Environment variables

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

Precedence (highest → lowest)

Process environment: what the Gateway process already has from the parent shell or daemon.
.env in the current working directory (dotenv default; does not override).
Global .env at ~/.fased/.env, also known as $FASED_STATE_DIR/.env; does not override.
Config env block in ~/.fased/fased.json (applied only if missing).
Optional login-shell import: env.shellEnv.enabled or FASED_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:

FASED_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1
FASED_SHELL_ENV_TIMEOUT_MS=15000

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

Fased 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.

FASED_HOME: overrides the home directory used for internal path resolution, including ~/.fased/, agent dirs, sessions, and credentials. Useful for a dedicated service user.
FASED_PROFILE: selects a named profile. The dev profile uses isolated state under ~/.fased-dev and shifts the gateway port.
FASED_STATE_DIR: overrides the state directory. Default: ~/.fased.
FASED_CONFIG_PATH: overrides the config file path. Default: ~/.fased/fased.json.

Logging

FASED_LOG_LEVEL: overrides log level for both file and console, for example debug or trace. It takes precedence over logging.level and logging.consoleLevel in config. Invalid values are ignored with a warning.

`FASED_HOME`

When set, FASED_HOME replaces the system home directory ($HOME / os.homedir()) for all internal path resolution. This enables full filesystem isolation for headless service accounts. Precedence: FASED_HOME > $HOME > USERPROFILE > os.homedir() Example (macOS LaunchDaemon):

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

FASED_HOME can also be set to a tilde path, such as ~/svc. Fased expands it using $HOME before use.

Support

Diagnostics

Testing and developer support

Docs map

Environment Variables

Environment variables

Precedence (highest → lowest)

Config `env` block

Shell env import

Env var substitution in config

Secret refs vs `${ENV}` strings

Logging

`FASED_HOME`

​Environment variables

​Precedence (highest → lowest)

​Config env block

​Shell env import

​Env var substitution in config

​Secret refs vs ${ENV} strings

​Path-related env vars

​Logging

​FASED_HOME

​Related

Environment variables

Precedence (highest → lowest)

Config `env` block

Shell env import

Env var substitution in config

Secret refs vs `${ENV}` strings

Path-related env vars

Logging

`FASED_HOME`

Related