opentf/website/docs/cli/config/environment-variables.mdx

---
page_title: Environment Variables
description: >-
  Learn to use environment variables to change OpenTF's default behavior.
  Configure log content and output, set variables, and more.
---

# Environment Variables

OpenTF refers to a number of environment variables to customize various
aspects of its behavior. None of these environment variables are required
when using OpenTF, but they can be used to change some of OpenTF's
default behaviors in unusual situations, or to increase output verbosity
for debugging.

## TF_LOG

Enables detailed logs to appear on stderr which is useful for debugging. For example:

```shell
export TF_LOG=trace
```

To disable, either unset it, or set it to `off`. For example:

```shell
export TF_LOG=off
```

For more on debugging OpenTF, check out the section on [Debugging](/opentf/internals/debugging).

## TF_LOG_PATH

This specifies where the log should persist its output to. Note that even when `TF_LOG_PATH` is set, `TF_LOG` must be set in order for any logging to be enabled. For example, to always write the log to the directory you're currently running opentf from:

```shell
export TF_LOG_PATH=./terraform.log
```

For more on debugging OpenTF, check out the section on [Debugging](/opentf/internals/debugging).

## TF_INPUT

If set to "false" or "0", causes opentf commands to behave as if the `-input=false` flag was specified. This is used when you want to disable prompts for variables that haven't had their values specified. For example:

```shell
export TF_INPUT=0
```

## TF_VAR_name

Environment variables can be used to set variables. The environment variables must be in the format `TF_VAR_name` and this will be checked last for a value. For example:

```shell
export TF_VAR_region=us-west-1
export TF_VAR_ami=ami-049d8641
export TF_VAR_alist='[1,2,3]'
export TF_VAR_amap='{ foo = "bar", baz = "qux" }'
```

For more on how to use `TF_VAR_name` in context, check out the section on [Variable Configuration](/opentf/language/values/variables).

## TF_CLI_ARGS and TF_CLI_ARGS_name

<a id="tf-cli-args"></a>

The value of `TF_CLI_ARGS` will specify additional arguments to the
command-line. This allows easier automation in CI environments as well as
modifying default behavior of OpenTF on your own system.

These arguments are inserted directly _after_ the subcommand
(such as `plan`) and _before_ any flags specified directly on the command-line.
This behavior ensures that flags on the command-line take precedence over
environment variables.

For example, the following command: `TF_CLI_ARGS="-input=false" opentf apply -force`
is the equivalent to manually typing: `opentf apply -input=false -force`.

The flag `TF_CLI_ARGS` affects all OpenTF commands. If you specify a
named command in the form of `TF_CLI_ARGS_name` then it will only affect
that command. As an example, to specify that only plans never refresh,
you can set `TF_CLI_ARGS_plan="-refresh=false"`.

The value of the flag is parsed as if you typed it directly to the shell.
Double and single quotes are allowed to capture strings and arguments will
be separated by spaces otherwise.

## TF_DATA_DIR

`TF_DATA_DIR` changes the location where OpenTF keeps its
per-working-directory data, such as the current backend configuration.

By default this data is written into a `.terraform` subdirectory of the
current directory, but the path given in `TF_DATA_DIR` will be used instead
if non-empty.

In most cases it should not be necessary to set this variable, but it may
be useful to do so if e.g. the working directory is not writable.

The data directory is used to retain data that must persist from one command
to the next, so it's important to have this variable set consistently throughout
all of the OpenTF workflow commands (starting with `opentf init`) or else
OpenTF may be unable to find providers, modules, and other artifacts.

## TF_WORKSPACE

For multi-environment deployment, in order to select a workspace, instead of doing `opentf workspace select your_workspace`, it is possible to use this environment variable. Using TF_WORKSPACE allow and override workspace selection.

For example:

```shell
export TF_WORKSPACE=your_workspace
```

Using this environment variable is recommended only for non-interactive usage, since in a local shell environment it can be easy to forget the variable is set and apply changes to the wrong state.

For more information regarding workspaces, check out the section on [Using Workspaces](/opentf/language/state/workspaces).

## TF_IN_AUTOMATION

If `TF_IN_AUTOMATION` is set to any non-empty value, OpenTF adjusts its
output to avoid suggesting specific commands to run next. This can make the
output more consistent and less confusing in workflows where users don't
directly execute OpenTF commands, like in CI systems or other wrapping
applications.

This is a purely cosmetic change to OpenTF's human-readable output, and the
exact output differences can change between minor OpenTF versions.

## TF_REGISTRY_DISCOVERY_RETRY

Set `TF_REGISTRY_DISCOVERY_RETRY` to configure the max number of request retries
the remote registry client will attempt for client connection errors or
500-range responses that are safe to retry.

## TF_REGISTRY_CLIENT_TIMEOUT

The default client timeout for requests to the remote registry is 10s. `TF_REGISTRY_CLIENT_TIMEOUT` can be configured and increased during exceptional circumstances.

```shell
export TF_REGISTRY_CLIENT_TIMEOUT=15
```

## TF_CLI_CONFIG_FILE

The location of the [OpenTF CLI configuration file](/opentf/cli/config/config-file).

```shell
export TF_CLI_CONFIG_FILE="$HOME/.opentfrc-custom"
```

## TF_PLUGIN_CACHE_DIR

The `TF_PLUGIN_CACHE_DIR` environment variable is an alternative way to set [the `plugin_cache_dir` setting in the CLI configuration](/opentf/cli/config/config-file#provider-plugin-cache).

You can also use `TF_PLUGIN_CACHE_MAY_BREAK_DEPENDENCY_LOCK_FILE` to activate [the transitional compatibility setting `plugin_cache_may_break_dependency_lock_file`](/opentf/cli/config/config-file#allowing-the-provider-plugin-cache-to-break-the-dependency-lock-file).

## TF_IGNORE

If `TF_IGNORE` is set to "trace", OpenTF will output debug messages to display ignored files and folders. This is useful when debugging large repositories with `.terraformignore` files.

```shell
export TF_IGNORE=trace
```

For more details on `.terraformignore`, please see [Excluding Files from Upload with .terraformignore](/opentf/language/settings/backends/remote#excluding-files-from-upload-with-terraformignore).

## Cloud Backend CLI Integration

The CLI integration with cloud backends lets you use them on the command line. The integration requires including a `cloud` block in your OpenTF configuration. You can define its arguments directly in your configuration file or supply them through environment variables, which can be useful for non-interactive workflows like Continuous Integration (CI).

Refer to [Cloud Backend Settings](/opentf/cli/cloud/settings#environment-variables) for a full list of `cloud` block environment variables.