = "dark"

The CLI watches the settings file while it’s running, so edits take effect immediately without a restart. If a value is invalid, the CLI logs the problem and uses the default for that setting instead. If the file can’t be parsed at all, the CLI starts with default settings.

Edit settings with the agent

The fastest way to change a setting is to ask the agent in plain language. The CLI ships with a bundled skill and a schema of every available setting, which the agent uses to find the right key, validate the value, and update the settings file for you. Try prompts like:

“Switch my theme to light.”
“Add the time to my statusline.”
“What CLI settings can I change?”

Because the CLI hot-reloads the settings file, changes the agent makes apply immediately. To learn about the other built-in skills, see bundled skills in the Warp CLI.

Themes

The Warp CLI renders with a light or dark color theme. Set it with the /theme slash command:

/theme auto - Matches the host terminal’s background. This is the default.
/theme light - Always uses the light theme.
/theme dark - Always uses the dark theme.

Theme changes apply immediately and persist across sessions as the theme key under [appearance] in the settings file.

In auto mode, the CLI probes the host terminal’s default colors when it starts and picks the theme that matches the background: light backgrounds get the light theme, and dark or undetectable backgrounds get the dark theme. Detection runs at startup, so if you switch your terminal’s colors while the CLI is running, restart it or set a theme explicitly.

Statusline

The statusline is the row below the CLI’s input box that shows session information at a glance. By default it shows the active model, the working directory, and, inside a Git repository, the Git branch and diff status. You can enable any of these items:

Model - The active model. Click it to open the model picker.
Working directory - The current working directory.
Git branch - The current branch, when the directory is a Git repository.
Git branch status - How far the branch is ahead of or behind its upstream.
Git diff status - Uncommitted line additions and deletions.
Credit usage - Credits used by the current conversation. Click it to switch between credits and provider cost.
Context window usage - How much of the model’s context window the conversation has used.
Agent to-do list - The agent’s progress through its current task list.
Auto-approve indicator - Appears when auto-approve is on.
Auto-queue next prompt indicator - Appears when auto-queue is on.
Date - The current date.
Time (12 hour format) and Time (24 hour format) - The current time.
Voice input - A control for starting voice input.

Items only appear when they have something to show. For example, the Git items appear only inside a repository. In shell mode, the statusline always leads with a shell mode label.

Customizing the statusline

Choose which items appear and in what order:

Run /statusline. The Configure statusline panel opens with every available item.
Select an item and press Enter to toggle its visibility.
Press ← and → to move the highlighted item earlier or later in the row.
Press Esc to save and close. Press Ctrl+C to cancel without saving.

Your choices are saved to the settings file, so the layout persists across sessions.

Warp CLI reference for every command-line flag, slash command, and keyboard shortcut.
Agent context in the Warp CLI for rules, skills, and MCP configuration.