Every ntropy command works on exactly one vault. Run inside a vault, a
command uses that vault, unless --vault or $NTROPY_VAULT names
another. This page shows how a project points at a vault kept
elsewhere, how to check which vault a command uses, and the full order
of the rules.
A vault for a project
A .ntropy-vault file is a single line naming a vault elsewhere: a path
relative to the file's own directory, an absolute path, or one starting
with ~.
# project/.ntropy-vault
../notes
Drop one at the root of a project, and ntropy uses that vault anywhere
inside the project. ntropy new and ntropy search then work for the
project's notes the way they work everywhere else. A pointer whose
target is not a vault, or an empty pointer file, is an error, never a
silent fall-through to the default vault.
Check which vault a command uses
ntropy info prints the active vault and the rule that resolved it: the
--vault flag, $NTROPY_VAULT, a pointer file, the current directory,
or the global default. Then it prints the configured default vault and
statistics for the active one.
Resolution order
ntropy tries these rules in order and stops at the first that matches:
--vault <path>$NTROPY_VAULT- A walk up from the current directory to the nearest directory holding
a
.ntropy-vaultpointer file or a.ntropy/directory. The nearest one wins. A pointer beats a.ntropy/in the same directory, since it is an explicit redirect. - The global default vault, set with
ntropy init --set-default. It is kept in the global config, which$NTROPY_CONFIG_DIRcan move; see Configuration.
A path given by --vault or $NTROPY_VAULT has to be a vault already,
a directory holding .ntropy/. If it is not, the command fails instead
of trying the next rule. When no rule matches, ntropy fails with a
message listing the four ways to name a vault.