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Configuration Reference

This document provides a complete reference for all Tinman configuration options.

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Configuration File
  3. Configuration Sections
  4. mode
  5. database
  6. models
  7. pipeline
  8. risk
  9. experiments
  10. research
  11. shadow
  12. approval
  13. reporting
  14. logging
  15. cost
  16. metrics
  17. service
  18. Environment Variables
  19. Programmatic Configuration
  20. Configuration Validation
  21. Example Configurations

Overview

Tinman configuration can be provided through:

  1. YAML Configuration File - Primary configuration method
  2. Environment Variables - For secrets and overrides
  3. Programmatic API - Runtime configuration in code
  4. CLI Arguments - Per-invocation overrides

Configuration is loaded in this order (later overrides earlier): 1. Default values 2. Configuration file (.tinman/config.yaml or tinman.yaml) 3. Environment variables 4. CLI arguments

Configuration File

File Location

Tinman looks for configuration in: 1. .tinman/config.yaml (preferred) 2. tinman.yaml (root directory) 3. Custom path via --config flag

Creating Configuration

# Initialize with defaults
tinman init

# Creates .tinman/config.yaml

File Structure

# .tinman/config.yaml

mode: lab

database:
  url: sqlite:///tinman.db  # Default (no setup required)
  pool_size: 10

models:
  default: openai
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      model: gpt-4-turbo-preview
      temperature: 0.7

research:
  max_hypotheses_per_run: 10
  max_experiments_per_hypothesis: 3
  default_runs_per_experiment: 5

experiments:
  max_parallel: 5
  default_timeout_seconds: 300
  cost_limit_usd: 10.0

risk:
  detailed_mode: false
  auto_approve_safe: true
  block_on_destructive: true

approval:
  mode: interactive
  timeout_seconds: 300

shadow:
  traffic_sample_rate: 0.1
  replay_buffer_days: 7

reporting:
  lab_output_dir: ./reports/lab
  ops_output_dir: ./reports/ops

logging:
  level: INFO
  format: json

Configuration Sections

mode

Operating mode for Tinman. See MODES.md for details.

mode: lab  # or: shadow, production
Value Description
lab Full autonomy, destructive testing allowed
shadow Observe production traffic, read-only
production Active protection with human approval

CLI Override: 

tinman --mode shadow research

Environment Variable: 

export TINMAN_MODE=production

database

Database connection settings for the memory graph.

database:
  url: sqlite:///tinman.db  # Default (no setup required)
  pool_size: 10
Option Type Default Description
url string sqlite:///tinman.db Database connection URL
pool_size int 10 Connection pool size

Supported Databases: - PostgreSQL (recommended for production) - SQLite (for quick testing)

PostgreSQL setup note: If you use PostgreSQL, set database.url to your Postgres DSN and ensure the role and database exist before running Tinman.

SQLite Example: 

database:
  url: sqlite:///tinman.db
  pool_size: 1  # SQLite supports single connection

Environment Variable: 

export DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/tinman

models

LLM provider configuration.

models:
  default: openai
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      model: gpt-4-turbo-preview
      temperature: 0.7
      base_url: null  # Optional custom endpoint
    anthropic:
      api_key: ${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
      model: claude-3-opus-20240229
      temperature: 0.7

Top-Level Options

Option Type Default Description
default string openai Default provider to use

Provider Options

Option Type Required Description
api_key string Yes API key (supports env var syntax)
model string Yes Model identifier
temperature float No Sampling temperature (0-1)
base_url string No Custom API endpoint

Note: The model value is used as the default for that provider unless a specific model is passed at runtime. You can update the default provider/model in .tinman/config.yaml (or via the TUI model picker if enabled).

