> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://masoudghorbani.gitbook.io/ovm/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://masoudghorbani.gitbook.io/ovm/docs/configuration.md).

# Configuration

By default, `ovm.json` config file lives in current home directory and contains configuration for vault core and plugins. `ovm config init` can be used to create a new config file with default settings.

## Specifications

### Plugins

Define plugins in your config file with the following structure:

```json
{
  "plugins": [
    {
      "id": "colored-tags",
      "version": "latest"
    },
    {
      "id": "copilot",
      "version": "latest"
    },
    {
      "id": "dataview",
      "version": "latest"
    }
  ]
}
```

> Versioning of plugins follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/) and [Obsidian Plugin Guidelines](https://publish.obsidian.md/api/Plugin+Development/Plugin+Guidelines). `latest` is a valid version specifier that always resolves to the latest compatible version.

### Sync

Define synchronization entries using `sync` to automatically sync core settings, plugin configurations, and custom files across vaults of Obsidian. `ovm vault sync` and `ovm plugins sync` in [commands](/ovm/docs/commands.md) can be used to initiate the synchronization process.

```json
{
  "plugins": [
    { "id": "dataview", "version": "latest" },
    { "id": "note-toolbar", "version": "latest" }
  ],
  "sync": {
    "files": [
      {
        "source": "./configs/appearance.json",
        "target": "appearance.json",
        "type": "core",
        "mergeStrategy": "replace"
      },
      {
        "source": "./configs/dataview-settings.json",
        "target": "data.json",
        "type": "plugin",
        "pluginId": "dataview",
        "mergeStrategy": "smart",
        "include": ["enableInlineDataview", "defaultDateFormat"],
        "onlyIfInstalled": true
      },
      {
        "source": "./configs/custom-hotkeys.json",
        "target": "hotkeys.json",
        "type": "custom",
        "vaults": ["Work", "Personal"],
        "backup": true
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

#### Options

**Entry Properties**

* **`source`** (required): Path to the source configuration file (relative to config directory or absolute)
* **`target`** (required): Target file path (relative to vault's `.obsidian` directory)
* **`type`** (required): Type of configuration - `core`, `plugin`, `custom`, or `all`
* **`pluginId`** (optional): For plugin configs, the plugin ID (required when type is `plugin`)
* **`mergeStrategy`** (optional): How to merge configs - `replace`, `merge`, or `smart` (default: `replace`)
* **`vaults`** (optional): Array of vault names to target (if empty, applies to all selected vaults)
* **`onlyIfInstalled`** (optional): For plugin configs, only sync if plugin is installed (default: `true`)
* **`include`** (optional): Array of JSON keys to include when using `smart` merge strategy
* **`exclude`** (optional): Array of JSON keys to exclude when using `smart` merge strategy
* **`backup`** (optional): Create `.bak` backup if destination exists (default: inherits from command flags)
* **`overwrite`** (optional): Overwrite existing files without prompting (default: inherits from command flags)

**Merge Strategies**

* **`replace`**: Completely replace the target file with source content
* **`merge`**: Simple shallow merge of JSON objects (source overwrites target keys)
* **`smart`**: Deep merge with support for include/exclude filters

**Configuration Types**

* **`core`**: Obsidian core settings (placed directly in `.obsidian/`)
* **`plugin`**: Plugin-specific configurations (placed in `.obsidian/plugins/<pluginId>/`)
* **`custom`**: Custom files (placed according to target path within `.obsidian/`)
* **`all`**: Matches all configuration types (used for filtering)

## Default Configuration

```json
{
  "plugins": [],
  "sync": {
    "files": []
  }
}
```