Environment variables

The installed app starts its own server and passes it your environment, so the first group works there too. The second applies when you run the server from the source: the app sets those itself, or ignores them.

Read by the app

TALOS_GENERATION_IDLE_MS

How long the model may stay completely silent before the turn is given up, in milliseconds. It restarts on every byte the provider sends, so a model that is thinking or streaming is never cut. Values below 60000 are raised to 60 s; 0 turns the failsafe off. Default1800000

TALOS_COMPACTION_TOKEN_CAP

The ceiling, in tokens, above which the conversation is compacted: the trigger is the smaller of this and 0.75 × the model’s context window, when known. Default200000

TALOS_HTTP_BODY_MAX_BYTES

The largest request body the local API accepts, in bytes; a larger one gets a 413. Routes with a fixed-shape body keep their own smaller limits. Default10485760

TALOS_MCP_STARTUP_CONCURRENCY

How many trusted MCP servers start at once when a session begins, 1 to 8; anything else falls back to 1. Default1

TALOS_RG_PATH

The ripgrep executable the cerca tool uses, instead of the one TALOS finds.

TALOS_ADB

The adb executable, for sessions that run on a connected Android phone (otherwise it is looked for under ANDROID_HOME or ANDROID_SDK_ROOT).

HF_TOKEN

A Hugging Face token, for model searches and downloads that need one.

When you run the server from the source

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_HOST

The address the server listens on: loopback only (127.0.0.1, ::1 or localhost). Default127.0.0.1

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_PORT

The port, 1024 to 65535. Unset: 4174, or the next free port. Set: exactly this port, or the server does not start. Default4174

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_TOKEN

When set (at least 32 characters, no spaces), every /api/ request needs the talos_token cookie, which GET /?token=<token> sets. The app sets a new one at every start.

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_SESSIONS_DIR

Where sessions are stored. Use a separate folder for a second instance, or the two share history. Default.sessions-store/ next to the server

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_PROJECT_DIRS

More project folders for the session picker, separated by ;. Each must exist and be readable and writable.

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_WORKFLOW_DIR

Where workflow data is stored (an absolute folder).

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_MODELS_DEV_URL

The public model catalog to read (an HTTP(S) address without credentials). Defaulthttps://models.dev/api.json

TALOS_LLAMA_SERVER_PATH

The llama-server executable of the local engine. The app sets it to the engine it ships.

TALOS_INTRO

0 skips the first-run introduction.

OPENROUTER_API_KEY

An OpenRouter key for the server run from source; without it the server starts read-only. The app ignores it: keys come from the window and live in the OS keyring.

TALOS_HARNESS_SEARCH_PROVIDER

The first web search source, until you choose one in Settings: tavily, brave, searxng or custom. The app ignores it. Defaulttavily

TALOS_HARNESS_SEARCH_API_KEY

The key of that search source. The app ignores it.

TALOS_HARNESS_SEARCH_ENDPOINT

The address of that search source, for one you host. The app ignores it.

TALOS_HARNESS_RECEIPT_KEY_ID

With the next one, sign the receipts of side-effecting operations with your own Ed25519 key: its id. Both or neither.

TALOS_HARNESS_RECEIPT_PRIVATE_KEY_B64

The Ed25519 private key (PKCS8 PEM, in base64) that signs receipts, with TALOS_HARNESS_RECEIPT_KEY_ID.

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_IMMAGINE_MODELLO

The OpenRouter model generate_image uses. Defaultbytedance-seed/seedream-4.5

TALOS_HARNESS_UI_IMMAGINE_NATIVA

1 when that model makes images through chat completions (a model whose outputs include images) rather than OpenRouter’s images endpoint.

Handed to hooks and plugins

A hook reads its event from TALOS_HOOK_EVENT (Hooks); a plugin’s tool reads its arguments from TALOS_PLUGIN_TOOL_ARGS. Both are JSON.

Provider keys

The server run from the source can take a provider’s key from the variables on Providers. The installed app does not: keys come only from the window.