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ICP CLI
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Environment Variables Reference

Environment variables used by icp-cli.

Build Script Variables

During script build steps, icp-cli sets the following environment variable:

ICP_WASM_OUTPUT_PATH

A temporary file path where your build script must place the compiled WASM file.

icp-cli creates a temporary directory before running your build script and sets ICP_WASM_OUTPUT_PATH to a file path within it (e.g., /tmp/abc123/out.wasm). Your script must copy or write the final WASM to this location. After your script completes, icp-cli reads the WASM from this path and stores it for deployment.

Example:

build:
  steps:
    - type: script
      commands:
        - cargo build --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --release
        - cp target/wasm32-unknown-unknown/release/my_canister.wasm "$ICP_WASM_OUTPUT_PATH"

The script also runs with the canister directory as the current working directory, so relative paths in your build commands resolve from there.

CLI Configuration Variables

ICP_ENVIRONMENT

Sets the default environment when no -e/--environment flag is provided.

Defaultlocal
Terminal window
export ICP_ENVIRONMENT=staging
icp deploy  # Deploys to staging environment

This is equivalent to passing -e staging to commands that accept an environment flag. The explicit -e flag takes precedence over this variable.

ICP_NETWORK

Sets the default network when no -n/--network flag is provided.

Defaultlocal
Terminal window
export ICP_NETWORK=ic
icp token balance  # Checks balance on IC mainnet

This is equivalent to passing -n ic to commands that accept a network flag. The explicit -n flag takes precedence over this variable.

ICP_HOME

Overrides the default location for global icp-cli data (identities, package cache).

By default, icp-cli stores global data in platform-standard directories:

PlatformDefault Location
macOS~/Library/Application Support/org.dfinity.icp-cli/
Linux~/.local/share/icp-cli/
Windows%APPDATA%\icp-cli\data\

When ICP_HOME is set, all global data is stored in that directory instead:

Terminal window
export ICP_HOME=~/.icp


# Identities will be stored in ~/.icp/identity/
# Package cache will be stored in ~/.icp/pkg/

Use cases:

  • Keep icp-cli data in a specific location
  • Share identities across machines via a synced folder
  • Isolate icp-cli data for testing

ICP_CLI_NETWORK_LAUNCHER_PATH

Path to a custom network launcher binary.

By default, icp-cli automatically downloads the network launcher on first use. Set this variable to use a specific binary instead:

Terminal window
export ICP_CLI_NETWORK_LAUNCHER_PATH=/path/to/icp-cli-network-launcher

Use cases:

  • Air-gapped or offline environments where auto-download isn’t possible
  • Testing a custom or development version of the launcher
  • CI environments where you pre-download dependencies

Download the launcher manually from icp-cli-network-launcher releases.

Windows-Specific Variables

ICP_CLI_BASH_PATH

Path to the bash executable on Windows.

icp-cli uses bash to run build scripts. On Windows, it searches for bash in common locations (Git Bash, MSYS2). If bash is not found automatically, set this variable:

Terminal window
$env:ICP_CLI_BASH_PATH = "C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe"

Common bash locations on Windows:

  • Git Bash: C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe
  • MSYS2: C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash.exe

See Also