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Environment Variables

The Tenderly CLI uses configuration files for most settings, but you can also customize behavior through command-line flags and environment-specific configurations.

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Configuration Files

The CLI uses two main configuration files:
Location: ~/.tenderly/config.yaml (or ~/.tenderly/config.json)Purpose: Stores user authentication and global settingsContents:
  • Access tokens and authentication keys
  • Account ID
  • Username or organization name
  • Email (for user accounts)
Customization: You can change the global config file name using the --global-config flag:
tenderly --global-config my-config [command]
This will look for ~/.tenderly/my-config.yaml instead of config.yaml.
Location: ./tenderly.yaml (in your project directory)Purpose: Stores project-specific settingsContents:
  • Project slug
  • Account ID
  • Provider (deployment framework)
  • Compiler configuration
  • Network settings
  • Actions configuration
  • Node extensions configuration
Customization: You can change the project config file name using the --project-config flag:
tenderly --project-config my-project [command]
This will look for my-project.yaml instead of tenderly.yaml.

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Configuration Flags

While the Tenderly CLI doesn’t use traditional environment variables, you can configure it using global flags:

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Global Flags

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--global-config
string
default:"config"
Specify a custom global configuration file name (without extension)Example:
tenderly --global-config staging login
tenderly --global-config staging whoami
This allows you to maintain separate configurations for different environments.
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--project-config
string
default:"tenderly"
Specify a custom project configuration file name (without extension)Example:
tenderly --project-config tenderly-dev init
tenderly --project-config tenderly-prod contracts push
This allows you to maintain separate project configurations for different environments.
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--project-dir
string
default:"."
Specify the project directory containing your smart contractsExample:
tenderly --project-dir ./my-contracts init
tenderly --project-dir ./path/to/project contracts push
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--output
string
default:"text"
Set the output format: text or jsonExample:
tenderly --output json whoami
tenderly --output json contracts push
JSON output is useful for scripting and automation.
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--debug
boolean
default:"false"
Enable debug logging for troubleshootingExample:
tenderly --debug contracts push
tenderly --debug actions deploy
Debug mode provides detailed logging including:
  • API request/response details
  • File system operations
  • Internal processing steps
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--reset-provider
boolean
default:"false"
Clear the set deployment provider and auto-detectExample:
tenderly --reset-provider init
Useful when switching between different smart contract frameworks (Truffle, Hardhat, etc.)

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Multi-Environment Setup

You can manage multiple environments using different configuration files:

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Separate Global Configs

Maintain separate authentication for different accounts: 
# Login with development account
tenderly --global-config dev login

# Use development account
tenderly --global-config dev whoami
tenderly --global-config dev contracts push
This creates separate config files:
  • ~/.tenderly/dev.yaml
  • ~/.tenderly/prod.yaml

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Separate Project Configs

Maintain different project settings: 
project_slug: my-project-dev
account_id: dev-account
provider: hardhat
networks:
  - 5  # Goerli testnet
Use them with: 
# Development
tenderly --project-config tenderly-dev contracts push

# Production
tenderly --project-config tenderly-prod contracts push

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CI/CD Integration

For continuous integration and deployment pipelines, use these patterns:

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Authenticate with Access Key

- name: Login to Tenderly
  run: |
    tenderly login \
      --authentication-method access-key \
      --access-key ${{ secrets.TENDERLY_ACCESS_KEY }}

- name: Push contracts
  run: tenderly contracts push

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JSON Output for Parsing

Use JSON output mode for programmatic access: 
# Get user info as JSON
tenderly --output json whoami

# Parse with jq
USER_ID=$(tenderly --output json whoami | jq -r '.id')

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Non-Interactive Mode

Provide all parameters via flags to avoid prompts: 
# Initialize without prompts
tenderly init \
  --project my-project \
  --force

# Login without prompts
tenderly login \
  --authentication-method access-key \
  --access-key $ACCESS_KEY \
  --force

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Configuration File Locations

Default Location: ~/.tenderly/Files:
  • config.yaml (or config.json) - Main config file
  • Custom configs when using --global-config flag
Permissions: These files contain sensitive authentication tokens. Ensure they have appropriate file permissions:
chmod 600 ~/.tenderly/config.yaml
Default Location: Project root directoryFiles:
  • tenderly.yaml (or tenderly.json) - Main project config
  • Custom configs when using --project-config flag
Version Control: The project config file should be committed to version control, but be careful not to include sensitive data. The global config with authentication tokens should NOT be committed.

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Best Practices

Secure Credentials

Never commit authentication tokens or access keys to version control. Use:
  • Separate global configs for different accounts
  • CI/CD secret management for automation
  • Access keys instead of email/password for automated workflows

Environment Separation

Use different project configs for different environments:
  • tenderly-dev.yaml for development
  • tenderly-staging.yaml for staging
  • tenderly-prod.yaml for production

Automation

For CI/CD pipelines:
  • Use --output json for programmatic parsing
  • Provide all flags to avoid interactive prompts
  • Use access keys for authentication
  • Enable --debug when troubleshooting

Multi-Account Management

Manage multiple Tenderly accounts:
  • Use --global-config to switch between accounts
  • Keep separate configs for personal, team, and client accounts
  • Document which config corresponds to which account

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