---
description: >-
  Find documentation about the CLI config file and customizing OpenTofu
  environment variables.
---

# CLI Configuration

OpenTofu CLI can be configured with some global settings, which are separate
from any OpenTofu configuration and which apply across all working directories.

We've designed OpenTofu such that an average user running OpenTofu CLI
interactively will not need to interact with any of these settings. As a result,
most of the global settings relate to advanced or automated workflows, or
unusual environmental conditions like running OpenTofu on an airgapped
instance.

- The [CLI config file](../config/config-file.mdx) configures provider
  installation and security features.
- Several [environment variables](../config/environment-variables.mdx) can
  configure OpenTofu's inputs and outputs; this includes some alternate ways to
  provide information that is usually passed on the command line or read from
  the state of the shell.
