Recipes¶

Each recipe is a few lines of Lua for one goal. Paste what you want into your init.lua and combine them freely; if two recipes set the same option, the later line wins. Every option used here is documented in Settings, Providers and models and Permissions.

mkdir -p ~/.config/smelt && cat >> ~/.config/smelt/init.lua <<'EOF'
smelt.settings.vim = true
EOF

Use a local model¶

Run smelt against a model on your own machine through any OpenAI-compatible server. Change the model name to one you have pulled (ollama list).

smelt.provider.register("ollama", {
  type = "openai-compatible",
  api_base = "http://localhost:11434/v1",
  models = { "qwen3.6:27b" },
})

smelt.defaults.set({ model = "ollama/qwen3.6:27b" })
smelt.settings.show_cost = false

smelt.provider.register("local", {
  type = "openai-compatible",
  api_base = "http://localhost:8080/v1",
  models = {
    -- Tell smelt the context size so compaction triggers at the right time.
    { name = "my-model", context_window = 32768 },
  },
})

smelt.defaults.set({ model = "local/my-model" })
smelt.settings.show_cost = false

Use an API key¶

The key stays in your environment; the config only names the variable.

smelt.provider.register("openai", {
  type = "openai",
  api_base = "https://api.openai.com/v1",
  api_key_env = "OPENAI_API_KEY",
  models = { "gpt-5.5" },
})

smelt.provider.register("anthropic", {
  type = "anthropic",
  api_base = "https://api.anthropic.com/v1",
  api_key_env = "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",
  models = { "claude-sonnet-5-5" },
})

Then export the key in your shell profile:

export OPENAI_API_KEY=...

Using a ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot or Kimi Code subscription instead? Run smelt auth and pick the provider. It needs no config.

Use vim keys and file icons¶

Vi keybindings in the prompt, and a file-type icon before every path in the conversation that points at a real file. Icons need a Nerd Font in your terminal.

smelt.settings.vim = true
smelt.settings.file_icons = true

To see pending keymaps in a popup as you type a chord, also enable the bundled which-key plugin:

require("smelt.plugins.which_key")

Pick a theme¶

smelt.lifecycle.on_ready(function()
  smelt.theme.use("catppuccin-mocha")
end)

/theme in smelt lists every bundled name and previews it. To recolor one thing, such as the accent, see Themes and keymaps.

Run with extra caution¶

Starts every session read-only in plan mode, scrubs secrets before they reach the model, lets read-only git commands through, and blocks a few destructive ones outright. deny always wins over allow.

smelt.defaults.set({ mode = "plan" })
smelt.remember.set({ mode = false }) -- always start in plan, not the last mode
smelt.settings.redact_secrets = true

smelt.permissions.extend({
  default = {
    patterns = {
      bash = {
        allow = { "git status *", "git diff *", "git log *" },
        deny = { "rm -rf *", "git push --force *", "git reset --hard *", "sudo *" },
      },
    },
  },
})

Let the agent work on its own¶

Starts in apply mode, where edits go through without asking, runs the commands you trust without asking, and sends a desktop notification when a turn finishes.

smelt.defaults.set({ mode = "apply" })
smelt.settings.notifications = { turn_end = true }

smelt.permissions.extend({
  apply = {
    patterns = {
      bash = {
        allow = { "git status *", "git diff *", "git commit *", "cargo check *", "cargo test *" },
      },
    },
  },
  default = {
    patterns = {
      bash = { deny = { "rm -rf *", "git push --force *", "sudo *" } },
    },
  },
})

Permissions guard against mistakes, not against an agent that tries to escape. For untrusted prompts or models, run smelt in a container. See Isolation.

Quiet the interface¶

Turn off the status-bar counters, the tips and the ghost-text predictions.

smelt.settings.show_tps = false
smelt.settings.show_tokens = false
smelt.settings.show_cost = false
smelt.settings.show_slug = false
smelt.settings.show_tips = false
smelt.settings.show_prediction = false

Set rules for one repository¶

Put repo-specific settings in .smelt/init.lua inside the project so a fresh clone carries them. smelt loads it only after you run /trust from the project root.

-- .smelt/init.lua
smelt.settings.show_tips = false

smelt.permissions.extend({
  default = {
    patterns = {
      bash = { allow = { "git status *", "git diff *", "cargo test *" } },
    },
  },
})

For instructions the agent should always follow in a project, such as build commands and conventions, use an AGENTS.md instead. See Skills, MCP and instructions.

Need something else?¶

Ask the agent. smelt's built-in customize skill knows every option, so "make the accent orange" or "add a /standup command" edits your init.lua for you.