xiantong Docs
Configuration

Preferences

Reference for ~/.xiantong/preferences.json

The preferences file stores personal settings that customize how the agent interacts with you.

Location#

~/.xiantong/preferences.json

Structure#

{
"name": "Alex",
"timezone": "America/New_York",
"location": {
"city": "New York",
"region": "New York",
"country": "USA"
},
"notes": "I prefer concise responses",
"includeCoAuthoredBy": true,
"updatedAt": 1737451800000
}

Fields#

name#

Your name or how you’d like to be addressed.

"name": "Alex"

The agent may use this in greetings or personalized responses.

timezone#

Your timezone in IANA format.

"timezone": "America/New_York"

Used for:

  • Accurate date/time references (“today”, “this week”)
  • Daily note access
  • Task due dates

Common values:

  • America/New_York
  • America/Los_Angeles
  • Europe/London
  • Europe/Berlin
  • Asia/Tokyo
  • Australia/Sydney

location#

Your location, stored as a nested object with city, region, and country fields:

"location": {
"city": "New York",
"region": "New York",
"country": "USA"
}

The location fields are used for location-aware responses like weather, local events, or time-sensitive information.

updatedAt#

Timestamp (in milliseconds) of when preferences were last updated. This is set automatically.

"updatedAt": 1737451800000

Language#

Language is controlled via Settings > Appearance > Language, not through preferences.json. The selected language applies to both the app UI and the agent’s response language — changing the Appearance language to Japanese, for example, automatically tells the agent to respond in Japanese.

If your preferences.json still has a language field from a previous version, it is safely ignored.

notes#

Free-form notes about your preferences.

"notes": "I prefer bullet points over paragraphs. Technical background."

These notes are included in the agent’s context and influence response style.

includeCoAuthoredBy#

Controls whether the agent appends a Co-Authored-By: xiantong trailer to git commits. Defaults to true.

"includeCoAuthoredBy": false

Set to false to suppress the xiantong co-author trailer on all git commits. Changes take effect on the next session.

Editing Preferences#

Using the Command#

> /prefs

Opens an interactive editor for your preferences.

Manual Editing#

Edit the file directly:

nano ~/.xiantong/preferences.json

Changes take effect on the next conversation (start a new session or restart the app).

How Preferences Are Used#

Preferences are included in the system prompt, so the agent knows:

  • What to call you
  • Your current time and timezone
  • Where you’re located
  • Which language to respond in (from Appearance > Language)
  • Whether to include a co-author trailer on git commits

This context makes responses more relevant and personalized.

Example#

{
"name": "Jordan",
"timezone": "Europe/Berlin",
"location": {
"city": "Berlin",
"region": "Berlin",
"country": "Germany"
},
"notes": "Software engineer. Prefer code examples over descriptions. Use metric units."
}

With these preferences, the agent will:

  • Use Berlin time for scheduling references
  • Respond in the language selected in Appearance settings
  • Lean toward showing code
  • Use kilometers, Celsius, etc.
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