Environment variables¶

KOLONİ reads these when it starts. It does not read a .env file: set them in the shell before you start it.

Windows (PowerShell)macOS and Linux

$env:KOLONI_PORT = 8800; .venv/Scripts/python.exe -m app.main

KOLONI_PORT=8800 .venv/bin/python -m app.main

Where and how KOLONİ runs¶

Variable	Default	What it does
`KOLONI_PORT`	`8790`	The port KOLONİ listens on.
`KOLONI_RUNTIME_ROOT`	`runtime/` in KOLONİ's folder	Where the database, working copies, backups and logs are kept. Two KOLONİs must not share one.
`KOLONI_HOST`	`127.0.0.1`	The address KOLONİ listens on. Anything other than `127.0.0.1`, `::1` or `localhost` is refused at the start, except inside the Docker image.
`KOLONI_PAGE_KEY`	a new one each start	A fixed page key. KOLONİ takes it out of its own environment once read, so its commands and agents do not get it.
`KOLONI_OPEN_BROWSER`	`1`	`0`: do not open the page in the browser at the start.
`KOLONI_DEV`	not set	`1`: also accept the live-reload page on port 5173 (for development).

The first start only¶

These make the first providers. After the first start, change providers on the Models page; changing these does nothing to providers that already exist.

Variable	Default	What it does
`KOLONI_MODEL_BASE_URL`	`http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1`	The address of the "Local" provider.
`KOLONI_MODEL_ID`	the first model the server lists	Local's default model.
`KOLONI_MODEL_API_KEY`	none	Local's key.
`KOLONI_DETECT_CLI`	`1`	First start only: add Claude Code, Qoder, Codex and agy (switched off) as providers if they are installed. `0` skips this.

Models and agents¶

Variable	Default	What it does
`KOLONI_MODEL_FIRST_TOKEN_SECONDS`	`900`	How long a model may take to start answering before the run fails.
`KOLONI_MODEL_STALL_SECONDS`	`120`	How long an answer may pause before the run fails.
`KOLONI_CONTEXT_CHARS`	`240000`	How much history, in characters, an agent keeps when its model's context window is not known.
`KOLONI_SEARCH_SECONDS`	`20`	How long a search through the project's files may take before it is given up. A value that is not a positive number is ignored.

Background work¶

Variable	Default	What it does
`KOLONI_TRIGGER_CLOCK`	`1`	`0`: triggers do not start by themselves.
`KOLONI_CATALOGUE_REFRESH`	`1`	`0`: never download the model catalogue at the start. Otherwise it is downloaded again once it is a week old, unless Keep the catalogue fresh is off on the Models page.

The local model server and MCP servers¶

Variable	Default	What it does
`KOLONI_LOCAL_SERVER`	`llama-server` on PATH	The program the Models page's Server tab starts, until you choose another there: the full path of `llama-server` in a llama.cpp build's `bin` folder.
`KOLONI_NVIDIA_SMI`	`nvidia-smi`	The program the Server tab asks for GPU memory and load.
`KOLONI_MCP_HOME`	`KOLONI/mcp/` in your cache folder (`%LOCALAPPDATA%` on Windows), one folder per runtime	Where the MCP servers KOLONİ starts keep their files.

Variables KOLONİ gives to commands¶

Agents' commands get this machine's environment, except variables with secret names (such as GITHUB_TOKEN or OPENAI_API_KEY) and the ways into a program you are signed in to (GIT_ASKPASS, SSH_AUTH_SOCK, VSCODE_*, CLAUDE_CODE_* and the like), unless you name them under Settings › This project › Commands and secrets › Secret variables commands may see. A project whose tests use git over ssh needs SSH_AUTH_SOCK named there. KOLONİ's own git, which pushes for you, keeps all of them. With Planted test key (canary) on, they also get a made-up KOLONI_CANARY_KEY. In Docker, commands get none of this machine's environment.