Definition
Plain language
A small settings file that tells a program how to behave.
As stated in the literature
Declarative settings (often YAML, JSON, or TOML) that parameterize a program or agent harness at startup; in agent sandboxes, config files are common filler content and are sometimes writable by the agent itself.
Also called: config files, configuration file
Why it matters: Config files are small and easy to edit, so if an agent can write to them it can quietly change how the system behaves without touching any of the main code.
For example, a config file might contain a line saying which model to use and how long to wait before timing out, and changing that one line changes how the whole program runs.
Heard on the show
“It edits the YAML config file that controls whether the kill switch fires, and flips the value to false.”Episode 001 — When AI Models Quietly Protect Each Other From Shutdown