Where Does Bolt Store Thunderbolt Data?
Bolt keeps Thunderbolt auth state in /var/lib/boltd on Linux with runtime under /run. Configuration runs through boltctl, not files.
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Bolt stores state, not config. Device entries and keys live in a state directory with runtime beside it, both managed through a D-Bus daemon. Every tunable arrives through boltctl commands rather than files.
Name collisions mislead searchers toward web software and databases. The Thunderbolt manager context matters before trusting any path. Back up state for authorizations and forget config files that were never there.
Where Bolt stores this, by platform
/var/lib/boltd
Authorization state with device entries and keys plus environment overrides. Internal formats undisclosed with runtime data ephemeral beside it. Back up state, never runtime.
Frequently asked questions
How do I back up Bolt authorizations?
Back up /var/lib/boltd with its device entries and keys intact. Internal filenames stay undisclosed by design with overrides through environment variables. Runtime data under /run vanishes at reboot and needs nothing.
Where is the Bolt config file?
No such file exists. Every setting flows through boltctl commands for global, domain and device scopes with persistence in the state database. Query and enroll through the tool rather than editing text.
Bolt CMS or BoltDB?
Through the system bus daemon autostarted by systemd and udev. The tool name collides with a CMS and a Go library, so confirm the Thunderbolt manager context before following guides.
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