Where Does SillyTavern Store Config and Chats?
Where SillyTavern keeps config.yaml, user data, characters, and chats inside its install folder.
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SillyTavern keeps everything inside its install folder: config/config.yaml for server options, data/<username>/ for chats, characters, presets, and extensions. There is no AppData or registry involvement.
That locality makes migration a folder copy with matched versions. The split to remember is config versus data: server options in the first, everything personal in the second. API keys sit in user settings, so the backup is secrets bearing and deserves encryption. Extensions version with the data tree.
Where SillyTavern stores this, by platform
<install>/config/config.yaml + data/
config.yaml plus the data/ tree (chats as JSONL, characters, presets, extensions). Updating via git pull preserves both; a fresh clone needs them copied in. Docker mounts data/ to /home/node/app/data.
<install>\config\config.yaml + data\
Same install relative layout as Linux. The start batch file launches from this root, so data paths resolve identically. Keep the whole folder out of OneDrive to avoid JSONL sync conflicts.
Frequently asked questions
how do i migrate sillytavern to a new machine
Copy the data/<username>/ folder (chats, characters, settings, extensions) plus config/config.yaml to the new install. API keys live in the user settings file, so treat the copy as secrets. Keep versions matched; downgrades corrupt the layout.
where are sillytavern chats stored
In data/<username>/chats as JSONL files, one per conversation. Character cards sit in data/<username>/characters. Copy both trees together or chats lose their portraits and definitions. The default user folder name matches your login handle.
where is the sillytavern config file
In config/config.yaml at the install root (ports, whitelist, basic auth). User level options live in the data tree instead. Docker images relocate the data dir to /home/node/app/data, so check the mount rather than the repo path.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.