The config file

MacScout keeps custom actions and the settings for its action packs in a single file:

~/.macscout/config.jsonc

The App Store version can read it once you allow access to your startup disk or your home folder.

Opening itCopy Anchor Link

• Click Actions (⚡) in the toolbar and choose Edit Actions….
• Or open Settings → Actions and click Edit config.jsonc. Reveal shows the file in Finder.

The file opens in the editor MacScout uses for Open in (see apps.editor). If it can't find one, macOS opens it with the default app for .jsonc files.

The formatCopy Anchor Link

The file is JSON with two additions:

• Comments. Both // line comments and /* block comments */ work.
• Trailing commas. A comma after the last item in a list or object is fine.

{
  // Hide the AI menu.
  "packs": { "ai": false },

  "actions": [
    { "title": "Folder Size", "command": "du -sh {files}", "output": "show", },
  ],
}

Every setting is optional. A file with just {} is valid, and anything you leave out uses its default.

The first launchCopy Anchor Link

When the file doesn't exist, MacScout creates it on startup. The new file explains the settings in comments. Most are filled in with their defaults, some are commented-out examples, and so are the two example actions. If you delete the file, MacScout writes a fresh copy the next time it starts.

Changes apply when you saveCopy Anchor Link

MacScout watches the file and reloads it a quarter of a second after you save. Menus, shortcuts and Settings update right away. Most editors save by replacing the file, and that is fine too.

When the file has an errorCopy Anchor Link

If the file can't be read, for example because of a missing quote or a value of the wrong type, MacScout:

1. keeps using the last version that worked (if MacScout starts with a broken file, that means the defaults, without your custom actions),
2. shows a warning in the window, and
3. shows the error at the top of Settings → Actions.

The message tells you what is wrong and where. Positions in a list count from zero:

• Wrong value at actions.Index 2.minSelection means the minSelection of the third action has the wrong type, for example "2" instead of 2.
• Missing "title" at actions.Index 0 means the first action has no title.

Fix the file and save again. The error goes away as soon as the file reads correctly.

Keys that MacScout doesn't know are ignored, so a typo like "extention" doesn't cause an error. The setting just has no effect. If an action behaves as if a field wasn't there, check the spelling first.

Editing from SettingsCopy Anchor Link

Settings → Actions, and the submenu delay in Settings → General, change this same file. MacScout rewrites only the one value you changed, so your comments, the order of keys and your formatting stay as they are.

The other options in Settings → General, like showing hidden files, are stored separately and aren't part of the config file.