Answering the Questions

Answering the Questions

Copier asks these when you run copier copy. Pass answers non-interactively with -d key=value, for example -d kind=cli. The answers are saved in .copier-answers.yml, and copier update reuses them. To change one later, run copier update --trust --skip-tasks -d key=new-value, or copier update --trust --skip-tasks --vcs-ref=HEAD -A to answer everything again.

Questions

Question	Default	Notes
language	python	The language layer: python, typescript (Node.js and npm, design 0009), obsidian for a notes repository (below), or none for a language without a layer yet. none gives the core only (release-please, CI's secret scan and wiki checks, the wiki, AGENTS.md) and a project-owned scripts/check.sh for your own checks. kind is then other, which skips every question after it up to code_owners and builds no image (design 0008). obsidian asks vault_dir instead of kind, which is always brain: an Obsidian vault with the agent guard rails (AGENTS.md, .claude/settings.json, the boundary hook, the secret scan, template updates) and no releases, wiki, image or markdownlint. The vault is its wiki, and its design records are notes in it (design 0016)
project_name	(none)	kebab-case. Used for the repo, image, CLI command, systemd unit and k8s namespace
package_name	from project_name	Python only: the import name, snake_case. A TypeScript package is named project_name
description	(none)	One line, any length; quotes are fine. Appears in the README, the package manifest, OCI labels and the wiki footer. The CLI's --help and the API's OpenAPI document read it from the manifest at run time
github_owner	metalayerlab	Organisation or user. Sets the image path and all links
kind	service	service: long-running HTTP app (FastAPI, or Fastify for TypeScript) with health endpoints and a serve command. cli: a command (Typer, or commander). library: import only, with no CLI, image or contrib. web (TypeScript only): a Vite + React single-page app with React Router, configured at run time by /config.json and served by nginx; no CLI (design 0014). With language: none: other only, no generated code. Not asked for obsidian: always brain
vault_dir	knowledge	obsidian only. The vault's folder: one folder name, or . for the repository root. The default leaves room beside the vault for scripts and git-ignored folders; . suits a repository that is nothing but a vault
brain_pull	no	obsidian only. Adds the Brain pull workflow: daily, Claude Code reads the GitHub repositories that notes name in a repos: property (repos: [owner/name]), updates those notes and opens one PR for you to review; a change too big for a note becomes an issue. A 🛰️ Subscriptions note (yours) adds sources no note names and narrows one to the parts you follow: releases, design-records, "wiki:<Page>" or everything. Nothing runs until you add the CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN secret, and Actions must be allowed to create PRs: see Quick Start and CI Pipeline (design 0018, 0019)
python_version	3.13	Python only. Minimum version: the Docker base image and the first CI matrix entry. CI also tests every newer supported version
node_version	24	TypeScript only. Minimum Node.js LTS line (24 or 26): the Docker base image and the first CI matrix entry. CI also tests every newer one
port	8080	service and web (nginx's port)
extra_ports	[]	service only. Other TCP ports it listens on, e.g. [3128]: exposed by the image and published by Compose and Kubernetes (Contrib Manifests). Each is 1–65535, listed once, and not port
health_path	/healthz	service and web (answered by nginx): the liveness route, Docker HEALTHCHECK, k8s liveness probe and CI smoke test
container_image	yes (no for library)	Builds and publishes to GHCR
multi_arch	yes	Adds linux/arm64 (built with QEMU; slower)
image_extras	[]	Python with an image only. Optional extras ([project.optional-dependencies]) the image installs, e.g. [fuse], or ["*"] for all of them. CI's tests don't install them (Docker Images)
contrib	all three for a service; docker and k8s for web	docker, k8s, systemd (service only): see Contrib Manifests
puid_pgid	no	No: the image runs as USER 1000:1000. Yes: the container starts as root to chown the state directory, then drops to PUID:PGID, for hosts where bind-mounted state must match a host user. Either way it runs as uid 1000 under Kubernetes
timezone	Europe/London	TZ in the Compose, k8s and systemd manifests
code_owners	@<owner>/maintainers	CODEOWNERS for every path. The team must exist and have write access
dependabot_automerge	off	patch or minor: Dependabot PRs up to that level get auto-merge queued, so a code owner's Approve merges them as soon as the required checks pass. Majors, and updates Dependabot can't classify, are merged by hand. Nothing is merged without a human approval. Needs repository settings: see Quick Start and design 0003
license	Unlicense (Proprietary for obsidian)	Unlicense, MIT, Apache-2.0, Proprietary
copyright_holder	the owner	Not asked for the Unlicense
personal_data_guard	no	A CI job that fails on public IPv4 addresses or on strings from a PERSONAL_DATA_DENYLIST secret. Use it when tests carry fixtures captured from real systems
integration_ci	no	Python only. Adds CI's Integration tests job: it installs both lists in contrib/system-packages.txt (build: and runtime:), runs the tests marked integration with RUN_INTEGRATION=1, and fails if none runs or one is skipped (CI Pipeline, design 0017)
integration_extras	[]	With integration_ci only. Optional extras the job installs, e.g. [fuse], or ["*"] for all of them. Separate from image_extras: the image and the tests can need different extras

Derived values

Never asked, and computed from the answers: env_prefix (MY_PROJECT_, for every setting's environment variable), image (ghcr.io/<owner>/<project_name>), repo_url, has_cli (service or cli), and copyright_year.