notarius/docs/config.md

Configuration

This is the canonical reference for implemented Notarius configuration.

Notarius reads YAML config files with version: 1. File config is applied over built-in defaults, then environment overrides are applied.

Discovery

Commands that accept --config load configuration in this order:

1. the --config path, when provided;
2. NOTARIUS_CONFIG, when set to a non-empty path;
3. /usr/local/etc/notarius/config.yml.

If none is available, the command fails with a config file not found error.

Minimal Example

version: 1
llm_profiles:
  default:
    provider: openai-compatible
    base_url: http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1
    model: your-model
pipelines:
  dnd-session:
    input: seriatim
    references:
      roster: ./dnd-spells-roster.txt
      glossary: ./dnd-spells-glossary.txt
    chunk:
      module: generic
      options:
        max_units: 50
    artifacts:
      spells:
        extract: dnd/spells

The maintained fixture is examples/dnd-spells.config.yml.

Top-Level Fields

• version: required. The only supported value is 1.
• llm_profiles: optional map of LLM profile IDs to profile settings.
• pipelines: optional map of pipeline IDs to pipeline definitions.
• concurrency: optional global concurrency settings.
• diagnostics: optional diagnostics settings.

Unknown YAML fields are rejected.

Defaults

Built-in defaults:

llm_profiles:
  default:
    provider: openai-compatible
    timeout: 600
    max_retries: 3
    max_concurrency: 1
concurrency:
  total_llm: 1
diagnostics:
  work_dir: /tmp/notarius
  retention: auto

No pipelines are built in. A run requires a configured pipeline.

LLM Profiles

Each llm_profiles entry may contain:

• provider: optional provider key. Empty means openai-compatible; any other non-empty value must be openai-compatible.
• base_url: provider base URL. Required for actual LLM calls.
• model: provider model name. Required for actual LLM calls.
• api_key_env: environment variable name to read for the API key.
• timeout: request timeout as whole seconds or a Go-style duration string such as 10m.
• max_retries: retry count for provider calls. Must be zero or greater.
• max_concurrency: per-profile LLM concurrency. Must be zero or greater; when zero, Notarius uses concurrency.total_llm.

Raw API keys are not accepted as file config fields. Use api_key_env or an environment override.

Environment Overrides

These environment variables are applied after the config file:

• NOTARIUS_CONFIG: config discovery path.
• NOTARIUS_LLM_DEFAULT_API_KEY: API key for the default LLM profile.
• NOTARIUS_LLM_DEFAULT_BASE_URL: base URL for the default LLM profile.
• NOTARIUS_LLM_DEFAULT_MODEL: model for the default LLM profile.
• NOTARIUS_LLM_DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: integer timeout seconds for the default LLM profile.
• NOTARIUS_LLM_DEFAULT_MAX_RETRIES: integer retry count for the default LLM profile.
• NOTARIUS_LLM_DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENCY: integer max concurrency for the default LLM profile.
• NOTARIUS_TOTAL_LLM_CONCURRENCY: integer global LLM concurrency.
• NOTARIUS_WORK_DIR: diagnostics work directory.
• NOTARIUS_DIAGNOSTICS_RETENTION: diagnostics retention mode.

Integer environment values must parse as base-10 integers.

Pipelines

A pipeline defines the fixed Notarius workflow:

input -> chunk -> extract -> merge -> normalize -> output

Pipeline fields:

• input: required module binding.
• chunk: optional module binding. Default module is generic.
• artifacts: required for pipeline resolution. It maps artifact lane IDs to lane definitions.
• output: optional module binding. Default module is json.
• references: optional map of reference slot names to reference paths. These bindings are defaults for eligible pipeline targets that declare the matching slot.

Artifact lane fields:

• extract: required module binding.
• merge: optional module binding. Default module is appendorder.
• normalize: optional module binding. Default module is noop.
• validators: optional list of module bindings. The production CLI currently does not register validator modules.
• references: optional compatibility alias for extractor reference bindings. Lane bindings override pipeline-level bindings for the same slot.

notarius run and notarius config validate --pipeline resolve the pipeline against the production module catalog and fail fast for unknown or incompatible module keys.

