---
title: Configuring Code2Prompt 📖
description: Learn how to use .c2pconfig to automate your prompt generation workflow and ensure team consistency.
---

import { Card, Steps, Aside, Tabs, TabItem } from "@astrojs/starlight/components";

<Card title="Tutorial Overview">
  Manually typing long exclude patterns or specific tokenizer settings every time can be tedious. Therefore this tutorial shows you **how to use a `.c2pconfig` configuration file** to "set and forget" your project settings.
</Card>

---

## Prerequisites

Ensure you have `code2prompt` installed. If you haven't installed it yet, refer to the [Installation Guide](/docs/how_to/install). Familiarity with [TOML syntax](https://toml.io/en/) is helpful but not required.

---

## What is .c2pconfig?

The `.c2pconfig` file is a configuration file written in **TOML** format. When you run `code2prompt`, it automatically searches for this file in your current working directory. 

It allows you to define:
* **Filtering Rules:** Persistent include/exclude patterns.
* **Output Formats:** Default to JSON, Markdown, or XML.
* **Template Context:** Pre-define variables for your Handlebars templates.

---

## Quick Start

Create a file named `.c2pconfig` at the root of your project to define your base behavior.

```toml
# .c2pconfig example
default_output = "stdout" # Options: stdout, clipboard, file
include_patterns = ["src/**/*.rs", "Cargo.toml"]
exclude_patterns = ["**/target/**", "tests/fixtures/**"]
line_numbers = true
output_format = "markdown"

[user_variables]
project_name = "MyAwesomeProject"
author = "Developer"

```

---

## Configuration Reference

The following table describes the keys available in the configuration file.

| Key | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `path` | String | Default path to codebase (usually `.`). |
| `include_patterns` | Array | Glob patterns of files to include. |
| `exclude_patterns` | Array | Glob patterns of files to exclude. |
| `line_numbers` | Boolean | If `true`, adds line numbers to code blocks. |
| `absolute_path` | Boolean | Use absolute paths instead of relative paths. |
| `full_directory_tree` | Boolean | Generate the full tree even for excluded files. |
| `output_format` | String | `markdown`, `json`, or `xml`. |
| `sort_method` | String | `name_asc`, `name_desc`, `date_asc`, `date_desc`. |
| `encoding` | String | Tokenizer: `cl100k`, `p50k`, `o200k`. |
| `diff_enabled` | Boolean | Include git diff (HEAD vs Index). |
| `token_map_enabled` | Boolean | Display a hierarchical token usage map. |

---

## Implementation Guide

Follow these steps to integrate a configuration file into your workflow.

<Steps>

1. **Initialize your Configuration**
        Navigate to your project root and create the config file:
        ```bash
        touch .c2pconfig

        ```

2. **Define your Source of Truth**
        Exclude heavy directories like `node_modules` or build artifacts to keep the LLM context clean.
        ```toml
        exclude_patterns = [
        "**/node_modules/**",
        "package-lock.json",
        "dist/**"
        ]

        ```

3. **Set your Model Encoding**
        Match the tokenizer to your target LLM. Use `o200k` for GPT-4o, or `cl100k` for Claude and GPT-4.
        ```toml
        encoding = "o200k"

        ```

4. **Inject Custom Context**
        Use the `[user_variables]` section to pass data into your [Handlebars templates](/docs/learn/templates).
        ```toml
        [user_variables]
        project_goal = "Refactor the authentication module for better security."

        ```

5. **Run with Zero Arguments**
        Simply run the tool. It will now respect all your predefined rules without extra CLI flags.
        ```bash
        code2prompt .

        ```

</Steps>

---

## Understanding Precedence

It is important to understand how `code2prompt` decides which settings to use when multiple sources conflict.

<Aside type="tip" title="Priority Order">
**CLI Arguments > Configuration File > Default Settings**

Arguments passed directly via the CLI will always override values defined in `.c2pconfig`. This allows you to maintain a "base" config while remaining flexible for one-off commands.

</Aside>

### Advanced Filtering Logic

The engine uses a tiered selection system:

* **Static (A/B):** Defined in your `.c2pconfig` (Include/Exclude).
* **Dynamic (A'/B'):** If you use **Interactive Mode**, your manual toggle selections override the static patterns for that specific session.

---

## Example: The "Review-Ready" Config

Use this setup if your primary goal is generating prompts for code reviews.

```toml
default_output = "clipboard"
line_numbers = true
token_map_enabled = true

exclude_patterns = [
    "tests/**",
    "**/migrations/**",
    "*.md"
]

[user_variables]
review_focus = "Check for DRY principle violations and complexity."

```

---

## Next Steps

<Card title="Level Up your Workflow">

* **Master Templates:** Explore [Custom Templates](/docs/tutorials/learn_templates) to see how to use `user_variables` effectively.
* **Refine Filtering:** Check the [Filtering Guide](/docs/tutorials/learn_filters) for advanced glob pattern syntax.
</Card>