Configuration

zshot.toml stores the license key. Running zshot --license-key <KEY> without a URL writes the file, activating and saving the key in one step. To create the file manually:

license = "MY-ZSHOT-LICENSE-KEY"

The file must be readable by the user running ZShot. When writable, ZShot caches signed validation data to the file to avoid repeated server checks.

--config overrides the default file lookup.

Lookup order

ZShot resolves the license key in priority order: the --license-key argument, then the ZSHOT_LICENSE environment variable, then the license value from the first zshot.toml it finds. Without --config, it searches:

1. zshot.toml in the current working directory
2. $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/zshot.toml, defaulting to ~/.config/zshot.toml
3. on macOS, zshot.toml next to the .app bundle
4. zshot.toml in the directory containing the zshot binary

When the resolved file is writable, ZShot caches the signed license back to it; if no config exists, it creates one at $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/zshot.toml, else ~/.config/zshot.toml.

Expired or invalid licenses

An expired license is refreshed automatically with the licensing server. For 24 hours after expiry a failed refresh keeps licensed features working with a warning. After that, or when the server rejects the license, ZShot logs an error and runs with Free tier features; flags that require a license exit the process.