Environment Variables
Save or sync environment variables to load into your terminal sessions.
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Save or sync environment variables to load into your terminal sessions.
Last updated
Was this helpful?
Was this helpful?
Environment Variables in Warp are similar to .env files, except you can:
Load them into your terminal session with a click.
Use them in parameterized workflows.
Dynamically reference secrets from external managers.
You can create new environment variables through:
Warp Drive, + → Environment variable
Command Palette, create new team or personal environment variables
Any of these entry points will open the environment variables editor where you can name and describe your environment variables.
Warp supports two types of environment variables: static variables and dynamic variables.
Static variables are similar to .env files. You create the variables by entering raw strings of text. Each variable has a variable name and a corresponding value.
After you save the environment variable, you can click it to load it into your terminal session.
When you use static variables, Warp stores them securely in Warp Drive. Note: Static variables should not be used to replace a secret manager. Please use dynamic variables for any sensitive information.
Dynamic variables let you reference secrets that are stored securely outside of Warp in external secret managers, such as 1Password or LastPass.
You can use custom commands to create dynamic variables for any system with a public API or CLI, such as AWS or Hashicorp Vault.
To create a new dynamic variable:
Open the environment variable editor.
Use the key icon to reveal the dynamic variable menu.
Select an integrated password manager or "Command" to write your own custom integration.
Before you get started, please ensure you have the CLI installed for your tool of choice and follow the instructions to enable the CLI:
Then, you can click the key icon and select your manager from the dropdown menu.
The CLI will require you to authenticate and then provide you with a list of available secrets.
Reference the documentation for your external secret manager. Then, write a custom command to retrieve secrets.
For example, you could write a command using the Hashicorp Vault CLI to retrieve and load the password field for the staging server. When using secret commands, Warp stores the command but never the actual secrets. The secrets will be referenced and loaded into a terminal session at runtime.
// vault kv get -field=password secret/staging/app/server/creds
There are three ways to invoke your environment variables and load them into a terminal session:
First, click your environment variable from Warp Drive or the Command Palette.
Then, review the confirmation block. If your environment variables are correct, hit enter to load them into your session.
These environment variables will now be present for the remainder of your session.
To load environment variables into a subshell, you will need to open Warp Drive and locate your environment variable in the Warp Drive index. You can then use the overflow menu to select "Load in subshell."
Loading an environment into a subshell reduces the risk of your environment variables accidentally contaminating your workspace. The subshell is clearly defined and once you exit it, any environment variables set by Warp Environment Variables will be cleared, unless they are already present in the parent session.
Any time you run a workflow, you can select from existing environment variables. This allows you to dynamically inject environment variables into a parameterized workflow so you can use a single workflow command in multiple environments, such as production and staging.
For example, you might have a workflow to create a new team that uses the environment variable $SERVER_URL. By using the environment variables dropdown in the workflow card, you can dynamically inject the necessary variables. This ensures the workflow references the appropriate values so the command runs with the relevant environment-specific information.
These environment variables will now be present for the remainder of your session until you clear them or overwrite them with a different environment.
Please see our Warp Drive Import and Export instructions.