Environment Variable Syntax: 

api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}  # Reads from environment

Supported Providers: - openai - OpenAI API - anthropic - Anthropic Claude API - custom - Custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint

pipeline

Target pipeline/system configuration for probing.

pipeline:
  adapter: generic
  endpoint: http://localhost:8000/v1/complete
Option Type Default Description
adapter string generic Pipeline adapter type
endpoint string http://localhost:8000/v1/complete Target endpoint

Adapter Types: - generic - Generic OpenAI-compatible API - langchain - LangChain integration - custom - Custom adapter (requires code)

risk

Risk evaluation settings.

risk:
  detailed_mode: false
  auto_approve_safe: true
  block_on_destructive: true
Option Type Default Description
detailed_mode bool false Enable S0-S4 severity scoring
auto_approve_safe bool true Auto-approve SAFE tier actions
block_on_destructive bool true Block destructive actions

Detailed Mode: When enabled, provides granular severity assessment: - S0: Negligible - S1: Low - S2: Medium - S3: High - S4: Critical

experiments

Experiment execution settings.

experiments:
  max_parallel: 5
  default_timeout_seconds: 300
  cost_limit_usd: 10.0
  allow_destructive: true  # Only in LAB mode
Option Type Default Description
max_parallel int 5 Maximum concurrent experiments
default_timeout_seconds int 300 Experiment timeout (5 minutes)
cost_limit_usd float 10.0 Cost limit per research cycle
allow_destructive bool false Allow destructive tests

Mode-Specific Recommendations:

Mode max_parallel cost_limit_usd allow_destructive
LAB 10 50.0 true
SHADOW 5 20.0 false
PRODUCTION 2 5.0 false

research

Research cycle parameters.

research:
  max_hypotheses_per_run: 10
  max_experiments_per_hypothesis: 3
  default_runs_per_experiment: 5
Option Type Default Description
max_hypotheses_per_run int 10 Maximum hypotheses per cycle
max_experiments_per_hypothesis int 3 Experiments per hypothesis
default_runs_per_experiment int 5 Runs per experiment

Tuning Guidance:

Scenario Hypotheses Experiments Runs
Quick exploration 3-5 1-2 3
Standard research 10 3 5
Deep investigation 20 5 10

shadow

Shadow mode specific settings.

shadow:
  traffic_sample_rate: 0.1
  replay_buffer_days: 7
Option Type Default Description
traffic_sample_rate float 0.1 Fraction of traffic to mirror (0-1)
replay_buffer_days int 7 Days to retain traces for replay

Traffic Sampling: 

# Sample 10% of production traffic
traffic_sample_rate: 0.1

# Sample 50% for high-traffic systems
traffic_sample_rate: 0.5

# Sample all traffic (high cost)
traffic_sample_rate: 1.0

approval

Human-in-the-loop approval settings.

approval:
  mode: interactive
  timeout_seconds: 300
  auto_approve_in_lab: true
  require_comment: false
  notify_on_block: true
Option Type Default Description
mode string interactive Approval mode
timeout_seconds int 300 Approval timeout
auto_approve_in_lab bool true Auto-approve in LAB mode
require_comment bool false Require comment on decisions
notify_on_block bool true Send notification on BLOCK

Approval Modes:

Mode Description
interactive Block and wait for human via TUI
async Non-blocking, use callbacks
auto_approve Auto-approve all (dangerous!)
auto_reject Auto-reject all (safe but limiting)

Severity-Based Timeouts: 

approval:
  mode: interactive
  timeouts:
    S0: 60      # 1 minute
    S1: 120     # 2 minutes
    S2: 300     # 5 minutes
    S3: 600     # 10 minutes

reporting

Report generation settings.

reporting:
  lab_output_dir: ./reports/lab
  ops_output_dir: ./reports/ops
  default_format: markdown
Option Type Default Description
lab_output_dir string ./reports/lab Lab report output directory
ops_output_dir string ./reports/ops Operations report directory
default_format string markdown Default report format

Report Formats: - markdown - Markdown format - json - JSON format - html - HTML format (for web viewing)

logging

Logging configuration.

logging:
  level: INFO
  format: json
  file: ./logs/tinman.log
Option Type Default Description
level string INFO Log level
format string json Log format
file string null Log file path (optional)

Log Levels: - DEBUG - Detailed debugging - INFO - General information - WARNING - Warnings - ERROR - Errors only

Log Formats: - json - Structured JSON logs - text - Human-readable text

cost

Budget and cost tracking settings.

