> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.director.run/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuration Files

> Learn about Director's configuration files.

Director doesn't use a database, everything is stored in a `director.config.yaml` file. The easiest way to manage this file is via the [Studio UI](https://studio.director.run) or the [CLI](../concepts/cli). But you can of course edit it manually.

*Note: If you'd like to manually edit the configuration files, you'll need to make sure you restart the service for the changes to take effect.*

# Search Paths

Director will search for the configuration file in the following paths (in order):

* `./director.config.yaml`
* `~/.director/director.config.yaml`

# Configuration File Reference

## Example

Your configuration file is a YAML file that defines playbooks and client connections. Here's a example of how to structure it:

```yaml theme={null}
#
# Server config
#
server:
  # Defaults to 3673
  port: 1234

#
# Client <> Playbook mappings (enforced on startup)
#
clients:
  cursor: [ demo ]

#
# Playbooks (MCP servers, prompts, etc.)
#
playbooks:
  - id: demo
    name: demo
    description: A demonstration playbook

    #
    # Prompts
    #
    prompts:
      - name: changelog
        title: changelog
        description: ""
        body: "write a short changelog based on recent changes on the
          director-run/director repository and the post it to to the slack
          #general channel. Make sure the message will format correctly inside
          of slack"

    #
    # MCP Servers
    #
    servers:
      # GitHub server
      - name: github
        type: http
        url: https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/
        headers:
          Authorization: Bearer
            <YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN>
        # This server is enabled
        disabled: false
        # Only include the tools you need
        tools:
          include:
            - list_commits
            - search_pull_requests
            - get_latest_release
        # Prompts from MCP server are disabled by default
        prompts:
          include: []

        
      - name: slack
        type: stdio
        command: npx
        args:
          - -y
          - "@modelcontextprotocol/server-slack"
        env:
          SLACK_TEAM_ID: <YOUR_SLACK_TEAM_ID>
          SLACK_BOT_TOKEN: <YOUR_SLACK_BOT_TOKEN>
          SLACK_CHANNEL_IDS: <YOUR_SLACK_CHANNEL_ID>
        # This server is enabled
        disabled: false
        # Only include the tools you need
        tools:
          include:
            - slack_list_channels
            - slack_post_message
        # Prompts from MCP server are disabled by default
        prompts:
          include: []
```

## Server Configuration

By default, Director will start a server on port 3673. You can change this by setting the `port` option in the `server` section.

```yaml theme={null}
server:
  port: 1234
```

## Client Connections

The `clients` section defines which playbooks are available to which MCP clients. This mapping is enforced on startup:

```yaml theme={null}
clients:
  claude-code: [my-playbook, another-playbook]
  cursor: [my-playbook]
  vscode: [development-tools]
```

Supported client identifiers:

* `claude-code` - Claude Code (command-line tool)
* `claude` - Claude Desktop app
* `cursor` - Cursor IDE
* `vscode` - Visual Studio Code

## Playbooks

Each playbook supports the following fields:

* **id** (required): A unique identifier for the playbook
* **name** (required): The name of the playbook
* **description** (optional): The description of the playbook
* **servers** (optional): The MCP servers to include in the playbook
* **prompts** (optional): The prompts to include in the playbook

### Prompts

Prompts are used to invoke the playbook from a MCP client. Each prompt supports the following fields:

* **name** (required): The name of the prompt
* **title** (optional): The title of the prompt
* **description** (optional): The description of the prompt
* **body** (optional): The body of the prompt

### MCP Servers

MCP servers are used to provide the tools and prompts to the playbook. Each server supports the following fields:

* **name** (required): The name of the server
* **type** (required): The type of the server (either `stdio` or `http`).
* **url** (optional): The URL of the server (only for http servers)
* **headers** (optional): The headers to pass to the server (only for http servers)
* **command** (optional): The command to execute for stdio-based servers
* **args** (optional): The command-line arguments for stdio-based servers
* **env** (optional): The environment variables to pass to the server
* **disabled** (optional): Whether the server is disabled (default: false)
* **tools** (optional): The tools to include in the server
* **prompts** (optional): The prompts to include in the server

#### Tools

The `tools.include` option allows you to select only specific tools from an MCP server, which helps preserve context by limiting the available tool set:

```yaml theme={null}
servers:
  - name: github
    type: http
    url: https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/
    tools:
      include: [create_pr, search_code] # Only expose these specific tools
```

This is particularly useful when:

* You want to limit capabilities for security reasons (e.g., read-only access)
* You need to preserve context by only exposing relevant tools for a specific task
* You want to prevent accidental use of destructive operations

#### Prompts

The `prompts.include` option allows you to select only specific prompts from an MCP server, which helps preserve context by limiting the available prompt set:

```yaml theme={null}
servers:
  - name: github
    prompts:
      include: [create_pr, search_code] # Only expose these specific prompts
```