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deucalion config

Shows or edits Deucalion's configuration file, ~/.config/deucalion/config.json.

$ deucalion config --help
usage: deucalion config [-h] [{show,edit,path}]

show or edit the configuration

positional arguments:
  {show,edit,path}

options:
  -h, --help        show this help message and exit
Command What it does
deucalion config (or config show) Print the configuration, with the default values filled in.
deucalion config path Print where the file is.
deucalion config edit Open the file in your text editor ($VISUAL, then $EDITOR, then nano). When you close the editor, Deucalion checks that the file can still be read. 
$ deucalion config path
/home/alex/.config/deucalion/config.json

$ deucalion config show
{
  "version": 1,
  "targets": {
    "f7721c0e-a587-44de-a199-2d74f9c20b4e": {
      "name": "Alex Backup",
      "path": "/media/alex/Alex Backup2/Deucalion-Backup",
      "registered": "2026-10-12T09:08:19+01:00",
      "allow_internal": false,
      "access": {
        "method": "veracrypt",
        "kind": "partition",
        "partuuid": "357b958c-3642-4038-828f-af744ee22801",
        "mount_name": "Alex Backup",
        "plain_uuid": "EFFC-B52F"
      }
    }
  },
  "default_target": "f7721c0e-a587-44de-a199-2d74f9c20b4e",
  "home_path": null,
  "home_excludes": [
    ".cache/",
    ".thumbnails/",
    ".local/share/Trash/",
    ".local/share/recently-used.xbel",
    ".local/share/containers/",
    ".var/app/*/cache/",
    ".npm/_cacache/",
    ".config/**/Cache/",
    ".config/**/Code Cache/",
    ".config/**/GPUCache/",
    ".config/**/DawnCache/",
    ".config/**/DawnGraphiteCache/",
    ".config/**/DawnWebGPUCache/",
    ".config/**/GrShaderCache/",
    ".config/**/ShaderCache/",
    ".config/**/CacheStorage/",
    ".config/**/CachedData/",
    ".config/**/CachedExtensionVSIXs/",
    "Videos/",
    "node_modules/"
  ],
  "extra_folders": [
    {
      "name": "shared",
      "path": "/srv/shared",
      "excludes": []
    }
  ],
  "profiles": {
    "work": [
      "/home/alex/Projects",
      "/home/alex/Documents/Work"
    ]
  },
  "keep_overwritten": true,
  "system_recipe": true,
  "system_admin": true
}

Most settings have their own command or app page; edit the file directly only for what has none (for example a list of exclusions for an extra folder). A file that can't be read stops every command with "Configuration file is damaged: …".

Exit codes

0 done; 1 the file is damaged.