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Environment variables override values in config.json without modifying the file. This makes them ideal for CI pipelines, containers, and multi-vault scripting — you can point smolbren at a different vault for a single command without touching your persistent configuration.

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Available variables

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string
Overrides the default_vault field in config.json. Sets which vault is used when --vault is not passed on the command line. The value must match a vault name already registered under vaults in your config file.

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Priority order

When smolbren resolves a configuration value, it applies sources in this order — later sources win:
Environment variables always take precedence over the file. The config file always takes precedence over built-in defaults. The --vault and --config CLI flags are applied after all of the above.

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Examples

CI pipeline — use a dedicated CI vault without altering the shared config file:
Switch default vault for a single interactive session:
Override the config file location and the default vault together:
For per-project vault switching, put your SMOLBREN_* variables in a .env file at the project root and load them automatically with direnv (via a .envrc that calls dotenv). This keeps vault bindings close to your project without polluting your shell profile.