---
title: "Files and directories"
description: "What Noket writes to disk, where, and with which permissions."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.noket.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Files and directories

Everything Noket keeps is in one directory: `~/.noket`, or the directory named by
[`NOKET_CONFIG_DIR`](https://docs.noket.dev/reference/environment/). The directory is created with mode `0700`, and the files
in it are written with mode `0600` (on Windows, the user's ACL replaces these bits).

| File | Written by | Contents |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `config.toml` | `noket`, the console, `noketd` | Endpoints, daemon settings, and the upstream list, including upstream API keys. |
| `credentials.json` | `noket login` | The token for your Noket account. Removed by `noket logout`. |
| `node.json` | `noketd` | The node id for this machine and account. Created on the first `noket up`. |
| `noketd.pid` | `noket up` | Process id of a background connector. Not written in foreground mode. |
| `noketd.log` | `noketd` | Connector log output. Appended to across restarts. |
| `noketd.status.json` | `noketd` | A snapshot of connection state, node id and name, last error, and counters. Read by `noket status`. |

## Properties

- Every write is atomic: the file is written to a temporary name and renamed, so a crash or a full disk
  cannot leave a half-written configuration.
- `config.toml` is the only source of truth for upstreams. The connector does not keep a separate copy.
- The connector rereads `config.toml` on its heartbeat. A file that fails to parse is reported and the
  previous configuration stays in use.
- When a command changes the upstream list, it checks that the file has not changed since it was read.
  If it has, the command stops rather than overwrite someone else's edit.

## What you can delete

| File | Safe to delete? | What happens |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `config.toml` | Only if you want to start over | Upstreams, keys, and endpoint settings are lost. A default file is written on the next command. |
| `credentials.json` | Yes | You are logged out; `noket login` restores it. |
| `node.json` | Yes | The machine registers as a new node; models bound to the old node stop working. |
| `noketd.pid` | Only when no connector is running | A stale pid file is checked against the process, so a leftover file is harmless. |
| `noketd.log` | Yes | Log output up to that point is lost. |
| `noketd.status.json` | Yes | `noket status` shows no daemon detail until the connector writes it again. |

## Backing up

To move a machine's setup, stop the connector and copy `config.toml`. Do not copy `node.json`: the node id is
tied to the account and the machine, and reusing it elsewhere makes two machines compete for one node.

`config.toml` contains upstream keys in plain text. Treat a copy with the same care as a credential file,
and do not put it in a repository or a shared backup.

## Next

- [Configuration file](https://docs.noket.dev/reference/config/)
- [Security and privacy](https://docs.noket.dev/concepts/security-and-privacy/)

Source: https://docs.noket.dev/reference/files/index.mdx