Where do Onyx settings live?

In the normal VS Code settings, under the onyxcode namespace, so they can be set per user or per workspace and committed in a workspace settings file like any other editor setting.

How do I disable AI for one repository?

Use the per-workspace AI kill switch, which disables every AI surface for that workspace. For excluding particular paths rather than the whole repository, use a .onyxnoai file.

Can I change which port the local engine uses?

Yes. onyxcode.ai.port and onyxcode.ai.embeddingPort control the bundled engine and embedding server ports, which matters if something else on your machine already holds the defaults.

Settings reference | Onyx Code docs

Where Onyx settings live

Every setting lives under the unified Onyx Codeparent in the Settings Editor's left tree.

Privacy settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyx.privacy.airGapMode`	`false`	Block Onyx Code's own outbound network traffic. Extensions, the terminal and tasks, and stdio MCP servers are not covered.
`onyx.privacy.workspaceAiDisabled`	`false`	Resource-scoped kill switch.
`onyx.privacy.activityLog.enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for the audit log.
`onyx.privacy.activityLog.retentionDays`	`365`	1-3650.
`onyxcode.privacy.promptSanitizer.enabled`	`true`	Pre-send secret scan.
`onyxcode.privacy.promptSanitizer.patterns`	`{}`	Per-id overrides.
`onyxcode.privacy.promptSanitizer.customPatterns`	`[]`	User-defined regex patterns.
`onyxcode.privacy.promptSanitizer.entropyThreshold`	`4.5`	Shannon entropy threshold for the high-entropy fallback.
`onyxcode.privacy.promptSanitizer.highEntropyFallback`	`true`	Toggle the entropy fallback.

The five promptSanitizersettings wait for trust: a folder you haven't trusted can't set them in its own .vscode/settings.json, so a repository you clone can't turn the secret scan down. Your own settings apply until you trust it.

AI settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyxcode.ai.modelsPath`	`~/.onyxcode/models/`	Where downloaded GGUF files live.
`onyxcode.ai.port`	`12345`	Bundled chat server port.
`onyxcode.ai.embeddingPort`	`12346`	Bundled embedding server port.
`onyxcode.ai.embeddingModelPath`	`(blank)`	Advanced override; auto-discover.
`onyxcode.ai.embeddingPoolingMode`	`per model`	mean / cls / last.
`onyxcode.ai.activeBackend`	`(UI managed)`	Do not hand-edit. User settings only.
`onyxcode.ai.externalServer.enabled`	`false`	Use an external server instead of the bundled engine. User settings only: a project's settings can't set it.
`onyxcode.ai.externalServer.url`	`http://localhost:11434`	The external server's address. User settings only.
`onyxcode.ai.fimTemplate`	`auto`	auto / qwen / deepseek / starcoder / codestral.
`onyxcode.ai.speculativeDecoding.enabled`	`true`
`onyxcode.ai.draftModelPath`	`(blank)`	Auto-discover when blank.
`onyxcode.ai.draftMax`	`8`	2-16 speculative tokens.
`onyxcode.ai.inferenceBackend`	`auto`	AI processor: auto / gpu / cpu.
`onyxcode.ai.engineUpdates`	`auto`	Engine updates between releases: auto / notify / off. Never runs in Air-Gap Mode.
`onyxcode.ai.gpuLayers`	`auto`	Advanced: number of layers to offload to GPU.
`onyxcode.ai.rag.enabled`	`true`
`onyxcode.ai.rag.excludePatterns`	`(see code)`	Default excludes node_modules etc.

Chat settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyxcode.chat.enabled`	`true`	Show the panel.
`onyxcode.chat.maxTokens`	`4096`	Max response length.
`onyxcode.chat.temperature`	`0.7`	0-2.
`onyxcode.chat.repeatPenalty`	`1.1`	1.0 disables.
`onyxcode.chat.warnOnLightModel`	`true`	Once-per-session notice.
`onyxcode.chat.applyMode`	`auto`	auto (diff editor) / manual (buttons).
`onyxcode.chat.contextWindow`	`auto`	auto or numeric override.
`onyxcode.chat.gitDiffMode`	`auto`	auto / never.
`onyxcode.chat.gitDiffMaxBytes`	`4096`	Cap on the injected git diff.
`onyxcode.chat.autoSummarize`	`true`	Auto-condense old turns at ~70% context.
`onyxcode.chat.instructionsFile`	`.onyx/instructions.md`	Path probed for project instructions.
`onyxcode.chat.instructionsMaxBytes`	`4096`	Cap on the injected instructions file, in characters (comments left out).

Agent settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyxcode.agent.mode`	`ask`	plan / ask / editAuto / auto.
`onyxcode.agent.alwaysAllow.fileRead`	`true`
`onyxcode.agent.alwaysAllow.fileWrite`	`false`
`onyxcode.agent.alwaysAllow.shellExec`	`false`
`onyxcode.agent.alwaysAllow.mcp`	`[]`	Strings of <server>:<tool>.

All five wait for trust: a folder you haven't trusted can't set them in its own .vscode/settings.json, so a repository you clone can't choose the agent mode or add a tool that runs without asking. Your own settings apply until you trust it.

Autocomplete settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyxcode.autocomplete.enabled`	`true`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.multiLine`	`true`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.crossFileContext`	`true`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.smartTrigger`	`true`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.predictiveEdits`	`true`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.debounceMs`	`400`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.maxTokens`	`128`	Provider also stops at \n\n.
`onyxcode.autocomplete.temperature`	`0.1`
`onyxcode.autocomplete.nextEditPrediction.enabled`	`true`	Master toggle for Zeta next-edit predictions.
`onyxcode.autocomplete.nextEditPrediction.modelPath`	`(blank)`	Explicit Zeta GGUF path; auto-discover when blank.

Codebase Index settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyxcode.index.enabled`	`true`
`onyxcode.index.maxFileSizeKB`	`512`
`onyxcode.index.maxTotalFiles`	`5000`
`onyxcode.index.concurrency`	`4`
`onyxcode.index.persistEnabled`	`true`
`onyxcode.index.watchEnabled`	`true`
`onyxcode.index.excludeGlobs`	`{}`

Git Helpers settings

Key	Default	Notes
`onyxcode.git.commitMessageFormat`	`conventional`	Or freeform.
`onyxcode.git.maxDiffBytes`	`32768`	1 KB - 256 KB.
`onyxcode.git.appendSignature`	`true`	Append "Drafted with Onyx Code".

Change nothing and it still works

Defaults are chosen so the private option is the one you get without configuring anything.

Download Onyx Code Read the docs

Free tier, no account, no sign-up, no telemetry. macOS, Windows and Linux.

Running local modelsPicking a model that fits your memory, installing it without a runtime, and choosing GPU or CPU.Autocomplete and next-editThree local providers, why completion uses its own model, and how to quieten it down.Codebase indexingA local vector index over your workspace, and what happens on each chat turn.Agent mode and permissionsFour autonomy levels, worktree isolation, and a deny tier that beats every allow above it.MCP serversThe bundled pack, custom and OAuth servers, and what Air-Gap Mode does to an HTTP transport.Commands and shortcutsEvery slash command, the Command Palette entries, and the default key bindings.Licensing and activationOnline and offline activation, recovering a code, and managing your three devices.

Settings reference for Onyx Code