Environment variables set defaults for the current shell session: every difyctl command you run in it picks them up. A command flag wins, then an environment variable. They’re shell-scoped and last only as long as the session.
Variables difyctl Reads
| Variable | What it controls | Default |
|---|
DIFY_CONFIG_DIR | Where difyctl keeps its configuration (hosts.yml). | macOS and Linux: ~/.config/difyctl (Linux honors XDG_CONFIG_HOME)
Windows: %APPDATA%\difyctl |
DIFY_LIMIT | Default page size, 1 to 200, for list commands (get app, auth devices list). The --limit flag wins, then this variable. | 20 |
DIFY_WORKSPACE_ID | The workspace difyctl commands run against. Must be a UUID. See How difyctl Picks a Workspace for the resolution order. | none |
DIFYCTL_HTTP_RETRY | Retry attempts for idempotent requests on transient failures (0 disables retries). --http-retry overrides it. | 3 |
2) rather than being silently ignored, for example a non-UUID DIFY_WORKSPACE_ID.
Only the variables above change difyctl’s behavior. The others reported by the env list command are recognized but currently have no effect.
See What’s Set
env list shows the current value of each difyctl environment variable in your shell. It reads only your local environment and never calls the server, so it works before you sign in.
Flags
| Flag | Type | Default | Description |
|---|
--json | boolean | false | Print the inventory as a JSON array instead of a table. |
Examples
Check which variables are set in the current shell:
Get the same inventory as JSON:
Output
Unset variables show <unset>, and sensitive variables never print their value (only <set> or <unset>). With DIFY_LIMIT=50 exported:
NAME VALUE DESCRIPTION
DIFY_CONFIG_DIR <unset> Override the config-dir resolution (precedes XDG_CONFIG_HOME on Linux).
DIFY_FORMAT <unset> Default output format for list commands (table | json | yaml | wide | name).
DIFY_HOST <unset> Default Dify host (overridden by --host).
DIFY_LIMIT 50 Default page size for list commands (1..200).
DIFY_NO_PROGRESS <unset> Suppress progress spinners. Truthy values: 1, true, yes.
DIFY_PLAIN <unset> Disable ANSI colors and decorative output. Truthy values: 1, true, yes.
DIFY_TOKEN <unset> Bearer token for non-interactive auth.
DIFY_WORKSPACE_ID <unset> Workspace ID used for difyctl commands.
DIFYCTL_HTTP_RETRY <unset> HTTP retry count for GET/PUT/DELETE. 0 disables. Overrides --http-retry flag.
--json prints a JSON array, one entry per variable, masked the same way:
[
{
"name": "DIFY_CONFIG_DIR",
"description": "Override the config-dir resolution (precedes XDG_CONFIG_HOME on Linux).",
"sensitive": false,
"value": "<unset>"
}
]
Exit Codes
See Output Formats and Exit Codes for the full scheme. 