Reference bindings are validated against reference slots declared by eligible chunk, extract, and normalize targets during pipeline resolution. Required slots must be bound after config defaults, target-local references, lane-level compatibility bindings, and run-time --reference or --without-reference overrides are applied. Config-relative paths are resolved relative to the config file; CLI reference paths are resolved relative to the current working directory. Materialized bound files must be UTF-8 text. Materialized reference provenance is recorded for chunk, extractor, and normalizer targets, and runtime reference content is passed to the target that declares the slot. Reference media types are inferred from file extensions, recorded as canonical base media types, and checked only when a module declares AcceptedMediaTypes; unknown extensions are recorded as application/octet-stream. Reference content is not written to diagnostics, logs, errors, or manifests.

Pipeline-level references are defaults. They are valid when at least one eligible target in the full configured pipeline declares the slot, including chunk, extractor, and normalizer targets. During a run, they apply only to the selected targets that declare the slot:

pipelines:
  dnd-session:
    input: seriatim
    references:
      roster: ./campaign/party-roster.txt
      glossary: ./campaign/glossary.txt
    artifacts:
      spells:
        extract: dnd/spells

Extractor binding references are the canonical lane-local location. The legacy lane-level references field remains supported as an alias; when both bind the same slot, extract.references wins:

pipelines:
  dnd-session:
    input: seriatim
    references:
      glossary: ./campaign/glossary.txt
    artifacts:
      spells:
        references:
          roster: ./campaign/legacy-roster.txt
        extract:
          module: dnd/spells
          references:
            roster: ./campaign/session-roster.txt

chunk.references and normalize.references are accepted in object-form bindings. They override pipeline-level defaults for slots declared by the chunk or normalizer module. Extractor-local references apply only to the extractor, and normalizer-local references apply only to the normalizer.

Stage-local reference fields use the same map shape at:

• pipelines.<id>.chunk.references
• pipelines.<id>.artifacts.<lane>.extract.references
• pipelines.<id>.artifacts.<lane>.normalize.references

Each binding is valid only when that target module declares the slot.

Module Bindings

Every module binding may use shorthand:

input: seriatim

or object form:

chunk:
  module: generic
  llm_profile: default
  options:
    max_units: 50

Binding fields:

• module: module key.
• llm_profile: optional LLM profile ID. Empty means default.
• options: optional module-specific settings.
• references: optional reference bindings. Supported only for chunk, extract, and normalize bindings. input, merge, validator, and output bindings reject this field during validation.

The --llm-profile run flag overrides every effective module binding to use one configured profile.

Implemented Production Modules

Slot	Key	Notes
input	seriatim	Reads Seriatim transcript JSON.
chunk	generic	Splits source units into ordered chunks.
chunk	dnd/scenes	Uses an LLM to split transcript source units into D&D scenes.
extract	dnd/spells	Extracts dnd.spell_cast artifacts.
merge	appendorder	Keeps candidates in append order.
normalize	noop	Passes merged artifacts through unchanged.
output	json	Produces JSON output files.

The generic chunker accepts:

• max_units: positive integer, default 50;
• overlap_units: non-negative integer, default 0, and must be less than max_units.

The dnd/scenes chunker requires transcript source capabilities, calls the configured structured LLM provider, and does not accept module options.

The dnd/spells extractor declares optional text reference slots:

• roster
• glossary

The extractor uses these references only as supporting disambiguation material; spell casts still must be present in the source transcript.

Diagnostics

diagnostics fields:

• work_dir: directory for per-run diagnostics. Default: /tmp/notarius.
• retention: auto, always, or never. Empty uses auto.

auto retains diagnostics for failed runs and successful runs with warnings. always retains diagnostics for every run. never removes diagnostics for successful runs without regard to warnings; failed runs are retained.

The --diagnostics-dir run flag overrides diagnostics.work_dir for that invocation.

Validation

Configuration validation checks:

• supported config version and known YAML fields;
• non-empty, non-duplicated IDs after trimming;
• supported LLM provider and non-negative profile limits;
• positive global LLM concurrency;
• supported diagnostics retention and non-empty work directory;
• module binding LLM profiles refer to configured profiles.

Pipeline resolution additionally checks:

• the pipeline ID exists;
• at least one artifact lane is declared and selected;
• selected lanes exist when --only is used;
• required module keys are present;
• module keys are registered for the expected slot;
• module capability requirements are satisfied.
• bound reference slots are declared by selected lane extractors;
• required reference slots are bound for selected lanes.