> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.equa.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment

# Environment variables

Equabot 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 `~/.equabot/.env` (aka `$EQUABOT_STATE_DIR/.env`; does not override).
4. **Config `env` block** in `~/.equabot/equabot.json` (applied only if missing).
5. **Optional login-shell import** (`env.shellEnv.enabled` or `EQUABOT_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):

```json5 theme={null}
{
  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:

```json5 theme={null}
{
  env: {
    shellEnv: {
      enabled: true,
      timeoutMs: 15000
    }
  }
}
```

Env var equivalents:

* `EQUABOT_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1`
* `EQUABOT_SHELL_ENV_TIMEOUT_MS=15000`

## Env var substitution in config

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

```json5 theme={null}
{
  models: {
    providers: {
      "vercel-gateway": {
        apiKey: "${VERCEL_GATEWAY_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

See [Configuration: Env var substitution](/gateway/configuration#env-var-substitution-in-config) for full details.

## Related

* [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration)
* [FAQ: env vars and .env loading](/help/faq#env-vars-and-env-loading)
* [Models overview](/concepts/models)