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atmos toolchain path

Generate the PATH environment variable for your toolchain tools, enabling seamless integration with shell environments and CI/CD pipelines. This ensures your components and workflows can locate the correct tool versions.

atmos toolchain path --help

Usage​

Execute the atmos toolchain path command like this:

atmos toolchain path

Examples​

atmos toolchain path

Example output:

/home/user/.tools/bin/hashicorp/terraform/1.9.8
/home/user/.tools/bin/opentofu/opentofu/1.10.3
/home/user/.tools/bin/kubernetes-sigs/kubectl/1.28.0
atmos toolchain path --relative

Example output:

.tools/bin/hashicorp/terraform/1.9.8
.tools/bin/opentofu/opentofu/1.10.3
.tools/bin/kubernetes-sigs/kubectl/1.28.0
atmos toolchain path --export

Example output:

export PATH="/home/user/.tools/bin/hashicorp/terraform/1.9.8:/home/user/.tools/bin/opentofu/opentofu/1.10.3:$PATH"
atmos toolchain path --json

Example output:

{
  "paths": [
    "/home/user/.tools/bin/hashicorp/terraform/1.9.8",
    "/home/user/.tools/bin/opentofu/opentofu/1.10.3",
    "/home/user/.tools/bin/kubernetes-sigs/kubectl/1.28.0"
  ]
}

Flags​

--relative (optional)

Print paths relative to current directory instead of absolute paths.

Environment variable: ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_RELATIVE

--export (optional)

Print as shell export statement for direct sourcing.

Environment variable: ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_EXPORT

--json (optional)

Print paths as JSON object for programmatic use.

Environment variable: ATMOS_TOOLCHAIN_JSON

Use Cases​

Shell Integration​

Add toolchain paths to your shell:

# Add to PATH in current session
export PATH="$(atmos toolchain path):$PATH"

# Or use --export flag
eval "$(atmos toolchain path --export)"

CI/CD Pipelines​

Configure PATH in CI/CD:

# GitHub Actions
- name: Setup Toolchain PATH
  run: echo "$(atmos toolchain path)" >> $GITHUB_PATH

# GitLab CI
before_script:
  - export PATH="$(atmos toolchain path):$PATH"

Script Integration​

Use paths in scripts:

#!/bin/bash

# Get paths as JSON for processing
paths=$(atmos toolchain path --json)

# Or add to PATH
export PATH="$(atmos toolchain path):$PATH"
terraform --version

Docker Builds​

Set PATH in Dockerfiles:

RUN echo "$(atmos toolchain path)" >> /etc/paths.d/atmos-toolchain

Comparison: path vs env​

Both commands help integrate toolchain tools with your environment, but serve different purposes:

Featurepathenv
PurposeRaw PATH entriesShell-specific exports
OutputPath directoriesComplete shell statements
Shell formatsBasic (with --export)Bash, Fish, PowerShell, dotenv, JSON
Use caseScripting, CI/CDShell configuration

When to Use path​

  • Building PATH manually in scripts
  • CI/CD pipeline configuration
  • JSON output for automation
  • Simple path manipulation
# Simple PATH addition
export PATH="$(atmos toolchain path):$PATH"

When to Use env​

  • Shell profile integration
  • Multiple shell support (Bash, Fish, PowerShell)
  • Generating dotenv files
  • Detailed JSON with tool metadata
# Shell-specific integration
eval "$(atmos toolchain env)"                    # Bash/Zsh
atmos toolchain env --format fish | source      # Fish
Invoke-Expression (atmos toolchain env --format powershell)  # PowerShell

Notes​

  • Only installed tools are included in the output
  • Paths are ordered by tool order in .tool-versions
  • Use --relative for portable paths in version control
  • The output includes the version-specific directory for each tool