Configuration

Where Nib keeps its data, what the environment variables do, and how to point it at another gateway.

Where Nib stores things

Everything the app owns lives in one data directory per installation, outside your repositories:

Platform	Path
All platforms	`~/.nib`
Development build	`Nib Dev` next to the release directory

On Windows, ~/.nib resolves to %USERPROFILE%\.nib.

Credentials live in the data directory as well, encrypted with a machine key stored alongside them. They are not in the operating system keychain — the keychain only holds tokens for remote hosts. Signing out removes them.

Do not add the data directory to version control and do not sync it between machines — it holds session history and plugin state, not just preferences.

Environment variables

These are read by the desktop process at startup. Most exist for automated testing; the ones you are likely to need are the first two.

Variable	Purpose
`NIB_HOST_ARTIFACT_BASE_URL`	Override the base URL used to fetch `nib-host` bundles for remote machines. Useful behind a mirror.
`PI_DESKTOP_DATA_DIR`	Use a different data directory. Handy for a second profile or a portable install.
`PI_DESKTOP_WORKSPACE`	Open this folder as the workspace on launch.
`PI_DESKTOP_HOST_BIN`	Path to a specific `nib-host-core` binary instead of the bundled one.
`PI_DESKTOP_DEVTOOLS`	Open DevTools on launch.
`PI_DESKTOP_PROXY_JSON`	Proxy settings for outbound model requests.

The PI_DESKTOP_ prefix is an internal identifier that predates the Nib name. It is kept deliberately: renaming it would orphan the data directories and settings of every existing installation.

Providers and models

Model providers are configured in the app, under Settings → Model configuration. The Nib provider is added automatically when you sign in. To use your own provider instead — an OpenAI key, an Anthropic-compatible endpoint, a local server — choose Add AI service and supply the base URL and key. Nib reads the model list from that endpoint; you can also add a model id by hand when discovery is unavailable.

Selection is per turn. The composer shows the current model and lets you pin one per project; leaving it on Auto lets Nib escalate when a task needs a stronger model.

Using Nib as an API provider

The reverse direction also works: other tools can use your Nib account as their model provider. Create a key in the console and point the tool at the gateway.

Base URL: https://api.nib.am/v1
API key:  sk-nib-...

The OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini protocols are all served. See the External tools page for per-editor steps.

Remote hosts

Settings → Remote hosts stores one SSH target per machine, along with the host version it runs. Nothing else is required: on connect, the desktop checks the version and realigns it to the app's own version, verifying a published SHA-256 before it replaces anything.

Self-hosted gateway

If you operate your own gateway, add it as an AI service with its own base URL and key rather than trying to redirect the built-in Nib provider. The gateway must implement the endpoints in the API reference.