Environment variables

Environment variables Aivyx PA reads. Where a variable and the config file both set something, the variable wins. An empty variable counts as unset.

Secrets (API keys, tokens, the passphrase) are better kept in the encrypted store — aivyx-pa init, aivyx-pa connect and the Studio put them there. Use these variables for scripts, containers and one-off overrides.

The variables in the first four tables, except AIVYX_PA_ANTHROPIC_PDF_PAGE_CAP, are part of pa’s stable surface (Compatibility); docs/stable/env.txt lists them.

Choosing the instance and config

Variable	Effect
`AIVYX_PA_INSTANCE`	Which named instance to use. Unset means `default`. The `--instance` flag wins over it.
`AIVYX_PA_CONFIG_PATH`	Use this config file instead of the usual lookup.
`AIVYX_PA_PASSPHRASE`	The store passphrase, for unattended starts. Otherwise it comes from the OS keyring or a prompt. (A saved `daemon.env` is just this variable, loaded by the background service.)

Model and provider

Variable	Overrides
`AIVYX_PA_PROVIDER`	`[agent] provider`
`AIVYX_PA_MODEL`	`[agent] model`
`AIVYX_PA_SYSTEM_PROMPT`	`[agent] system_prompt`
`AIVYX_PA_ROLE`	`[agent] role`, the active role (the `--role` flag wins)
`AIVYX_PA_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	`[anthropic] api_key`
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	`[anthropic] api_key`, when `AIVYX_PA_ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is unset. The older name, still accepted.
`AIVYX_PA_OPENAI_API_KEY`	`[openai] api_key`
`AIVYX_PA_OPENAI_BASE_URL`	`[openai] base_url`
`AIVYX_PA_EMBEDDING_API_KEY`	`[embedding] api_key`
`AIVYX_PA_KVCACHE_STORE_PATH`	`[kvcache] store_path`
`AIVYX_PA_ANTHROPIC_PDF_PAGE_CAP`	Most PDF pages sent to Anthropic in one request. Default 100.

Files and memory

Variable	Overrides
`AIVYX_PA_STORAGE_PATH`	`[storage] path`
`AIVYX_PA_FS_ROOT`	`[fs] root`
`AIVYX_PA_WORKSPACE`	`[workspace] path`
`AIVYX_PA_MEMORY_MAX_PER_TOPIC`	`[memory] max_per_topic`
`AIVYX_PA_MEMORY_TTL_SECS`	`[memory] ttl_secs`

Chat apps

Variable	Overrides
`AIVYX_PA_TELEGRAM_TOKEN`	`[telegram] token`
`AIVYX_PA_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID`	`[telegram] chat_id`
`AIVYX_PA_DISCORD_TOKEN`	`[discord] token`
`AIVYX_PA_DISCORD_APPLICATION_ID`	`[discord] application_id`
`AIVYX_PA_DISCORD_CHANNEL_ID`	`[discord] channel_id`
`AIVYX_PA_SLACK_BOT_TOKEN`	`[slack] bot_token`
`AIVYX_PA_SLACK_APP_TOKEN`	`[slack] app_token`
`AIVYX_PA_SLACK_TEAM_ID`	`[slack] team_id`
`AIVYX_PA_SLACK_CHANNEL_ID`	`[slack] channel_id`

Integrations and tools

Variable	Read by	Effect
`AIVYX_PA_CALENDAR_CACHE_TTL_SECS`	the Calendar integration	How long its list of writable calendars is cached, in seconds. Default 300.
`AIVYX_PA_KITCHEN_API_KEY`, `AIVYX_PA_KITCHEN_BASE_URL`, `AIVYX_PA_KITCHEN_ORGANIZATION_ID`	`aivyx-pa connect kitchen`	KitchenDB credentials for the kitchen vertical pack, read instead of prompting.
`BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEY`, `SERPAPI_KEY`	`aivyx-pa mcp-server web-search`	The search backend: Brave first, then SerpAPI, else DuckDuckGo (no key needed).
`EDITOR`	`aivyx-pa profile edit`	The editor it opens.

MCP server recipes (aivyx-pa mcp recipes) mention variables such as BRAVE_API_KEY or SLACK_BOT_TOKEN. Those are read by the third-party server, not by Aivyx PA — pass them through the server’s env table.

The desktop app

Variable	Effect
`AIVYX_PA_BIN`	The `aivyx-pa` binary the app drives. Default: the one installed beside the app, else `aivyx-pa` on `PATH`.
`AIVYX_PA_STUDIO_URL`	Open a Studio somewhere else (e.g. a home server) instead of the local one.
`AIVYX_PA_STUDIO_TOKEN`	The sign-in token for that Studio. Default: the local automatic token.
`XDG_STATE_HOME`	Where the app writes the output of a daemon it starts.

Standard variables

Variable	Used for
`HOME`	The base of every default path.
`XDG_CONFIG_HOME`, `XDG_DATA_HOME`, `XDG_RUNTIME_DIR`	Config, data and socket locations — see Files and paths.
`TMPDIR`	Temporary files.
`WAYLAND_DISPLAY`	The voice channel’s clipboard: `wl-paste` under Wayland, else `xclip`.