Environment Variables

Complete reference for Goose environment variables

Goose supports extensive configuration through environment variables, allowing you to override settings, customize behavior, and integrate with CI/CD pipelines.

Provider Configuration

GOOSE_PROVIDER

Override the configured provider.

Values: Provider name (e.g., anthropic, openai, databricks)

Example:

export GOOSE_PROVIDER=anthropic
goose session start

Default: Value from ~/.config/goose/config.yaml

GOOSE_MODEL

Override the configured model.

Values: Model identifier (e.g., claude-4.5-sonnet, gpt-4)

Example:

export GOOSE_MODEL=claude-4.5-sonnet
goose session start

Default: Value from configuration

Provider-Specific API Keys

Each provider has its own API key environment variable:

Anthropic

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

OpenAI

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

OpenRouter

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

Databricks

export DATABRICKS_HOST=https://your-workspace.databricks.com
export DATABRICKS_TOKEN=dapi...

Google

export GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIza...

Groq

export GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...

Ollama

export OLLAMA_HOST=http://localhost:11434

Mode Configuration

GOOSE_MODE

Set the operational mode for goose.

Values:

• auto: Full autonomy, no approval required
• approve: All actions require approval
• smart_approve: File modifications require approval
• chat: No tools or file modifications

Example:

export GOOSE_MODE=smart_approve
goose session start

Default: auto

Use cases:

• auto: Rapid development, trusted environments
• approve: Maximum control, learning goose
• smart_approve: Balance of speed and safety
• chat: Simple Q&A, no file access

Telemetry and Privacy

GOOSE_TELEMETRY_OFF

Disable anonymous telemetry collection.

Values: 1 or true to disable

Example:

export GOOSE_TELEMETRY_OFF=1

Default: Telemetry enabled (opt-in during setup)

What we collect:

• Operating system and version
• Provider and model used
• Extension usage counts (names only)
• Session metrics (duration, tokens)
• Error types (no messages)

What we never collect:

• Conversation content
• Code or file contents
• API keys or credentials
• Personal information

CLI Behavior

GOOSE_CLI_MIN_PRIORITY

Control tool output verbosity in CLI.

Values: Float from 0.0 to 1.0

• 0.0: Show all tool output
• 0.2: Medium importance and above
• 0.8: High importance only

Example:

# Show only important output
export GOOSE_CLI_MIN_PRIORITY=0.8
goose session start

Default: 0.0 (show all)

Configuration via CLI:

goose configure
# Select "goose settings" > "Tool Output"

GOOSE_WORKING_DIR

Set default working directory for sessions.

Example:

export GOOSE_WORKING_DIR=/path/to/project
goose session start

Default: Current directory

Security Configuration

GOOSE_DISABLE_KEYRING

Disable system keyring, use file-based secret storage.

Values: 1, true, or any non-empty string

Example:

export GOOSE_DISABLE_KEYRING=true
goose configure

Default: Keyring enabled

Platforms:

• macOS: Uses system Keychain
• Windows: Uses Credential Manager
• Linux: Uses Secret Service (requires D-Bus)

Security note: File-based storage saves secrets to ~/.config/goose/secrets.yaml in plain text. Only use when keyring is unavailable.

Extension Configuration

Extension Environment Variables

Extensions can define custom environment variables. Common patterns:

# API keys for extension services
export GDRIVE_API_KEY=your-key
export SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...

# Service endpoints
export WIKI_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:8000
export MCP_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:3000/messages

# Extension-specific settings
export MEMORY_STORAGE_PATH=/custom/path
export DEVELOPER_SHELL=/bin/zsh

Refer to extension documentation for specific variables.

Advanced Configuration

GOOSE_TOOLSHIM

Enable experimental tool shimming with local models.

Values: 1 or true

Example:

export GOOSE_TOOLSHIM=true
export GOOSE_TOOLSHIM_OLLAMA_MODEL=llama3.2
goose session start

Use case: Use local model to interpret tool calls from providers without native tool support.

GOOSE_TOOLSHIM_OLLAMA_MODEL

Specify Ollama model for tool shimming.

Example:

export GOOSE_TOOLSHIM_OLLAMA_MODEL=qwen3

Requires: GOOSE_TOOLSHIM=true

Max Turns Configuration

Limit autonomous agent turns before requiring user input.

Configuration via settings:

goose configure
# Select "goose settings" > "Max Turns"

Claude-Specific Configuration

CLAUDE_THINKING_TYPE

Configure extended thinking mode for Claude models.

