MaxCFG

The Maximus BBS configuration tool

MaxCFG is your one-stop shop for configuring Maximus BBS. System settings, menu definitions, user accounts, message and file areas, language strings, color themes — it’s all here. You can do everything from the interactive TUI editor, or use command-line flags for scripted/headless operations like converting legacy configs.

Two Ways to Use It

TUI Editor — Run maxcfg with no arguments and you get a full interactive text-mode editor, modeled after classic BBS setup utilities. If you’ve used RemoteAccess Config or KBBS Setup, you’ll feel right at home. See TUI Editor Overview.
CLI Mode — Pass flags for headless operations: converting legacy CTL files to TOML, applying delta overlays, exporting configs. Great for scripting and automation. See CLI Usage.

TUI Editor Pages

The TUI editor is broken into focused sections, each with its own page:

TUI Editor Overview — how the screen is laid out, navigation keys, field types, and how saving works
Setup & Tools — your BBS identity, paths, login behavior, colors, FidoNet/matrix settings, security levels, protocols, and the Tools menu
Menu Editor — design and preview your BBS menus with full ANSI art support, lightbar navigation, and a live preview that shows exactly what callers see
Area Editor — organize message and file areas into divisions, edit them via tree view or flat picklist
User Editor — browse, filter, and edit user accounts stored in the SQLite database
Language Browser — search, filter, and live-edit every string your callers see, with MCI code preview

Built-in Tools

MaxCFG also bundles a couple of standalone tools accessible from the CLI:

Language Browser — also available from the TUI at Content → Language Strings. Search, filter, and edit language strings with live write-back to the TOML file.
CTL → TOML Export — one-way conversion of legacy .ctl configuration files into the modern TOML format. If you’re migrating from classic Maximus, start here.

Quick Start

# Launch the interactive editor
maxcfg

# Launch pointing at a specific BBS installation
maxcfg /opt/maximus

# Convert a legacy config to TOML
maxcfg --export-nextgen /path/to/max.ctl

# Apply a delta overlay to a language file
maxcfg --apply-delta english.toml

For the full CLI flag reference, see CLI Usage.