Agent-layer config lives in vanta-ts/.env (gitignored; .env.example documents the keys). Kernel variables are passed at launch. This is a reference of the most-used keys — see .env.example for the complete, current list.
Provider & model
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
VANTA_PROVIDER | openai · ollama · anthropic · gemini · openrouter |
VANTA_MODEL | Model id for the provider |
VANTA_EFFORT_LEVEL | low · medium · high · max |
OPENAI_API_KEY / ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | Provider keys |
VANTA_OLLAMA_URL | Local Ollama endpoint |
VANTA_MODEL_CHEAP / VANTA_MODEL_EXPENSIVE | Task-routed models (unset = no routing) |
VANTA_VISION_MODEL / VANTA_VISION_PROVIDER | Auxiliary vision routing |
Kernel & scope
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
VANTA_KERNEL_URL | Kernel address (default 127.0.0.1:7788) |
VANTA_ROOT | Overrides the kernel's working-dir scope |
VANTA_MAX_ITER | Max tool iterations per turn |
VANTA_HOME | Global store dir (default ~/.vanta) |
VANTA_WRITABLE_DIRS / VANTA_READABLE_DIRS | Out-of-repo write/read zones |
Search & web
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
VANTA_SEARCH_PROVIDER | auto (default) · managed providers · brave_browser · bing; DDG variants are explicit legacy options |
VANTA_SEARCH_URL | Self-hosted Searxng |
SERPAPI_KEY / BRAVE_KEY | Search API keys |
VANTA_ALLOWED_DOMAINS | Browser-tool domain allowlist |
VANTA_BROWSER_EXECUTABLE | Optional Chrome/Brave/Edge/Chromium executable override; system installs are auto-detected when Playwright's bundle is absent |
VANTA_EMBED_MODEL | Local embedding model (life-search semantic) |
Continuity & behavior
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
VANTA_RESUME_MAX_AGE_MIN | Resume age gate (default 120; 0 = always clean) |
VANTA_GOAL_RESUME | auto resumes carried goals on launch |
VANTA_AUTOHANDOFF_THRESHOLD | Context-fill trigger for auto-handoff (0.75) |
VANTA_SESSION_MEMORY | Session-memory distiller |
VANTA_TOOL_RETRIES | Safe-read retry count |
VANTA_INHIBIT_THRESHOLD · VANTA_SETSHIFT_THRESHOLD · VANTA_STALL_THRESHOLD | Executive-function gate thresholds |
VANTA_TOOL_SCOPE | 0 exposes the full tool catalog |
VANTA_TUI | v2 selects the mission-control shell |
VANTA_SPINNER | Busy animation |
Security & self-improvement
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
VANTA_SANDBOX | 1 wraps shell_cmd / run_code in OS-level isolation |
VANTA_SANDBOX_NET | 1 allows outbound network inside the sandbox |
VANTA_AUTONOMY_LEVEL | Factory autonomy 1–5 (default 4 = commit + push) |
VANTA_FACTORY_DISABLED | Kill switch for the self-improvement factory |
VANTA_AUTONOMY_ALLOW_MERGE / VANTA_FACTORY_MERGE_TARGET | Gate + target for L5 merges |
VANTA_CRITIC | 1 enables the independent post-turn critic |
VANTA_LINT_BLOCK | 0 downgrades the pre-commit size gate to warn-only |
VANTA_SELF_IMPROVE / VANTA_BRAIN_LEARN | Capture skills / distil memories post-turn |
Comms & gateway
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
VANTA_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID / _SECRET | Google OAuth client |
VANTA_TELEGRAM_TOKEN | Telegram bot |
VANTA_WEBHOOK_PORT / _SECRET / _PROMPT / _DELIVER | Webhook listener |
Local .env defaults to Ollama qwen2.5:14b (no key, offline). Secrets are never logged; .env is gitignored.