Please consider using the correct config-, cache- and data-directories on Linux, as defined by the XDG Base Directory Specification:
https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/index.html
https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/latest/ar01s03.html

Instead of using $HOME/.chatty and polluting the user's home directory, please

• move the config files to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/chatty ($HOME/.config/chatty),
• move the cache files to $XDG_CACHE_HOME/chatty ($HOME/.cache/chatty) and
• move the data files to $XDG_DATA_HOME/chatty ($HOME/.local/share/chatty).

Thanks!