cost:
  budget_usd: 100.0
  period: daily
  warn_threshold: 0.8
  hard_limit: true
Option Type Default Description
budget_usd float 100.0 Maximum spend per period
period string daily Budget reset period
warn_threshold float 0.8 Warning threshold (0-1)
hard_limit bool true Block operations when exceeded

Budget Periods: - hourly - Reset every hour - daily - Reset every day (default) - weekly - Reset every week - monthly - Reset every month

Example with enforcement: 

cost:
  budget_usd: 50.0
  period: daily
  warn_threshold: 0.75
  hard_limit: true
  notify_on_warning: true

metrics

Prometheus metrics server settings.

metrics:
  enabled: true
  port: 9090
  path: /metrics
Option Type Default Description
enabled bool true Enable metrics server
port int 9090 Metrics server port
path string /metrics Metrics endpoint path

Available Metrics:

Metric Type Description
tinman_research_cycles_total Counter Total research cycles
tinman_failures_discovered_total Counter Failures by severity/class
tinman_approval_decisions_total Counter Approvals by decision/tier
tinman_cost_usd_total Counter Costs by source/model
tinman_llm_requests_total Counter LLM requests by model/status
tinman_llm_latency_seconds Histogram LLM request latency
tinman_pending_approvals Gauge Current pending approvals

service

HTTP service settings (for tinman serve).

service:
  host: 0.0.0.0
  port: 8000
  workers: 4
  cors_origins: ["*"]
Option Type Default Description
host string 0.0.0.0 Bind host
port int 8000 Bind port
workers int 1 Number of workers
cors_origins list ["*"] CORS allowed origins

Available Endpoints:

Endpoint Method Description
/health GET Health check with component status
/ready GET Kubernetes readiness probe
/live GET Kubernetes liveness probe
/status GET Current Tinman state
/research/cycle POST Run a research cycle
/approvals/pending GET List pending approvals
/approvals/{id}/decide POST Decide on approval
/discuss POST Interactive discussion
/mode GET Current mode
/mode/transition POST Transition modes
/metrics GET Prometheus metrics

risk_policy

External risk policy configuration file.

risk_policy:
  path: ./risk_policy.yaml
Option Type Default Description
path string null Path to risk policy YAML

Risk Policy File Format:

# risk_policy.yaml
base_matrix:
  lab:
    S0: safe
    S1: safe
    S2: review
    S3: review
    S4: block
  shadow:
    S0: safe
    S1: review
    S2: review
    S3: block
    S4: block
  production:
    S0: review
    S1: review
    S2: block
    S3: block
    S4: block

action_overrides:
  DEPLOY_INTERVENTION:
    production: block
  DESTRUCTIVE_TEST:
    shadow: block
    production: block

cost_thresholds:
  low_cost_max: 1.0
  high_cost_min: 10.0

Environment Variables

Environment variables override configuration file values.

Standard Variables

Variable Description Example
OPENAI_API_KEY OpenAI API key sk-...
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Anthropic API key sk-ant-...
DATABASE_URL Database connection URL postgresql://...
TINMAN_MODE Operating mode lab, shadow, production
TINMAN_LOG_LEVEL Log level DEBUG, INFO, etc.
TINMAN_DATABASE_URL Database connection URL postgresql://...
TINMAN_BUDGET_USD Budget limit 100.0
TINMAN_METRICS_PORT Metrics server port 9090
TINMAN_SERVICE_PORT HTTP service port 8000

Using Environment Variables in Config

models:
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}  # Substituted at load time

database:
  url: ${DATABASE_URL}

Shell Setup

# .env file
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://localhost:5432/tinman"
export TINMAN_MODE="lab"

# Load
source .env

Programmatic Configuration

Using Settings Directly

from tinman.config.settings import Settings, DatabaseSettings, ModelsSettings

settings = Settings(
    mode=Mode.LAB,
    database=DatabaseSettings(
        url="postgresql://localhost:5432/tinman",
        pool_size=20,
    ),
    models=ModelsSettings(
        default="openai",
        providers={
            "openai": ModelProviderSettings(
                api_key=os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"],
                model="gpt-4-turbo-preview",
            ),
        },
    ),
)

