> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.gooseworks.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Environment Variables

> Securely store API keys and configuration for your agent

**Environment variables** let you store API keys, secrets, and configuration values that Goose and your skills can use during execution.

## Why use environment variables?

Some skills and workflows need access to external services — for example, an API key for a data provider or a webhook URL. Instead of pasting these into chat every time, you store them as environment variables and Goose uses them automatically.

## How to set them

1. Go to your agent's **Settings** page.
2. Open the **Environment** tab.
3. Add a key-value pair (e.g., `APOLLO_API_KEY` = `your-key-here`).

Environment variables are encrypted and stored securely. They're injected into the agent's execution environment when skills and scripts run.

## Common use cases

* **API keys** for data providers (Apollo, Crustdata, etc.)
* **Webhook URLs** for notifications
* **Configuration values** that skills reference at runtime

## Security

Environment variable values are stored encrypted and are never displayed in full after you save them. Only your agent's execution environment can access them at runtime.