IMPR: Modernize Project Configuration Management

[dimitri-yatsenko]

Improvement Request

Problem

The current configuration system is nonstandard and lacks common features such as validation. Secrets and regular settings are managed jointly, which is not a best practice.

Requirements

• Load settings hieararchically from project specific locations (. and up), user specific, and system wide.
• Use pydantic to strictly validate all loaded settings against a predefined schema on startup, providing clear errors for any misconfiguration.
• Supports secure management of sensitive data through a .gitignore'd secrets file and environment variables.
• Ensure that environment variables have highest precedence, overriding configuration files
• Clearly documented, explaining loading order, file structure, and validation rules.