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Qwen Code uses environment variables for API keys, configuration, and runtime behavior.

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Loading Priority

Environment variables are loaded in the following order (highest to lowest priority):
  1. CLI flags (highest priority)
  2. System/Shell environment variables (export or inline)
  3. .env files (searched from current directory upward)
  4. settings.json → env field (lowest priority)

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.env Files

Qwen Code automatically searches for .env files in the following order:
  1. .qwen/.env in current directory (searched upward to home)
  2. .env in current directory (searched upward to home)
  3. ~/.qwen/.env (user-level fallback)
  4. ~/.env (home directory fallback)

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Example .env File

.env
# API Keys
DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
GEMINI_API_KEY=AIzaxxxxxxxxxxxxx

# Optional: Custom base URLs
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1
ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.anthropic.com

# Optional: Web search
TAVILY_API_KEY=tvly-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIzaxxxxxxxxxxxxx
GOOGLE_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID=xxxxxxxxxxxxx

# Optional: Proxy configuration
HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080
NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1
Security: Never commit .env files to version control. Add .env to your .gitignore.

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API Key Variables

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Model Providers

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DASHSCOPE_API_KEY
string
API key for Alibaba Cloud DashScope (Qwen models).Get your key at: Alibaba Cloud ModelStudio
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BAILIAN_CODING_PLAN_API_KEY
string
API key for Alibaba Cloud Bailian Coding Plan subscription.Get your key at: Bailian Coding Plan
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OPENAI_API_KEY
string
API key for OpenAI models.Get your key at: OpenAI API Keys
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ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
string
API key for Anthropic Claude models.Get your key at: Anthropic Console
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GEMINI_API_KEY
string
API key for Google Gemini models (via Google AI Studio).Get your key at: Google AI Studio
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GOOGLE_API_KEY
string
API key for Google services (Vertex AI, Custom Search).

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Custom Environment Variables

You can define custom environment variable names in modelProviders: 
{
  "modelProviders": {
    "openai": [
      {
        "id": "qwen3-coder-plus",
        "name": "Qwen3 Coder Plus",
        "baseUrl": "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
        "envKey": "MY_CUSTOM_API_KEY"  // Custom variable name
      }
    ]
  }
}
Then set it in your environment: 
export MY_CUSTOM_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Base URL Variables

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OPENAI_BASE_URL
string
Custom base URL for OpenAI-compatible APIs.Example: https://api.openai.com/v1
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ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL
string
Custom base URL for Anthropic API.Example: https://api.anthropic.com

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Web Search Variables

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TAVILY_API_KEY
string
API key for Tavily web search.Get your key at: Tavily
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GOOGLE_SEARCH_ENGINE_ID
string
Google Custom Search Engine ID.Set up at: Google Custom Search

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Proxy Variables

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HTTPS_PROXY
string
HTTPS proxy server URL.Example: http://proxy.example.com:8080
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HTTP_PROXY
string
HTTP proxy server URL.Example: http://proxy.example.com:8080
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NO_PROXY
string
Comma-separated list of hosts to bypass proxy.Example: localhost,127.0.0.1,.local

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Google Cloud Variables

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GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS
string
Path to Google Cloud service account key file (for Vertex AI).Example: /path/to/service-account-key.json
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GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT
string
Google Cloud project ID (for Vertex AI).
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GOOGLE_GENAI_USE_VERTEXAI
string
Set to true to use Vertex AI instead of Google AI.

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System Variables

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DEBUG
string
Enable debug mode. Set to true or 1.
DEBUG=true qwen
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DEBUG_MODE
string
Alternative to DEBUG. Set to true or 1.
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NO_BROWSER
string
Disable browser opening for OAuth flows. Set to true or 1.
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QWEN_OAUTH
string
Force Qwen OAuth authentication.
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CLOUD_SHELL
string
Indicates running in Google Cloud Shell (set automatically).

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Path Overrides

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QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_SETTINGS_PATH
string
Override system settings file path.
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QWEN_CODE_SYSTEM_DEFAULTS_PATH
string
Override system defaults file path.
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QWEN_CODE_TRUSTED_FOLDERS_PATH
string
Override trusted folders file path.

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Sandbox Variables

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SANDBOX
string
Sandbox execution environment identifier.
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SANDBOX_SET_UID_GID
string
Set UID/GID in sandbox. Set to true or false.
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SANDBOX_PORTS
string
Comma-separated list of ports to expose in sandbox.Example: 8080,3000,5000
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SANDBOX_MOUNTS
string
Comma-separated list of volume mounts for sandbox.Example: /host/path:/container/path,/another:/path
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BUILD_SANDBOX
string
Enable sandbox build mode.
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QWEN_SANDBOX_PROXY_COMMAND
string
Custom proxy command for sandbox.

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Testing Variables

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QWEN_CODE_INTEGRATION_TEST
string
Enable integration test mode. Set to true.
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NODE_ENV
string
Node.js environment. Set to development, production, or test.

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Usage Examples

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Setting Variables via Export

# Set for current session
export DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx

# Run Qwen Code
qwen

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Setting Variables Inline

# Set for single command
DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx qwen

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Using .env File

Create ~/.qwen/.env: 
DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Variables are loaded automatically: 
qwen  # API keys loaded from .env

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Project-Specific .env

Create .qwen/.env in your project: 
# Project-specific API key
DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-project-specific-key

# Proxy for this project
HTTPS_PROXY=http://corporate-proxy:8080

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Fallback in settings.json

For non-sensitive variables or defaults: 
{
  "env": {
    "DASHSCOPE_API_KEY": "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxx"
  }
}
This is not recommended for sensitive credentials. Use .env files instead.

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Excluded Variables

Some environment variables are excluded from project context by default:
  • DEBUG
  • DEBUG_MODE
You can customize this list in settings: 
{
  "advanced": {
    "excludedEnvVars": ["DEBUG", "DEBUG_MODE", "MY_SECRET_VAR"]
  }
}

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Workspace Trust

When folder trust is enabled, project-level .env files are only loaded from trusted workspaces. User-level .env files (~/.qwen/.env, ~/.env) are always loaded. See Trusted Folders for more information.

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Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit .env files - Add to .gitignore: 
    .env
.qwen/.env
  2. Use user-level .env for personal keys - Store in ~/.qwen/.env
  3. Use project .env for team settings - Document required variables without including actual keys
  4. Rotate keys regularly - Update API keys periodically
  5. Use environment-specific files - Consider .env.development, .env.production patterns
  6. Set file permissions - Restrict access to .env files: 
    chmod 600 ~/.qwen/.env

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Troubleshooting

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Variable Not Loading

  1. Check the file location: 
    ls -la .qwen/.env
ls -la ~/.qwen/.env
  2. Verify file syntax (no quotes around values unless needed): 
    # Correct
API_KEY=sk-123456

# Usually not needed
API_KEY="sk-123456"
  3. Check for typos in variable names (case-sensitive)
  4. Ensure no trailing whitespace

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Priority Issues

If a variable isn’t using the expected value:
  1. Check system environment: echo $VARIABLE_NAME
  2. Check .env file in current directory
  3. Check ~/.qwen/.env
  4. Check settings.json → env

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Workspace Trust Issues

If project .env isn’t loading:
  1. Check if folder trust is enabled: 
    {
  "security": {
    "folderTrust": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
  2. Trust the workspace or move variables to ~/.qwen/.env

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See Also