What task are you trying to do?
Users need a predictable, easy-to-find place for PawWork-wide personal configuration.
The concrete task is: create or edit global instructions/configuration that should apply across all PawWork sessions, especially files such as:
- global
AGENTS.md
- global
pawwork.json
- user-level skills / commands
- user-level MCP-related configuration
These are human-editable files, not runtime-managed app data.
What do you do today?
Today PawWork's global AGENTS.md is loaded from the app runtime config tree. On macOS, that currently resolves to a path like:
~/Library/Application Support/ai.pawwork.desktop/config/pawwork/AGENTS.md
That follows Electron/platform app-data conventions, but it is painful for this workflow because users have to either:
- know a deep platform-specific runtime path,
- ask PawWork where the global
AGENTS.md is loaded from,
- set
PAWWORK_CONFIG_DIR manually,
- or keep project-level
AGENTS.md files even when the rule is really global.
It also mixes two different categories of files:
- human-edited, syncable config;
- runtime-managed app data/cache/state/logs.
That makes the config harder to discover, harder to document, and awkward to manage with dotfiles.
What would a good result look like?
PawWork should have a clear global user configuration home for files that humans are expected to edit and possibly sync across machines.
A good result would let users reason about global config with a simple model, for example:
~/.pawwork/
AGENTS.md
pawwork.json
skills/
commands/
mcp/
Runtime-managed files should remain in platform app data/cache/state locations, for example:
- session databases
- logs
- caches
- tool output
- snapshots / undo state
- Chromium/session data
Possible acceptance criteria:
- Add an explicit global config home concept, e.g.
PAWWORK_HOME.
- Default the human-editable config home to a discoverable path such as
~/.pawwork.
- Continue supporting the existing platform config path for backward compatibility.
- Define clear precedence for global
AGENTS.md and pawwork.json.
- Avoid moving cache/log/database/session data into the human-editable config home.
- Provide an app command or UI entry like “Open global config folder”.
- Document the distinction between global user config, project config, runtime data, and enterprise/managed config.
One possible precedence model for global instructions:
1. PAWWORK_HOME/AGENTS.md
2. ~/.pawwork/AGENTS.md
3. existing platform config AGENTS.md
4. project AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md / CONTEXT.md
Which audience does this matter to most?
Both
Extra context
PawWork is cross-platform, not macOS-only. The current platform app-data layout is useful for runtime data, but less discoverable for developer/agent-style global config.
Relevant prior art:
- Claude Code uses user scope at
~/.claude/, including ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, ~/.claude/settings.json, and ~/.claude/agents/.
- Codex uses
~/.codex/config.toml for user-level config and .codex/config.toml for project overrides.
- GitHub CLI exposes
GH_CONFIG_DIR and defaults to XDG/platform config locations.
- VS Code stores user settings in platform locations, but exposes commands to open the settings JSON directly.
- Electron's
userData path is suitable for app configuration/runtime data, but Electron also warns not to put large files there because some environments back it up.
The key product distinction should be:
- Human-editable global config: easy to find, document, and sync.
- Runtime-managed app data: platform-appropriate app data/cache/state locations.
- Secrets/tokens: credential store/keychain where possible; not in
AGENTS.md.
What task are you trying to do?
Users need a predictable, easy-to-find place for PawWork-wide personal configuration.
The concrete task is: create or edit global instructions/configuration that should apply across all PawWork sessions, especially files such as:
AGENTS.mdpawwork.jsonThese are human-editable files, not runtime-managed app data.
What do you do today?
Today PawWork's global
AGENTS.mdis loaded from the app runtime config tree. On macOS, that currently resolves to a path like:That follows Electron/platform app-data conventions, but it is painful for this workflow because users have to either:
AGENTS.mdis loaded from,PAWWORK_CONFIG_DIRmanually,AGENTS.mdfiles even when the rule is really global.It also mixes two different categories of files:
That makes the config harder to discover, harder to document, and awkward to manage with dotfiles.
What would a good result look like?
PawWork should have a clear global user configuration home for files that humans are expected to edit and possibly sync across machines.
A good result would let users reason about global config with a simple model, for example:
Runtime-managed files should remain in platform app data/cache/state locations, for example:
Possible acceptance criteria:
PAWWORK_HOME.~/.pawwork.AGENTS.mdandpawwork.json.One possible precedence model for global instructions:
Which audience does this matter to most?
Both
Extra context
PawWork is cross-platform, not macOS-only. The current platform app-data layout is useful for runtime data, but less discoverable for developer/agent-style global config.
Relevant prior art:
~/.claude/, including~/.claude/CLAUDE.md,~/.claude/settings.json, and~/.claude/agents/.~/.codex/config.tomlfor user-level config and.codex/config.tomlfor project overrides.GH_CONFIG_DIRand defaults to XDG/platform config locations.userDatapath is suitable for app configuration/runtime data, but Electron also warns not to put large files there because some environments back it up.The key product distinction should be:
AGENTS.md.