How do I use environment variables in VS Code tasks?
Jul 07, 2025 am 12:59 AM
You can use environment variables in VS Code tasks via the ${env:VARIABLE_NAME} syntax. 1. Reference variables directly in tasks.json to avoid hardcoding sensitive data or machine-specific values. 2. Provide default values with "${env:VARIABLE_NAME:-default_value}" to prevent errors if variables are missing. 3. Define variables either temporarily in the terminal, persistently in shell profiles, or globally via OS settings. 4. Combine with task features like input prompts, allowing dynamic variable assignment, or detect execution context (e.g., CI pipeline) for conditional behavior. This approach enhances flexibility and security across different environments.
You can use environment variables in VS Code tasks by referencing them directly in your tasks.json file. This is super handy for keeping sensitive info out of config files or making tasks behave differently across machines.
Set Up Environment Variables in Tasks
To use an environment variable, just reference it like this: ${env:VARIABLE_NAME}. You define these outside of VS Code — either in your system settings, terminal profile, or when launching VS Code from the terminal.
For example, if you have a variable called API_KEY, you can pass it into a script like this:
{
"label": "Run with API key",
"type": "shell",
"command": "python",
"args": ["script.py", "${env:API_KEY}"]
}This works whether you're on macOS, Linux, or Windows.
Use Default Values (Just in Case)
Sometimes, you might want to provide a fallback value in case the environment variable isn’t set. You can do that using string substitution syntax:
"${env:VARIABLE_NAME:-default_value}"So if VARIABLE_NAME isn't defined, it'll use "default_value" instead. This helps avoid errors and makes your tasks more robust.
Useful when sharing configs across different environments:
- Dev machine has
DB_PASSWORD=dev123 - CI server uses its own
DB_PASSWORD - Fallback could be
"test"during testing phases
Where to Define Environment Variables
How and where you define these depends on how permanent you need them to be:
In the terminal before launching VS Code:
Just run something likeexport MY_VAR=testthen start VS Code from that terminal.In your shell profile (
~/.bashrc,~/.zshrc, etc.):
Good for persistent variables used across sessions.In the OS settings (macOS/System Settings or Windows Environment Variables panel):
Useful for global access, especially if you don’t always launch from the terminal.
Note: If you're on Windows and set variables via System Properties, restart VS Code after setting them.
Combine With Other Task Features
Environment variables play nicely with other VS Code task features like input prompts or multi-root setups.
For example, you can prompt the user for a value and assign it to an environment variable in the task:
"inputs": [
{
"id": "username",
"type": "promptString",
"description": "Enter username"
}
],
"options": {
"env": {
"USERNAME": "${input:username}"
}
}Now any command in that task can use ${env:USERNAME}.
Another common case:
- Use
${env:CI}in a task to detect if running in a CI pipeline - Adjust behavior based on that flag
That’s basically it. It's not complicated, but knowing how to mix and match environment variables with built-in VS Code task features can save you from hardcoding values and make your workflows more flexible.
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