atmos toolchain env

Export the PATH environment variable for your toolchain tools in shell-specific formats. This command makes it easy to integrate toolchain paths into different shell environments (Bash, Fish, PowerShell) and configuration files (.env, JSON).

atmos toolchain env --help

Usage

Execute the atmos toolchain env command like this:

atmos toolchain env

By default, the command outputs in Bash/Zsh export format. You can specify different output formats using the --format flag.

Examples

Bash/Zsh (default)

atmos toolchain env
# Output: export PATH='/path/to/tools/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin'

Source it directly in your shell:

eval "$(atmos toolchain env)"

Fish Shell

atmos toolchain env --format fish
# Output: set -gx PATH '/path/to/tools/bin' '/usr/local/bin' '/usr/bin' '/bin'

Source it in Fish:

atmos toolchain env --format fish | source

PowerShell

atmos toolchain env --format powershell
# Output: $env:PATH = "/path/to/tools/bin;C:\Windows\System32"

Execute it in PowerShell:

Invoke-Expression (atmos toolchain env --format powershell)

Dotenv Format

atmos toolchain env --format dotenv > .env
# Creates .env file with: PATH='/path/to/tools/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin'

JSON Format

atmos toolchain env --format json

Example output:

{
  "tools": [
    {
      "tool": "terraform",
      "version": "1.5.0",
      "path": "/home/user/.tools/terraform/1.5.0/bin"
    }
  ],
  "final_path": "/home/user/.tools/terraform/1.5.0/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin",
  "count": 1
}

GitHub Actions (GITHUB_PATH)

Native support for GitHub Actions GITHUB_PATH environment file:

atmos toolchain env --format github

Output (one path per line, compatible with $GITHUB_PATH):

/home/runner/.tools/opentofu/1.7.0/bin
/home/runner/.tools/terraform-docs/0.18.0/bin

When $GITHUB_PATH is set, the github format automatically writes to that file:

- name: Install and configure toolchain
  run: |
    atmos toolchain install
    atmos toolchain env --format github
    # Automatically appends to $GITHUB_PATH

- name: Use tools (next step has updated PATH)
  run: |
    tofu version  # Uses toolchain version

Or explicitly specify the output file:

atmos toolchain env --format github --output $GITHUB_PATH

Relative Paths

atmos toolchain env --relative
# Uses relative paths instead of absolute

File Output

Append PATH to a file instead of stdout:

atmos toolchain env --output /path/to/file
# Shows: ✓ Appended PATH to /path/to/file

This is useful for CI/CD environments that use file-based environment configuration.

Flags

--format, -f (optional)

Output format: bash, fish, powershell, json, dotenv, github

Default: bash

Environment variable: ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_ENV_FORMAT

--output, -o (optional)

Append output to file instead of stdout. For github format, defaults to $GITHUB_PATH if set.

Environment variable: ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_ENV_OUTPUT

--relative (optional)

Use relative paths instead of absolute paths

Environment variable: ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_RELATIVE

Common Use Cases

Shell Integration

Add to your shell profile to automatically use toolchain tools:

Bash/Zsh (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

eval "$(atmos toolchain env)"

Fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish):

atmos toolchain env --format fish | source

PowerShell ($PROFILE):

Invoke-Expression (atmos toolchain env --format powershell)

CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions (recommended - native integration):

- name: Install Atmos Toolchain
  run: |
    atmos toolchain install
    atmos toolchain env --format github
    # Automatically appends paths to $GITHUB_PATH

- name: Use toolchain (PATH updated from previous step)
  run: |
    terraform version  # Uses toolchain version

GitHub Actions (legacy - eval in same step):

- name: Setup Atmos Toolchain
  run: |
    atmos toolchain install
    eval "$(atmos toolchain env)"
    terraform version  # Uses toolchain version

GitLab CI:

before_script:
  - eval "$(atmos toolchain env)"

Docker Integration

RUN atmos toolchain env --format dotenv >> /etc/environment

Notes

• The command reads tools from your .tool-versions file
• Only installed tools are included in the PATH
• The generated PATH prepends toolchain paths to your existing PATH
• Each output format is optimized for its target environment:
  • bash: Single-quoted export statement with proper escaping
  • fish: Space-separated paths with set -gx syntax
  • powershell: Double-quoted assignment with PowerShell escaping
  • dotenv: Compatible with .env file parsers
  • json: Structured data for programmatic use
  • github: One path per line, compatible with GitHub Actions $GITHUB_PATH
• The command respects the --toolchain-path flag and ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_PATH environment variable