Variables

Variables store configuration values that can be referenced throughout your HCL files.

Anything you set via squadron vars set is automatically available as vars.<name> — no variable block required. Declaring a variable block is only needed when you want to attach metadata like secret (for masking) or default (fallback when the vault has no value).

Setting Values

Use the CLI to set variable values:

squadron vars set api_key sk-ant-...
squadron vars set app_name production-app

Values are encrypted at rest in .squadron/vars.vault. The vault is initialized automatically the first time you run squadron engage. Once set, reference them as vars.api_key / vars.app_name from any HCL file.

Defining Variables (optional)

Use variable blocks when you want to mark a value as a secret or supply a default:

variable "api_key" {
  secret = true  # Mask value in CLI / UI output
}
 
variable "app_name" {
  default = "myapp"  # Used only if the vault has no value
}
 
variable "max_retries" {
  default = 3
}

Attributes

Referencing Variables

Use vars.name to reference a variable:

model "anthropic" {
  api_key = vars.api_key
}
 
agent "assistant" {
  personality = "Assistant for ${vars.app_name}"
}

Resolution Order

1. Value set via squadron vars set (encrypted in .squadron/vars.vault)
2. Default value from variable block (if declared)
3. Empty string if a variable block is declared with no default and no vault value
4. HCL evaluation error if vars.<name> is referenced but neither the vault nor a variable block has it

Best Practices

Secrets

Always mark sensitive values as secrets:

variable "anthropic_api_key" {
  secret = true
}
 
variable "database_password" {
  secret = true
}

Defaults for Non-Sensitive Values

Provide defaults for convenience:

variable "environment" {
  default = "development"
}
 
variable "log_level" {
  default = "info"
}

Naming Convention

Use snake_case for variable names:

variable "anthropic_api_key" { }  # Good
variable "anthropicApiKey" { }    # Avoid