Environment configuration
This page lists every environment variable that configures a Temporal Client, along with its TOML configuration key, the equivalent Temporal CLI flag, and which clients read it. The Temporal CLI is a Temporal Client, so its variables are included here.
For how to use these variables and configuration files together, refer to Environment configuration.
Environment variables always take precedence over values in a TOML configuration file. An explicitly passed CLI flag takes precedence over the matching environment variable.
The Supported by column records which clients read a variable. Where a client reads a variable but applies it with caveats, the description says so.
Client settings
| Variable | TOML key | CLI flag | Supported by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TEMPORAL_CONFIG_FILE | NA | --config-file | All | Path to the TOML configuration file. Defaults to temporal.toml in a platform-specific directory. |
TEMPORAL_PROFILE | NA | --profile | All | Name of the configuration profile to load. Defaults to default. |
TEMPORAL_ADDRESS | profile.<name>.address | --address | All | Host and port of the Temporal Frontend Service, such as localhost:7233. |
TEMPORAL_NAMESPACE | profile.<name>.namespace | --namespace | All | Temporal Namespace to connect to. |
TEMPORAL_API_KEY | profile.<name>.api_key | --api-key | All | API key for authentication. When set, TLS is enabled by default. |
TEMPORAL_TLS | profile.<name>.tls.disabled | --tls | All | Set to true to enable TLS, false to disable it. The TOML key is inverted: disabled = true turns TLS off. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_PATH | profile.<name>.tls.client_cert_path | --tls-cert-path | All | Filesystem path to the client's public TLS certificate. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_DATA. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_DATA | profile.<name>.tls.client_cert_data | --tls-cert-data | All | Raw PEM data for the client's public TLS certificate. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_PATH. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_PATH | profile.<name>.tls.client_key_path | --tls-key-path | All | Filesystem path to the client's private TLS key. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_DATA. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_DATA | profile.<name>.tls.client_key_data | --tls-key-data | All | Raw PEM data for the client's private TLS key. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_PATH. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_PATH | profile.<name>.tls.server_ca_cert_path | --tls-ca-path | All | Filesystem path to the Certificate Authority certificate used to verify the server. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_DATA. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_DATA | profile.<name>.tls.server_ca_cert_data | --tls-ca-data | All | Raw PEM data for the Certificate Authority certificate used to verify the server. Cannot be combined with TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_PATH. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_NAME | profile.<name>.tls.server_name | --tls-server-name | All | Overrides the server name used for Server Name Indication (SNI) in the TLS handshake. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_DISABLE_HOST_VERIFICATION | profile.<name>.tls.disable_host_verification | --tls-disable-host-verification | All | Disables server hostname verification. Use with caution. Not every SDK applies this setting. |
TEMPORAL_GRPC_META_* | profile.<name>.grpc_meta | --grpc-meta | All | Sets gRPC headers. The part after _META_ becomes the header key, so TEMPORAL_GRPC_META_SOME_KEY sets some-key. |
TEMPORAL_CODEC_ENDPOINT | profile.<name>.codec.endpoint | --codec-endpoint | All except Java | Endpoint for a remote Codec Server. SDKs that support this setting do not apply it by default. Intended mostly for CLI use. |
TEMPORAL_CODEC_AUTH | profile.<name>.codec.auth | --codec-auth | All except Java | Authorization header value for the remote Codec Server. |
TEMPORAL_CLIENT_AUTHORITY | profile.<name>.authority | NA | Go | Overrides the :authority gRPC header. Currently a Go SDK extension with no equivalent in other clients. |
Temporal CLI settings
The Temporal CLI reads the variables below in addition to the client settings above. No other client reads them.
temporal env preset variables
The CLI supports a second configuration mechanism alongside TOML configuration files. temporal env stores named
key-value presets in temporal.yaml, and the variables below select which preset the CLI reads. No SDK reads them.
Both mechanisms work. The temporal config command that manages TOML configuration files is currently experimental,
while temporal env is not.
| Variable | TOML key | CLI flag | Supported by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TEMPORAL_ENV | NA | --env | Temporal CLI | Name of the active temporal env preset. Defaults to default. |
TEMPORAL_ENV_FILE | NA | --env-file | Temporal CLI | Path to the preset file. Defaults to temporal.yaml in the CLI configuration directory. |
Legacy TLS variables
The CLI reads an older set of TLS variable names for compatibility. When any of them is set, it overrides the corresponding value from the configuration file and from the preferred variable. These names have no CLI flag of their own, and no SDK reads them.
| Variable | TOML key | CLI flag | Supported by | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
TEMPORAL_TLS_CERT | NA | NA | Temporal CLI | Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_PATH. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CERT_DATA | NA | NA | Temporal CLI | Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_CERT_DATA. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_KEY | NA | NA | Temporal CLI | Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_PATH. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_KEY_DATA | NA | NA | Temporal CLI | Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_CLIENT_KEY_DATA. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CA | NA | NA | Temporal CLI | Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_PATH. |
TEMPORAL_TLS_CA_DATA | NA | NA | Temporal CLI | Superseded by TEMPORAL_TLS_SERVER_CA_CERT_DATA. |