ak config prefs resolve

Use ak config prefs resolve to see the preference values that Kit Hooks read for the current working directory. The command is read-only and works without network access.

Usage

ak config prefs resolve

The command accepts no positional arguments and has no command-specific flags. Shared flags are described in CLI conventions. Only --json changes this command's payload format; --yes and --no-interactive do not change resolution.

Source order and merge rules

The command considers exactly two paths:

1. ~/.agentkit/config.yaml, or $AGENTKIT_HOME/config.yaml, as user;
2. <current-working-directory>/.agentkit/config.yaml as project.

A missing file is recorded as absent and is not an error. An unreadable or malformed file fails the whole resolution so Hooks do not silently fall back when an authored config is broken.

User values are loaded first, then project values are deep-merged over them. Nested project mappings replace only the leaves they name; a scalar or non-mapping project value replaces the corresponding user value. Legacy camel-case and config snake-case spellings are treated as the same field. When both spellings occur in one preference section, the config spelling wins.

Authored values, not defaults

prefs contains only values present in the two files. The command does not insert binary or Hook defaults. A missing key remains absent, and the consuming Hook applies its own DEFAULT_CONFIG value.

This distinction matters when comparing CLI and Hook versions: a newer Hook can own a default unknown to an older CLI without the CLI overwriting it.

Included sections and spelling

The resolver emits these preference sections when authored:

assertions, codingLevel, content, docs, gemini, hooks, locale, paths,
plan, privacyBlock, project, simplify, skills, statusline,
statuslineColors, statuslineLayout, statuslineQuota, trust, watch,
workflowArtifactGate, extensions

Config field names are converted from snake_case to the legacy camel-case spelling consumed by Hooks. Immediate Hook names under hooks and Skill IDs under skills remain literal identifiers. Everything below extensions is passed through without renaming.

Human output

Human stdout first prints both source paths with present or absent. It then prints the resolved preference object as indented JSON. When no preferences are authored, it instead prints:

No preferences are set; hooks use their built-in defaults.

--quiet does not suppress this command-specific stdout.

JSON output

--json writes exactly one raw JSON document to stdout, with no shared outer kind or data envelope:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "prefs": {"hooks":{"simplify-gate":false}},
  "sources": [
    {"scope":"user","path":"/home/user/.agentkit/config.yaml","present":true},
    {"scope":"project","path":"/work/project/.agentkit/config.yaml","present":false}
  ]
}

prefs is always an object, and sources always contains the user then project entries. Value types are preserved from YAML.

Runtime failures do not emit the shared JSON error envelope and can be silent under --json; use the process exit status and require all three top-level fields before consuming output. Flag-parse errors can remain plain-text usage.

Exit behavior

The command writes no file, starts no process, creates no backup, and has no preview, apply, force, or rollback path.

Related commands

• CLI conventions