Environment Variables

Optional environment variables you can set when running the PolyCLI CLI tool.

PolyCLI supports two environment variables. POLYCLI_API_KEY lets you store your API key without repeating the --key flag on every invocation — particularly useful in CI/CD pipelines. POLYCLI_API_URL is for pointing the CLI at a local or staging instance.

Reference

Variable	Required	Default	Description
POLYCLI_API_KEY	One of --key or this var	—	Your PolyCLI API key. Used when `--key` is not passed. The `--key` flag takes precedence if both are set.
POLYCLI_API_URL	No	https://app.polycli.dev	Override the PolyCLI backend URL. Useful for pointing the CLI at a local development instance or a staging environment.

Example: API key via env var

Export the key once in your shell session (or add it to your CI secrets) and run without the flag:

bash

export POLYCLI_API_KEY=bt_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
npx @polycli/cli run

Example: local development

If you are running the PolyCLI web app locally (e.g. on port 3000), point the CLI at it:

bash

export POLYCLI_API_KEY=bt_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
export POLYCLI_API_URL=http://localhost:3000
npx @polycli/cli run

Get your API key from the PolyCLI dashboard. Keys start with bt_live_.