Values:

• adaptive: Claude decides when to think (recommended)
• enabled: Fixed token budget for thinking
• disabled: No extended thinking

Example:

export CLAUDE_THINKING_TYPE=adaptive

Supported models: claude-4.5-sonnet and newer

CLAUDE_THINKING_EFFORT

Set adaptive thinking effort level.

Values:

• low: Minimal thinking
• medium: Moderate thinking
• high: Deep reasoning (default)
• max: No constraints (Opus 4.6 only)

Example:

export CLAUDE_THINKING_TYPE=adaptive
export CLAUDE_THINKING_EFFORT=high

CLAUDE_THINKING_BUDGET

Set fixed token budget for thinking mode.

Values: Integer (tokens)

Example:

export CLAUDE_THINKING_TYPE=enabled
export CLAUDE_THINKING_BUDGET=16000

Gemini-Specific Configuration

GEMINI_THINKING_LEVEL

Configure thinking level for Gemini 3 models.

Values:

• low: Better latency, lighter reasoning
• high: Deeper reasoning, higher latency

Example:

export GEMINI_THINKING_LEVEL=high

Development and Debugging

RUST_LOG

Control Rust logging verbosity.

Values:

• error: Only errors
• warn: Warnings and errors
• info: General information
• debug: Detailed debugging
• trace: Very verbose

Example:

export RUST_LOG=debug
goose session start

Module-specific logging:

export RUST_LOG=goose=debug,goose_mcp=trace

GOOSE_TEST_ERROR

Enable test error mode in desktop app (development only).

Example:

export GOOSE_TEST_ERROR=true
npm run start:test-error

CI/CD Integration

Example GitHub Actions workflow:

name: Code Review
on: [pull_request]

jobs:
  review:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      
      - name: Install Goose
        run: |
          curl -fsSL https://getgoose.ai/install.sh | bash
      
      - name: Run Review
        env:
          ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
          GOOSE_PROVIDER: anthropic
          GOOSE_MODEL: claude-4.5-sonnet
          GOOSE_MODE: auto
          GOOSE_TELEMETRY_OFF: 1
        run: |
          goose run --recipe code-review

Configuration Precedence

Goose loads configuration in this order (highest to lowest priority):

1. Environment variables (highest priority)
2. Configuration file (~/.config/goose/config.yaml)
3. Default values (lowest priority)

Example:

# config.yaml has GOOSE_PROVIDER=openai
# This overrides it:
export GOOSE_PROVIDER=anthropic
goose session start  # Uses anthropic

Secrets Precedence

Secrets follow this precedence:

1. Environment variables (e.g., ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
2. System keyring (if enabled)
3. Secrets file (~/.config/goose/secrets.yaml if keyring disabled)

Security best practice: Use environment variables in CI/CD, keyring for local development.

Common Patterns

Project-Specific Configuration

Create .env file in project root:

# .env
GOOSE_MODE=smart_approve
GOOSE_WORKING_DIR=/workspace/myproject
GOOSE_CLI_MIN_PRIORITY=0.2

Load and run:

source .env
goose session start

Multiple Provider Setup

Switch between providers:

# Use Anthropic
alias goose-claude="GOOSE_PROVIDER=anthropic GOOSE_MODEL=claude-4.5-sonnet goose"

# Use OpenAI
alias goose-gpt="GOOSE_PROVIDER=openai GOOSE_MODEL=gpt-4 goose"

goose-claude session start

Secure CI Configuration

# Never hardcode secrets
# Use CI secret management:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}

# Disable telemetry in CI
export GOOSE_TELEMETRY_OFF=1

# Use auto mode for automation
export GOOSE_MODE=auto

Platform-Specific Paths

macOS/Linux

• Config: ~/.config/goose/config.yaml
• Secrets: ~/.config/goose/secrets.yaml
• Sessions: ~/.config/goose/sessions/
• Logs: ~/.local/share/goose/logs/

Windows

• Config: %APPDATA%\goose\config.yaml
• Secrets: %APPDATA%\goose\secrets.yaml
• Sessions: %APPDATA%\goose\sessions\
• Logs: %APPDATA%\goose\logs\

Troubleshooting

Verify environment variables

env | grep GOOSE
env | grep ANTHROPIC

Test configuration

goose info  # Shows active configuration

Clear and reconfigure

# Backup current config
cp ~/.config/goose/config.yaml ~/.config/goose/config.yaml.bak

# Remove config
rm -rf ~/.config/goose/

# Reconfigure
goose configure