Loading from File

from tinman.config.settings import load_config
from pathlib import Path

# Load from default location
settings = load_config()

# Load from custom path
settings = load_config(Path("./custom-config.yaml"))

Creating Tinman with Settings

from tinman import create_tinman
from tinman.config.modes import Mode

# From settings object
tinman = await create_tinman(
    mode=settings.mode,
    db_url=settings.database_url,
    settings=settings,
)

# With overrides
tinman = await create_tinman(
    mode=Mode.PRODUCTION,  # Override mode
    db_url="postgresql://prod-server/tinman",
)

Configuration Validation

Validation Rules

  1. Required Fields:
  2. models.providers.<provider>.api_key must be set

  3. database.url must be valid URL format

  4. Value Ranges:

  5. experiments.max_parallel: 1-100
  6. shadow.traffic_sample_rate: 0.0-1.0

  7. experiments.cost_limit_usd: > 0

  8. Mode Constraints:

  9. allow_destructive only valid in LAB mode
  10. PRODUCTION requires approval.mode != auto_approve

Validation Example

from tinman.config.settings import Settings

settings = Settings.from_dict(config_dict)

# Validation happens automatically
# Raises ValueError if invalid

Example Configurations

Minimal LAB Configuration

mode: lab

database:
  url: sqlite:///tinman.db

models:
  default: openai
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      model: gpt-4-turbo-preview

Production Configuration

mode: production

database:
  url: postgresql://prod-db:5432/tinman
  pool_size: 20

models:
  default: openai
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      model: gpt-4-turbo-preview
      temperature: 0.3  # Lower for consistency

research:
  max_hypotheses_per_run: 5
  max_experiments_per_hypothesis: 2
  default_runs_per_experiment: 3

experiments:
  max_parallel: 2
  default_timeout_seconds: 60
  cost_limit_usd: 5.0

risk:
  detailed_mode: true
  auto_approve_safe: true
  block_on_destructive: true

approval:
  mode: interactive
  timeout_seconds: 600
  require_comment: true
  notify_on_block: true

logging:
  level: INFO
  format: json
  file: /var/log/tinman/tinman.log

Shadow Mode Configuration

mode: shadow

database:
  url: postgresql://shadow-db:5432/tinman
  pool_size: 10

models:
  default: openai
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      model: gpt-4-turbo-preview

shadow:
  traffic_sample_rate: 0.1  # Sample 10% of traffic
  replay_buffer_days: 14    # 2 weeks of traces

experiments:
  max_parallel: 5
  cost_limit_usd: 20.0

approval:
  mode: interactive
  auto_approve_in_lab: false  # Not in LAB

Multi-Provider Configuration

mode: lab

models:
  default: openai
  providers:
    openai:
      api_key: ${OPENAI_API_KEY}
      model: gpt-4-turbo-preview
      temperature: 0.7

    anthropic:
      api_key: ${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}
      model: claude-3-opus-20240229
      temperature: 0.7

    local:
      api_key: not-required
      model: llama-2-70b
      base_url: http://localhost:11434/v1

CI/CD Testing Configuration

mode: lab

database:
  url: sqlite:///:memory:  # In-memory for tests

models:
  default: mock
  providers:
    mock:
      api_key: test-key
      model: mock-model

experiments:
  max_parallel: 1
  default_timeout_seconds: 30
  cost_limit_usd: 1.0

approval:
  mode: auto_reject  # Reject all in CI

Summary

Key configuration areas:

Section Purpose
mode Operating mode (LAB/SHADOW/PRODUCTION)
database Memory graph persistence
models LLM provider settings
experiments Research execution limits
risk Risk evaluation behavior
approval HITL approval settings
shadow Traffic mirroring for SHADOW mode
reporting Output generation
logging Log configuration
cost Budget and cost tracking
metrics Prometheus metrics server
service HTTP API service settings
risk_policy External risk policy file

Configuration precedence: 1. CLI arguments (highest) 2. Environment variables 3. Configuration file 4. Defaults (lowest)

Next Steps