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The conda env config vars command allows you to interact with environment variables associated with conda environments. These variables are automatically set when the environment is activated and unset when deactivated.

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Syntax

conda env config vars <subcommand> [options]

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Subcommands

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list

List all environment variables set for a conda environment. 
conda env config vars list [options]

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Options

-n, --name NAME Name of the environment to list variables from. -p, --prefix PREFIX Full path to the environment prefix. --json Report output as JSON.

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Example

# List variables for a specific environment
conda env config vars list -n my_env

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set

Set one or more environment variables for a conda environment. 
conda env config vars set <KEY>=<VALUE> [<KEY>=<VALUE> ...] [options]

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Options

-n, --name NAME Name of the environment to set variables in. -p, --prefix PREFIX Full path to the environment prefix.

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Arguments

<KEY>=<VALUE> Environment variables to set in the form KEY=VALUE, separated by spaces. You can set multiple variables in a single command.

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Examples

# Set a single environment variable
conda env config vars set MY_VAR=weee -n my_env

# Set multiple environment variables at once
conda env config vars set MY_VAR=something OTHER_THING=ohhhhya -n my_env

# Set a variable with an equals sign in the value
conda env config vars set DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/db -n my_env
After setting variables, you need to reactivate the environment for changes to take effect:
conda activate my_env

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unset

Unset (remove) one or more environment variables from a conda environment. 
conda env config vars unset <KEY> [<KEY> ...] [options]

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Options

-n, --name NAME Name of the environment to unset variables from. -p, --prefix PREFIX Full path to the environment prefix.

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Arguments

<KEY> Environment variable names to unset, separated by spaces. You can unset multiple variables in a single command.

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Examples

# Unset a single environment variable
conda env config vars unset MY_VAR -n my_env

# Unset multiple environment variables at once
conda env config vars unset MY_VAR OTHER_THING -n my_env
After unsetting variables, you need to reactivate the environment for changes to take effect:
conda activate my_env

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Common Use Cases

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Configure API keys for development

Set API keys and tokens that should be available when working in a specific environment: 
conda env config vars set API_KEY=your_key_here SECRET_TOKEN=your_token -n dev_env
conda activate dev_env

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Set database connection strings

Configure environment-specific database URLs: 
# Production environment
conda env config vars set DATABASE_URL=postgresql://prod_host/db -n prod_env

# Development environment
conda env config vars set DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost/dev_db -n dev_env

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View all configured variables

Check what environment variables are configured for an environment: 
conda env config vars list -n my_env
Output format: 
MY_VAR = something
OTHER_THING = ohhhhya

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Remove sensitive data

Unset variables containing sensitive information: 
conda env config vars unset API_KEY SECRET_TOKEN -n my_env
Environment variables set with conda env config vars are stored in plain text in the environment’s configuration. Do not use this for highly sensitive credentials in production environments.

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How It Works

When you set environment variables using this command:
  1. Variables are stored in the environment’s metadata
  2. When the environment is activated, these variables are automatically set
  3. When the environment is deactivated, these variables are automatically unset
  4. Variables persist across sessions and system restarts
This provides a cleaner alternative to manually setting variables in shell configuration files or activation scripts.

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