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This guide covers Settings > General, along with environment and notification preferences. Kernel and shell options are in Settings > Environments.

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Python environment

In Settings > Environments > Interpreters, select the Python installation to use for new notebooks. Default Python Environment shows all detected Python installations:
  • System Python
  • Homebrew Python (macOS)
  • Python from Microsoft Store (Windows)
  • pyenv versions (macOS/Linux)
  • Conda environments
  • Virtual environments (.venv)
The selected environment becomes the default kernel for new notebooks and is automatically activated in new terminals.

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Creating a virtual environment

Under Workspace virtual environment, click Create .venv to create a .venv in your workspace root:
  1. Qualia creates the virtual environment
  2. If your workspace declares dependencies, Qualia installs them (see below)
  3. Qualia installs ipykernel, selects the new environment, and it appears in the kernel picker
This is useful for isolating workspace dependencies. The row’s description tells you exactly what clicking the button will do, and the command being run is shown while the environment is created.

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Installing your project’s dependencies

Qualia looks in the workspace root for a dependency file, in this order: For uv sync, uv picks the Python version from requires-python or .python-version and downloads it if needed. Large dependency sets (for example PyTorch) can take several minutes the first time; the install runs only when you click the button, never when a kernel starts. If uv is not available, requirements.txt is installed with pip, and dependencies from pyproject.toml are skipped with a warning. The dependency install applies to the desktop app. In Qualia Cloud the kernel environment is managed for you; ask the agent to install packages instead.
Running uv sync yourself later removes ipykernel, because your project does not declare it. Qualia marks the environment ipykernel missing and reinstalls it when you select it again. To keep it permanently, run uv add --dev ipykernel.

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Julia environment

Select the Julia installation for new notebooks:
  • System Julia
  • Juliaup versions
  • Custom installations
Julia kernels appear in the kernel picker grouped separately from Python.

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R environment

Select the R installation for new notebooks:
  • System R
  • R installations in standard locations
R kernels work like Python kernels — select an environment here, and new R notebooks use it.

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Terminal shell

In Settings > Environments > Terminal, override the default shell for new terminals:
  • Empty: Use system default (SHELL on Unix, PowerShell on Windows)
  • Custom path: Specify a shell like /bin/zsh or /bin/bash (macOS/Linux) or cmd.exe (Windows)
Common shell paths: - /bin/zsh (default on modern macOS) - /bin/bash - /bin/fish
Changes apply to new terminals only. Existing terminals keep their original shell.

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Layout mode

Choose how workspaces open:
  • Editor: Best if you’re comfortable working in notebooks and files, like in an IDE. Chats open from the side.
  • Chat: A simpler view if you focus on output. Notebooks and files stay hidden until opened.
This is a single preference, not a per-workspace one. It applies to every workspace you open, and takes effect immediately. The desktop app and the cloud keep their own layout setting, so you can work editor-first on your desktop and chat-first in the cloud. In the cloud the setting is stored with your account, so it follows you to another browser and another device. Onboarding asks you to pick a layout; change it here at any time.

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Updates

These settings apply to the desktop app. In Qualia Cloud, an open browser tab shows A new version is available when it detects an update. Click Refresh to load it; there is no download or install step.
Check for updates automatically is on by default. Turn it off to stop background checks, or use Check now to look for an update at any time. The same action appears under Qualia > Check for Updates… on macOS and Help > Check for Updates… on Windows and Linux. When an update is available, choose Download, then Restart when ready to install it.

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Response language

Control the language Qualia uses in responses:
  • Auto: Match your system language
  • Specific language: Always respond in English, Spanish, etc.
This affects the AI’s responses, not the UI language.

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Notifications

In Settings > Agents > Behavior, choose when Qualia sends notifications while the app is not focused:
  • Notify when an agent needs input: Send a notification when an agent is waiting on your response.
  • Notify when agents finish: Send a notification when every agent in the workspace has completed.
  • Agent interaction sounds: Play a warm bloom when an agent needs input and a success sound when the workspace’s agents finish.
All three settings are enabled by default. In-app alerts still appear when an agent needs your input and the chat is not currently visible. Clicking a notification takes you straight to what it is about. An agent-needs-input notification opens that agent’s chat, and an agents-finished notification opens the workspace explorer. This works on both the operating system notification and the in-app alert, where the whole alert is clickable. In-app agent alerts also have Open and Dismiss buttons. Dismiss closes the notification without navigating away from your current view.

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Environment variables in kernels and shell commands

On the desktop app, kernels and agent shell commands inherit your ambient environment, except that credential-shaped variable names (containing KEY, SECRET, TOKEN, PASSWORD, or CREDENTIAL) are withheld so your credentials never reach child processes by accident. If a variable your environment legitimately needs is caught by that filter (for example a site variable like MY_SITE_TOKEN), let it through in Settings > Environments > Secret passthrough. The list can also be set directly in settings.json as a JSON list of names:
or via the QUADRILLION_SECRET_ENV_PASSTHROUGH environment variable set to the same JSON list before starting Qualia. Names are matched case-insensitively. This setting applies to the desktop app only; cloud workspaces receive a fixed environment.

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Account

On desktop, Account offers Sign in, Sign out, and Manage sessions. In Qualia Cloud, the Account row shows the name and email address you are signed in with, and holds the Sign out button.
The email verification controls below apply to Qualia Cloud.

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Verify your email

Qualia needs to know that the address on your account is really yours. Signing in with Google proves it on the way in. Your organization’s single sign-on does the same when the address belongs to a domain the organization has verified. GitHub, Apple, and organization guest addresses do not prove the mailbox, and those accounts show an Unverified badge next to the email until you verify it. To verify, click Verify email. Qualia sends a link to the address on your account. Open it while signed in to the same account and the address is confirmed. Signing in as a different account when you open the link shows a Wrong account page instead of verifying anything. After verifying, return to Settings. The Unverified badge disappears within a few seconds. On the Wrong account page, choose Switch Account to sign out and sign in with the account the link belongs to. If sign-out fails, the page shows an error and you can retry.
  • The link works for 24 hours. Requesting another one replaces it, so only the newest email’s link works.
  • You can request a new link once a minute, up to ten times a day.
  • If the address on your account changes, any earlier link stops working and the new address starts unverified.
Verification matters for shared workspaces: sharing with people requires your own address to be verified, and a workspace shared with your address opens only once that address is verified. When a shared workspace prompted the verification, confirming the link takes you straight to it.

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Default kernel validation

Qualia validates that your default kernel exists:
  • Green check: Kernel is available
  • Warning: Kernel not found (e.g., deleted virtual environment)
If your default kernel is missing, new notebooks fall back to the first available Python kernel.