Configuration

clat reads its configuration from a TOML file. Two settings control everything: the threshold and each rule's weight.

Config tunes existing rules — it doesn't add new ones

Editing .clat.toml adjusts the weight of clat's built-in rules and the threshold; it can't introduce a rule that doesn't already exist. Got an idea for a rule that isn't there? See Suggesting a new rule.

Where config is read from

clat looks in this order and uses the first file it finds:

1. The path given with --config <path>
2. .clat.toml in the current working directory
3. ~/.config/clat/config.toml

If none exists, built-in defaults are used (threshold 5, each rule at its default weight).

Create a config file

clat set --init

This writes a .clat.toml in the current directory listing every rule with its default weight:

# clat configuration
# Adjust threshold and per-rule weights to taste.
#
# Categories are determined at runtime:
#   clang:  weight >= threshold AND fixable     (auto-fixed)
#   clunk:  weight >= threshold AND NOT fixable  (needs your attention)
#   splat:  0 < weight < threshold               (advisory)
#   off:    weight <= 0                          (disabled)

threshold = 5

[weights]
labels_inline         =  8  # Merge \label onto the same line as \section (fixable)
decorative_comments   =  6  # Strip decorative comment separators (fixable)
heading_spacing       =  7  # Two blank lines before headings, none after (fixable)
# ... all 18 rules listed

clat set --init refuses to overwrite an existing .clat.toml. To start over, use clat set --reset.

The threshold

The threshold is the single dial that decides how loud clat is. Each rule's weight is compared against it:

weight >= threshold  AND fixable      ->  clang  (auto-fixed)
weight >= threshold  AND NOT fixable  ->  clunk  (needs your attention)
0 < weight < threshold                ->  splat  (advisory)
weight <= 0                           ->  off    (disabled)

Lower the threshold to make more rules fire loudly; raise it so only your highest-priority rules do.

clat set --threshold 8

Fixable splats still apply; weight 0 turns rules off

A fixable rule under the threshold still rewrites your text — it is simply reported as a quiet splat instead of a clang. The threshold tunes reporting noise, not whether safe fixes happen. To stop a rule from running, set its weight to 0.

Set a rule weight

By rule number (see clat list for the numbers):

clat set 12 9     # set rule 12 (ellipsis) to weight 9
clat set 14 2     # demote rule 14 (long_file) to a splat
clat set 18 5     # enable display math delimiter conversion

Or edit .clat.toml directly under [weights], keyed by the rule's id:

[weights]
ellipsis  = 9
long_file = 2

Weights run 0–10. A weight of 0 disables a rule. A positive weight at or above the threshold promotes a rule to a clang (fixable) or clunk (detect-only); below the threshold it becomes a splat.

Reset to defaults

clat set --reset

Target a specific file

All set and list commands accept --config to operate on a file other than ./.clat.toml:

clat set --config ~/.config/clat/config.toml --threshold 7
clat list --config ~/.config/clat/config.toml

One-shot overrides

To change the threshold for a single run without editing any file:

clat --threshold 3 main.tex

This affects only that invocation.