Configuration reference — Transcript Lake

Transcript Lake has no configuration file. Configuration is the global --data-dir flag, environment variables, command flags, and external binaries on PATH. Empty environment values are treated as unset unless stated otherwise.

Global selection#

Key	Type/default	Precedence and effect
`--data-dir <path>`	path; absent	May appear anywhere before/after the command. Converted to absolute, exported to the child process as `LAKE_DATA`, and wins for that invocation. Duplicate flag or missing path is an error.
`LAKE_DATA`	path; `$HOME/.transcript-lake`	State root for events, cursors, labels, status, derived data, and model cache. Relative paths are made absolute from the invocation directory.
`HOME`	path; `.` if unavailable	Vendor roots, default Lake root, default Tama ready path, shared goal artifacts, and Oko index location. Run under the same real user as the transcript stores.
`PATH`	path list	Discovery of `duckdb`, `oko-cli`, and `llama-cli`; child-process execution.

Integration environment#

Key	Type/default	Effect
`TRANSCRIPT_LAKE_SECRET_FORMATS`	path to a JSON file; the declaration shipped with Transcript Lake when unset	The declaration of what the masker treats as a secret (assignment, token and entropy patterns and the entropy diversity floor). Unset, the masker reads the declaration that ships with the product: the credential prefixes providers document as tokens, and no assignment or entropy class. A named file that cannot be read or does not declare every key refuses `stream`, `adopt` and recovery replay, naming the file. See Masking guarantees.

Key	Type/default	Effect
`HOOKS_ADAPTIVE_SEGMENTS_READY`	directory; `$HOME/.hooks-adaptive/telemetry-segments/ready`	Tama immutable closed-segment inbox. When absent, legacy telemetry logs are considered.
`OKO_CLI`	executable path/name; search `oko-cli` on `PATH`	Used by `projection refresh --target oko` and `projection rebuild --target oko --reindex`.
`TRANSCRIPT_LAKE_SQL`	directory; embedded SQL	Overrides both compiled `views.sql` and `signals.sql` for operator development. If set, the requested file must exist; there is no fallback per missing file.
`TRANSCRIPT_LAKE_STER`	file; search `ster` on `PATH`	The Ster program the local goal model runs on. Must name a file.
`TRANSCRIPT_LAKE_GOAL_MODEL`	GGUF file; Transcript Lake's own copy	Explicit goal model. It must pass the pinned SHA-256 validation.

goal title/goal label run on the file TRANSCRIPT_LAKE_GOAL_MODEL names, checked, or on Transcript Lake's own copy under LAKE_DATA/models/. That copy is fetched from the compiled Hugging Face revision when it is absent or fails its digest check, and a failed check is said on stderr before the fetch. The system prompt is kept and fetched the same way. No other product's cache or storage is read. Core streaming makes no network request.

State layout#

Path under `LAKE_DATA`	Role	Authority
`events/runtime=<r>/date=<d>/part-<hash>.ndjson`	masked canonical events	authoritative
`cursors.json`	per-source `{mtimeMs,size,offset}`	authoritative resume metadata
`stream.lock/owner.json`	live writer lease	ephemeral coordination
`cursors.lock`	cursor publication lock	ephemeral coordination
`stream-status.json`	last/live stream summary	operational state
`labels/labels.ndjson`	operator annotations	independent operator state
`exports/oko/`	per-session Oko projection and `export-cursors.json`	rebuildable
`staging/oko-export/`	bounded full-export staging	temporary
`parquet/runtime=<r>/events.parquet`	analytical mirror	rebuildable
`models/jeden-goal-qwen3-4b/<sha>/`	pinned goal artifacts	cache

Flag types, defaults, and bounds#

Common --json: boolean, false.
Common --limit: optional whole number of at least one; without it every row is returned.
stats --days: optional whole number of at least one; without it the whole Lake is counted.
Runtime/source values: one of claude, codex, omp, droid, kimi, hooks.
show --include: comma-separated event types; default user,assistant; all expands to all seven.
signals --report: freshness (default), frustration, overlap, or daily.
clean --target: all (default), parquet, or oko; preview unless --apply.
label add --source: manual default, or manual|human|model|brama with optional :<detail> matching [A-Za-z0-9._/-]+.
label add --aspect: required non-empty string, trimmed and lowercased.
label add --value: required non-empty trimmed string.

Long flags are exact, unknown flags fail, duplicate flags fail, and a value flag never consumes another --flag. See CLI command reference for each command's accepted set.