{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "name": "fak configuration answers",
  "description": "Direct answers and authoritative documentation links for configuring the Fused Agent Kernel (fak).",
  "url": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure fak?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak configuration",
        "fak config file",
        "configuration precedence"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Start with fak config guide, which recommends no file for the default posture and explains minimal changes for other intents. fak serve also accepts explicit flags and an optional TOML manifest selected with --config; explicit flags override manifest values. Environment variables carry secrets and documented integration settings.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#opinionated-defaults-reviewable-overrides"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Where is the complete fak configuration reference?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak config reference",
        "fak serve flags",
        "fak environment variables"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "The fak server configuration guide is the authoritative, human-readable reference for every fak serve flag and environment variable. The CLI help remains authoritative for other commands.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Does fak require a config file?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak JSON config",
        "fak deployment manifest",
        "fak no config file"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "No. fak serve works with tested built-in defaults and command-line flags. A TOML deployment manifest is optional and is useful when reviewed deployment defaults should be reused.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#opinionated-defaults-reviewable-overrides"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What wins when a fak setting appears in more than one place?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak config precedence",
        "flags versus config",
        "fak defaults"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Explicit command-line flags win over declared fak.toml values, and declared values win over built-in defaults. There is no implicit search for an ambient fak.toml, so changing directories cannot silently change a serve.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#opinionated-defaults-reviewable-overrides"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How can I inspect the effective fak serve configuration?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak effective config",
        "fak print config",
        "configuration provenance"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Run fak serve --print-effective-config, optionally with --config and any overriding flags. It prints JSON containing each effective value and whether it came from a flag, the manifest, or a default, then exits before starting the server.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#inspect-the-effective-configuration"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How should secrets be configured in fak?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak secrets",
        "fak authentication config",
        "FAK_API_KEY"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Keep secret values out of TOML manifests and command history. Put secrets in environment variables, configure fak with the variable name where required, and use --require-key-env when inbound API authentication must fail closed.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#authentication"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I validate a fak configuration before serving traffic?",
      "keywords": [
        "validate fak config",
        "fak config errors",
        "fak readiness"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Use fak serve --print-effective-config to parse the manifest, reject unsupported fields, apply explicit overrides, and show the resulting configuration without starting the server. Then use the documented health and readiness endpoints for deployment checks.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#inspect-the-effective-configuration"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure which tools an agent may call?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak policy configuration",
        "capability floor manifest",
        "agent tool permissions"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Use a JSON capability-floor policy manifest. Start with fak policy --dump, edit the allow and deny rules, validate it with fak policy --check, reproduce expected verdicts with fak preflight --policy, and then load it with fak serve --policy or fak manage --policy.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/policy-guide.md"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure fak manage for a local coding agent?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak manage config",
        "configure coding agent",
        "local agent guard"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Start with fak manage followed by the agent command. fak manage discovers the supported agent adapter, keeps generated state under the documented user configuration directory, and accepts explicit policy and runtime flags when the defaults need to be tightened.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/README.md#manage-one-local-agent-fak-guard"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure fak as an MCP server?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak MCP config",
        ".mcp.json",
        "fak serve stdio"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Add fak serve --stdio to the MCP server configuration used by Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The MCP integration guide contains the complete .mcp.json example and a deterministic stdio verification command.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/integrations/mcp.md"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure a client or editor to use fak?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak client config",
        "fak editor setup",
        "fak integrations"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Use the integration guide for the client or editor you run. The integrations index links exact setup instructions for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, OpenAI-compatible clients, MCP, and managed runtimes.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/tree/main/docs/integrations"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure model providers and API credentials?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak provider config",
        "fak model configuration",
        "fak API credentials"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Choose the integration guide for the provider wire, point the client or fak serve at the documented base URL, and keep credentials in environment variables rather than manifests. The server configuration reference lists supported provider, model, endpoint, and credential-variable settings.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/server-config.md#upstream-model-configuration-proxy-mode"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I configure one policy for an organization?",
      "keywords": [
        "fak organization policy",
        "centralized agent policy",
        "team capability floor"
      ],
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Use the centralized policy plane: sign an organization manifest, enroll each machine with the organization trust material, and verify the effective policy. Local operators may tighten the organization floor but cannot weaken it.",
        "citation": "https://github.com/anthony-chaudhary/fak/blob/main/docs/fak/org-policy-plane.md"
      }
    }
  ]
}