Configuration
Customize Volt's settings, themes, indexing, and behavior
Configuration
Make Volt yours
Open Settings with Ctrl+, (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+, (macOS), or type settings in Volt.
Settings Overview
Volt's settings are organized into sections:
| Section | What you configure |
|---|---|
| General | Startup, max results, close-on-launch behavior |
| Appearance | Theme, transparency, window position |
| Hotkeys | Global activation hotkey, settings shortcut |
| Indexing | Indexed folders, excluded paths, file extensions |
| Plugins | Enable/disable built-in plugins, clipboard monitoring |
| Shortcuts | Custom app shortcuts and quicklinks |
| Integrations | GitHub token, Notion API key (for extensions) |
General Settings
Start with System
Enable auto-start to launch Volt when your OS starts. Volt starts minimized in the system tray.
Max Results
Control how many results appear in the search list. Default: depends on your screen size.
Close on Launch
When enabled, Volt hides automatically after you launch an app or execute a command. Enabled by default.
Appearance
Theme
Default theme. Optimized for low-light environments with a sleek dark interface.
Light theme for bright environments.
Follows your system preference. Switches automatically between dark and light based on your OS settings.
Themes use CSS variables with an HSL color system. The primary accent color is #8585e0.
Transparency
Volt supports glassmorphism — a transparent, blurred window effect:
- Adjust window opacity from fully opaque to semi-transparent
- The transparent window is always-on-top and skips the taskbar
- Works best on Windows 11 and macOS with blur effects
Window Position
Control where Volt appears when activated:
| Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Center (default) | Centered on the active monitor |
| Follow cursor | Appears near your mouse cursor |
| Primary monitor | Always on the primary display |
| Custom position | Fixed coordinates (x, y) |
Volt supports multi-monitor setups — it can follow your cursor or focus to the correct screen.
Window Size
Default window: 800 x 550px. Expands to 1100px wide when the preview panel is open.
Hotkeys
Global Activation
| Platform | Default |
|---|---|
| Windows/Linux | Ctrl + Space |
| macOS | Cmd + Space |
Change the hotkey in Settings → Hotkeys. The hotkey is registered system-wide using tauri-plugin-global-shortcut.
Other Hotkeys
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/Cmd + , | Open Settings |
Indexing
Configure which files Volt indexes for search.
Indexed Folders
Add or remove directories that Volt scans. Defaults: Desktop, Documents, Downloads.
Excluded Paths
Paths to skip during indexing:
node_modules
.git
dist
build
__pycache__File Extensions
Control which file types are indexed. Common defaults include .pdf, .docx, .xlsx, .ts, .js, .py, .md, and more.
Search Sensitivity
Adjust the fuzzy matching threshold:
| Level | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Low | More results, looser matching |
| Medium (default) | Balanced precision and recall |
| High | Fewer results, stricter matching |
Plugins
Toggle built-in plugins on or off:
- Calculator
- Emoji Picker
- Web Search
- Timer / Pomodoro
- Shell Commands
- System Commands
- System Monitor
- Game Scanner
- Clipboard Manager
- Snippets
- Quicklinks
- Window Management
- Notes
- Developer Tools
- AI Chat
Per-plugin Settings
Most plugins expose their own parameters under Settings → Plugins → [plugin name] — for instance, the Shell plugin lets you configure timeout, working directory, and history size; the Timer plugin lets you change Pomodoro defaults.
Clipboard Monitoring
When enabled, Volt tracks clipboard changes in the background for the clipboard history feature. Can be disabled for privacy.
Integrations
The Integrations panel holds credentials and API keys consumed by both built-in plugins and community extensions.
| Field | Used by | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub token | GitHub extension (gh:) | https://github.com/settings/tokens — scope read:public_repo |
| Notion API key | Notion extension (notion: / n:) | https://www.notion.so/my-integrations |
| OpenAI key | AI Chat plugin | https://platform.openai.com/api-keys |
| Anthropic key | AI Chat plugin | https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys |
Credentials are stored locally in settings.json (encrypted on macOS via Keychain, DPAPI on Windows where available). They are never transmitted to Volt servers.
Accessibility
Volt ships with WCAG AA-aligned accessibility settings:
- High contrast theme — boosts text/background ratios past 4.5:1
- Reduced motion — disables window slide-in and result transitions
- Focus visible — strong outline on all focusable elements
- Screen reader hints —
aria-liveannouncements for result count and selection
See Accessibility for the full reference.
Settings Storage
Settings are stored as JSON in your platform's app data directory:
%APPDATA%\volt\settings.json~/Library/Application Support/volt/settings.json~/.config/volt/settings.jsonOther Data Files
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
settings.json | User preferences |
launch_history.json | App launch records + frecency |
snippets.json | Text expansion snippets |
quicklinks.json | Custom shortcuts |
file_history.json | File access history |
file_index.db | SQLite file index |
logs/volt.log | Rolling daily log files |
Extensions Management
Manage community extensions in Settings → Extensions:
- Install from the Extension Store or a ZIP file
- Link Dev Extension for local development
- Enable/Disable individual extensions
- Uninstall extensions you no longer need
- Grant permissions (clipboard, network, filesystem, etc.)
See Extension Development for creating your own.