Configuration Reference

CLI Flags

Run full help:

ask --help

High-impact flags:

• -co, --command-only
• -no, --no-output
• -m, --model
• -sm, --select-model
• -ms, --model-select
• -pc, --power-config
• -p, --power
• --web, --docs, --auto
• --tts, --tts-configure
• --env-setup, --env-shell, --env-config-file

Interactive Env Setup

Configure all supported environment keys in one guided flow:

ask --env-setup

Optional shell/config targeting:

ask --env-setup --env-shell zsh --env-config-file ~/.zshrc

By default, API keys entered in this setup are stored in your local llm key store and are not written to shell config unless you explicitly opt in.

Config File

Default:

• ~/.config/askllm/config.json

May contain keys like:

• default_model
• power_model
• spinner_style

Environment Variables

Core:

• ASK_MODEL
• ASK_POWER_MODEL
• ASK_SYSTEM
• ASK_CONFIG_FILE
• ASK_ALIAS_NAME
• ASKLLM_BIN

Retrieval:

• ASK_DOCS_DB
• ASK_DOCS_COLLECTION
• ASK_WEB_PROVIDER

UI:

• ASK_SPINNER_STYLE

TTS:

• ASK_TTS_MODEL
• ASK_TTS_SAMPLE_RATE
• ASK_TTS_MODE
• ASK_TTS_DELAY_SECONDS

Hotkeys:

• ASK_HOTKEY_ASK
• ASK_HOTKEY_ASK_CMD
• ASK_HOTKEY_CODEX
• ASK_HOTKEY_CODEX_CMD
• ASK_HOTKEY_CLAUDE
• ASK_HOTKEY_CLAUDE_CMD
• ASK_HOTKEY_CUSTOM
• ASK_HOTKEY_CUSTOM_CMD

Provider API key env names:

• OPENAI_API_KEY
• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
• GOOGLE_API_KEY
• MISTRAL_API_KEY
• GROQ_API_KEY
• OPENROUTER_API_KEY
• COHERE_API_KEY
• HUGGINGFACE_API_KEY
• EXA_API_KEY