openclaw/docs/help/environment.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Where OpenClaw loads environment variables and the precedence order	You need to know which env vars are loaded, and in what order You are debugging missing API keys in the Gateway You are documenting provider auth or deployment environments	Environment Variables

Environment variables

OpenClaw pulls environment variables from multiple sources. The rule is never override existing values.

Precedence (highest → lowest)

1. Process environment (what the Gateway process already has from the parent shell/daemon).
2. .env in the current working directory (dotenv default; does not override).
3. Global .env at ~/.openclaw/.env (aka $OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/.env; does not override).
4. Config env block in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (applied only if missing).
5. Optional login-shell import (env.shellEnv.enabled or OPENCLAW_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1), applied only for missing expected keys.

If the config file is missing entirely, step 4 is skipped; shell import still runs if enabled.

Config env block

Two equivalent ways to set inline env vars (both are non-overriding):

{
  env: {
    OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-...",
    vars: {
      GROQ_API_KEY: "gsk-...",
    },
  },
}

Shell env import

env.shellEnv runs your login shell and imports only missing expected keys:

{
  env: {
    shellEnv: {
      enabled: true,
      timeoutMs: 15000,
    },
  },
}

Env var equivalents:

• OPENCLAW_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1
• OPENCLAW_SHELL_ENV_TIMEOUT_MS=15000

Runtime-injected env vars

OpenClaw also injects context markers into spawned child processes:

• OPENCLAW_SHELL=exec: set for commands run through the exec tool.
• OPENCLAW_SHELL=acp: set for ACP runtime backend process spawns (for example acpx).
• OPENCLAW_SHELL=acp-client: set for openclaw acp client when it spawns the ACP bridge process.
• OPENCLAW_SHELL=tui-local: set for local TUI ! shell commands.

These are runtime markers (not required user config). They can be used in shell/profile logic to apply context-specific rules.

UI env vars

• OPENCLAW_THEME=light: force the light TUI palette when your terminal has a light background.
• OPENCLAW_THEME=dark: force the dark TUI palette.
• COLORFGBG: if your terminal exports it, OpenClaw uses the background color hint to auto-pick the TUI palette.

Env var substitution in config

You can reference env vars directly in config string values using ${VAR_NAME} syntax:

{
  models: {
    providers: {
      "vercel-gateway": {
        apiKey: "${VERCEL_GATEWAY_API_KEY}",
      },
    },
  },
}

See Configuration: Env var substitution for full details.

Secret refs vs ${ENV} strings

OpenClaw supports two env-driven patterns:

• ${VAR} string substitution in config values.
• SecretRef objects ({ source: "env", provider: "default", id: "VAR" }) for fields that support secrets references.

Both resolve from process env at activation time. SecretRef details are documented in Secrets Management.

Path-related env vars

Variable	Purpose
OPENCLAW_HOME	Override the home directory used for all internal path resolution (~/.openclaw/, agent dirs, sessions, credentials). Useful when running OpenClaw as a dedicated service user.
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR	Override the state directory (default ~/.openclaw).
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH	Override the config file path (default ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json).

Logging

Variable	Purpose
OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL	Override log level for both file and console (e.g. debug, trace). Takes precedence over logging.level and logging.consoleLevel in config. Invalid values are ignored with a warning.

OPENCLAW_HOME

When set, OPENCLAW_HOME replaces the system home directory ($HOME / os.homedir()) for all internal path resolution. This enables full filesystem isolation for headless service accounts.

Precedence: OPENCLAW_HOME > $HOME > USERPROFILE > os.homedir()

Example (macOS LaunchDaemon):

<key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
<dict>
  <key>OPENCLAW_HOME</key>
  <string>/Users/kira</string>
</dict>

OPENCLAW_HOME can also be set to a tilde path (e.g. ~/svc), which gets expanded using $HOME before use.

Related

• Gateway configuration
• FAQ: env vars and .env loading
• Models overview