Settings and Configuration

Settings & Configuration

In-app settings (⚙ SETTINGS tab)

Applied immediately, saved on the machine running the server:

Setting	What it does
Journal folder	Where Elite Dangerous writes its journal. Leave blank to auto-detect (recommended); paste a path to override — it validates as you type ("✓ 60 journal files") and takes effect without a restart.
Exclude surface stations	Orbital stations only in routes/searches.
Exclude fleet carriers	Keeps carriers out of results and out of the database itself — the live EDDN feed and rebuilds honor it.
Contribute market data (EDDN)	Publish markets you dock at back to the community feed. Anonymous.
Extended EDDN reporting	Separate opt-in: also share outfitting, navigation, exploration, Codex and biological observations (validated against the official schemas).
Automatic updates	Check for releases and offer one-click updates (packaged exe only).
Neural voice	Human-sounding callouts synthesized on the server PC by Piper (one-time download). On by default once installed; the on/off switch is per device. The voice itself (default: Alba — Scottish female, five others available) is server-wide.

The SETTINGS tab also hosts these cards:

• Paired Devices — one-time QR/link pairing, per-device permissions, revocation. See Device Pairing & Security.
• Commander Profiles — who owns this machine's local history; assign pre-2.1 "unassigned" records, activate or delete profiles.
• Local Health & Extensions — diagnostics, a privacy-scrubbed support bundle, and permissioned local extension packs.
• Market Database — build/rebuild the local galaxy database (Market Database).

Per-device settings (saved in each browser)

These live in the browser/tablet you set them on — each device can be tuned separately. All apply instantly; double-click a slider to reset it.

Setting	What it does
Color theme	Six accent presets (Elite orange, Ice, Emerald, Gold, Crimson, Violet) plus a custom color picker — the whole interface follows.
Voice volume (0–100%)	Callout loudness on this device — neural and browser voices alike.
CRT effects	Retro scanlines/flicker in the flight panel. Off by default.
Interface size (80–140%)	Zooms the whole app on this device — desktop and panel mode.
Status bar text (100–160%)	The panel-mode top strip: system, station, fuel, cargo, clock, commander.
Helper text (100–150%)	The small grey hints, sub-lines and empty-state explanations.

Card layouts (arrange & hide) are also per device — see Flight Panel Mode.

Journal auto-detection

The app resolves the journal folder in this order:

1. Settings → Journal folder (if set)
2. ED_JOURNAL_DIR environment variable (if set)
3. Auto-detect: the Windows Saved Games known folder (follows relocations) → the default path → Steam Proton prefixes on Linux

If the folder can't be found, a banner offers OPEN SETTINGS. If it simply doesn't exist yet (game never run), the app watches for it and bootstraps automatically the moment it appears.

Environment variables

For the rest — set before launching:

Env var	Meaning	Default
ET_PORT	HTTP port	8666
ET_DATA_DIR	Data folder	data/ next to the app
ED_JOURNAL_DIR	Journal folder override	auto-detected; the in-app setting wins
ED_BINDINGS_DIR	Key bindings folder override	auto-detected (Windows / Proton)
ED_PLOT_KEY	Autoplot hold-key override	UI_Select bind, then Enter
ET_EDDN_UPLOAD	Seed value for the EDDN toggle	1
ET_AUTO_UPDATE	Seed value for the auto-update toggle	1

(The ET_ prefix survives from the app's Elite Trader days so existing setups keep working.)

Security model

• Localhost is trusted automatically — the desktop window and anything on the gaming PC itself need no setup.
• Other devices must be paired with a one-time link or QR code, and each gets revocable read / control / admin permissions — see Device Pairing & Security.
• The server also rejects cross-site browser requests and unrecognized Host headers (DNS-rebinding protection).
• It binds to your LAN so tablets can reach it. Keep it on a trusted home network and do not port-forward it to the internet — pairing is a local convenience, not internet-grade authentication.