Environment variables

The runner reads a closed set of variables. This page lists all of them, from an inventory of every process.env and env[...] read in @e2edev/e2e, @e2edev/playwright, @e2edev/agent-device, and @e2edev/github. A variable not listed here has no effect on a run. Almost every read goes through an env object the runner is handed once, at config load. The exceptions are called out below. Two readings recur. A value counts when it is set and not blank. A flag is on when it is set and not blank, 0, or false; the value is trimmed and lowercased first, so FALSE is off and no and off are on.

Model

Variable	Reading	Effect
The runner reads no model variable. The model is an AI SDK instance your
config constructs, and the provider package behind it reads its own
credential: `gateway()` from `ai` reads `AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`, `openrouter()`
from `@openrouter/ai-sdk-provider` reads `OPENROUTER_API_KEY`, `openai()`
from `@ai-sdk/openai` reads `OPENAI_API_KEY`, and so on. Those reads happen
in your config module and the provider, on the first model call, not in the
runner; a missing model is `MODEL_UNAVAILABLE` when `agent` is first acquired,
and a missing key is the provider’s own error on the first agent step. See
Choosing a model.

The order is spelled out under Resolution order.

Credentials

Variable	Reading	Effect
`E2E_USER_<NAME>_USERNAME`	set	Replaces `credentials.<name>.username`
`E2E_USER_<NAME>_PASSWORD`	set	Replaces `credentials.<name>.password`

<NAME> is the credential name uppercased with every character outside A-Z0-9 replaced by _. A pair for a name absent from credentials is ignored. These two are read as set-or-unset, so an empty string is a value.

Run mode

Variable	Reading	Effect
`CI`	flag	CI mode: `retries` defaults to 1 and `workers` to 1, `cache` defaults to `read-only`, a focused test is `ONLY_IN_CI`, and `reuseExisting` on an app command is ignored

Diagnostics

Variable	Reading	Effect
`NO_COLOR`	set	Plain CLI output. Colors are otherwise on for a TTY or in CI and off when piped
`FORCE_COLOR`	set	Colored CLI output even when piped
`NODE_OPTIONS`	value	Inspected for a TypeScript `--import` loader, which decides how the runner registers its own module hooks for `.ts` config and test files

--debug and --ai-trace are flags, not variables; see CLI.

Telemetry

Variable	Reading	Effect
`E2E_TELEMETRY_DISABLED`	flag	Turns anonymous usage telemetry off. `e2e telemetry disable` saves the same choice in the preferences file
`DO_NOT_TRACK`	flag	Same as `E2E_TELEMETRY_DISABLED`
`E2E_TELEMETRY_DEBUG`	flag	Prints every telemetry event to stderr instead of sending it
`XDG_CONFIG_HOME`	value	Directory of the preferences file, `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/e2e`; default `~/.config/e2e`
`APPDATA`	value	The same on Windows, `%APPDATA%\e2e`; default `~/AppData/Roaming/e2e`

Telemetry also inspects, without reading a value, the presence of the markers CI vendors and coding agents set, to attribute a run to a vendor or an agent rather than a person. Only the derived name is sent.

Markers	Reported as
`GITHUB_ACTIONS`, `GITLAB_CI`, `CIRCLECI`, `BUILDKITE`, `JENKINS_URL`, `TRAVIS`, `BITBUCKET_BUILD_NUMBER`, `TF_BUILD`, `TEAMCITY_VERSION`, `CODEBUILD_BUILD_ID`, `VERCEL`, `NETLIFY`, `DRONE`, `SEMAPHORE`, `APPVEYOR`, `WOODPECKER`	`ci_name`: `github-actions`, `gitlab`, `circleci`, `buildkite`, `jenkins`, `travis`, `bitbucket`, `azure-pipelines`, `teamcity`, `aws-codebuild`, `vercel`, `netlify`, `drone`, `semaphore`, `appveyor`, `woodpecker`; `unknown` when only `CI` is set
`CLAUDECODE`, `CLAUDE_CODE`, `CURSOR_AGENT`, `CURSOR_TRACE_ID`, `CODEX_SANDBOX`, `CODEX_THREAD_ID`, `CODEX_CI`, `GEMINI_CLI`, `COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN`, `COPILOT_MODEL`, `COPILOT_ALLOW_ALL`, `OPENCODE_CLIENT`, `AUGMENT_AGENT`, `ANTIGRAVITY_AGENT`, `REPL_ID`, `AI_AGENT`	`coding_agent`: `claude-code`, `cursor`, `codex`, `gemini-cli`, `copilot`, `opencode`, `augment`, `antigravity`, `replit`, `other`
`WSL_DISTRO_NAME`	`wsl: true`
`npm_config_user_agent`	`package_manager`: the invoking package manager. `e2e init` reads the same variable to pick the install command

What is sent and how to read it is on the Telemetry page.

Reporters

@e2edev/github reads the variables GitHub Actions sets, when a run finishes:

Variable	Reading	Effect
`GITHUB_ACTIONS`	value	Without it the reporter posts nothing and says so
`GITHUB_REPOSITORY`, `GITHUB_RUN_ID`, `GITHUB_EVENT_NAME`, `GITHUB_WORKFLOW`, `GITHUB_JOB`	value	Always set by the runner; a job missing one fails the reporter with the variable named. The repository and run id build the artifacts link, the event name is in the “not a pull request” row, and the workflow and job join the marker that lets a rerun find its own comment
`GITHUB_TOKEN`, `GH_TOKEN`	value	The token the comment is posted with; the first one set wins. Unset, the job summary is still written
`GITHUB_EVENT_PATH`, `GITHUB_REF`	value	The pull request number and head commit from the event payload, or the number from `refs/pull/N/merge`
`GITHUB_SHA`	value	The commit source links point at when the event is not about a pull request
`GITHUB_SERVER_URL`, `GITHUB_API_URL`	value	The GitHub host, for Enterprise Server; `https://github.com` and `https://api.github.com` by default
`GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY`	value	The job summary file the comment text is appended to

Engines

Variable	Reading	Effect
`PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH`	value	Playwright’s browser cache. The engine’s `prepare` hook checks for the browser in-process only when the run’s environment agrees with the process’s own; otherwise it defers to the `playwright install` CLI, which is a no-op when nothing is missing
`E2E_AGENT_DEVICE_POOL_<TARGET>_<digest>`	value	Written by `@e2edev/agent-device` in `prepare` and read back by each worker: the booted devices discovered for the target, so each worker slot resumes the device booted for it. Not meant to be set by hand

What app processes inherit

An app command or service does not inherit the runner’s environment. The child receives PATH, HOME, TMPDIR, TMP, TEMP, SystemRoot, and COMSPEC from process.env, plus whatever command.env sets. APP_URL, which the scaffolded config reads for playwright({ url }), is read by your config module, not by the runner; pass it to a dev server through command.env if the server needs it too.

Test API

Project

Web

Mobile

Engine contract

Environment variables

Model

Credentials

Run mode

Diagnostics

Telemetry

Reporters

Engines

What app processes inherit

Config

CLI

Telemetry

​Model

​Credentials

​Run mode

​Diagnostics

​Telemetry

​Reporters

​Engines

​What app processes inherit

Config

CLI

Telemetry

Model

Credentials

Run mode

Diagnostics

Telemetry

Reporters

Engines

What app processes inherit