---
name: "gargoyle-free"
section: "6"
platform: "linux"
package: "gargoyle-free"
version: "2023.1+dfsg-4+b1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/gargoyle-free"
---

# gargoyle-free(6)

interactive fiction player ⟨https://github.com/garglk/garglk⟩

## NAME

**gargoyle** – interactive fiction player ⟨**https://github.com/garglk/garglk**⟩

## SYNOPSIS

**gargoyle** \[*story*\]

**gargoyle** **-d** **--dump-config**

**gargoyle** **-e** **--edit-config**

**gargoyle** **-m** **--migrate-config**

**gargoyle** **-p** **--paths** \[*story*\]

**gargoyle** **-t** **--themes**

## DESCRIPTION

**gargoyle** is an interactive fiction player that supports all the major interactive fiction formats, including:

- AGT

- Adrift (excluding Adrift 5)

- AdvSys

- Alan 2 and 3

- Glulx

- Hugo

- JACL

- Level 9

- Magnetic Scrolls

- Scott Adams

- TADS 2 and 3

- Z-machine

If *story* is provided, it will be played. Otherwise, a file chooser will be displayed so a story can be selected.

The following options are available:

- **-d**, **--dump-config**

  Dump the default config file to standard output.

- **-e**, **--edit-config**

  Open Gargoyle's configuration file in a text editor, first creating it if necessary.

- **-m**, **--migrate-config**

  Search for a move a legacy configuration file to the preferred location. In general, on Unix systems, this will mean renaming *$HOME/.garglkrc* to *$HOME/.config/garglk.ini*.

- **-p**, **--paths**

  Display a list of configuration file paths as well as theme paths that will be used at runtime. If *story* is provided, game-specific configuration paths will be included.

- **-t**, **--themes**

  Display a list of available color themes.

## CONFIGURATION

**gargoyle** is highly configurable, although all configuration is done through a text-based configuration file. To edit the configuration file, use ⟨control-comma⟩ while Gargoyle is running (⟨command-comma⟩ on Mac), which will open the configuration file in a text editor. The configuration file can also be edited directly. The following locations are tried in order:

- *$XDG\_CONFIG\_HOME/garglk.ini* or *$HOME/.config/garglk.ini*

- *$HOME/.garglkrc*

In addition, game-specific and directory-specific overrides are available. For game-specific overrides, the game extension is removed and replaced with *ini*. For example, *zork1.z3* becomes *zork1.ini*. If this file exists, it will be treated as a configuration file. For directory-specific overrides, if the file *garglk.ini* exists in the same directory as the game, it will be treated as a configuration file.

Finally, it is possible for a global configuration file to be installed. This is often the file */etc/garglk.ini*, but this is configurable at build time, and may also be disabled.

To see exactly which locations are being used, pass the **-p** or **--paths** flag to **gargoyle**. Note that this will not include game- or directory-specific configuration files.

Configuration files are additive: first, the global configuration file is parsed. Next, the user's configuration file( such as *$HOME/.config/garglk.ini*) is parsed, with all of its provided options replacing whatever was specified in the global configuration file. Finally, if there is a directory-specific and/or game-specific configuration file, their options will replace any existing options. Configuration files need not provide all options. This allows, for example, a game to select only the colors to be used, while respecing all of the user's other choices.

## AUTHORS

Tor Andersson Ben Cressey Chris Spiegel ⟨cspiegel@gmail.com⟩