Environment variables

Environment variables let you change how C5 behaves without editing any files. You set them before the command, like this:

bash

PORT=5000 growther

Or you can set them for your whole terminal session:

bash

export PORT=5000
growther

The variables #

Variable	What it does	Default
`GROWTHER_HOME`	Where C5 keeps all your data.	`~/.growther`
`GROWTHER_DATA_DIR`	Where the databases live. Must be a local disk.	`<home>/data`
`GROWTHER_SECRETS_DIR`	Where the device key set lives. Local only.	`<home>/config`
`GROWTHER_CACHE_DIR`	Where downloaded models and caches live.	`<home>`
`PORT`	Which port the C5 server listens on.	`4299`
`GROWTHER_CHANNEL`	Which releases you get: stable, beta, or dev.	`stable`
`GROWTHER_NO_SELF_INSTALL`	Set to `1` to run the program where it sits.	off
`GROWTHER_NO_MODIFY_PATH`	Set to `1` so C5 never edits your shell files.	off

Common things people do #

Use a different port #

If something else on your computer already uses port 4299:

bash

PORT=5000 growther

Keep your data somewhere else #

Handy if you want your C5 data on an external drive, or you want two separate setups that do not share anything:

bash

GROWTHER_HOME=/Volumes/Work/growther growther

Warning Each data folder is its own separate world. Chats, tasks, and settings in one folder are not visible from another.

Try early versions #

bash

GROWTHER_CHANNEL=beta growther update

Switch back with GROWTHER_CHANNEL=stable growther update.

Keep C5 out of your shell files #

Some people manage their PATH by hand and do not want any program editing their shell setup:

bash

GROWTHER_NO_MODIFY_PATH=1 growther

You will then need to add C5 to your PATH yourself.

What is in your data folder #

Everything C5 knows lives in GROWTHER_HOME (by default ~/.growther):

Your chats, tasks, and their whole history
Files your agents made
Your settings and API keys — see Config files
Backups

The databases are encrypted, and on macOS and Linux the key file lives in this same folder — so a copy of the folder is a copy of everything, key included. See Local encryption before you back it up anywhere shared.

On Windows it is two folders. Every install created since C5 2026.9 keeps configuration under %USERPROFILE%\.growther and puts the databases and keys under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Growther\C5, because %LOCALAPPDATA% does not travel with a roaming profile — an encrypted database must never be carried to a machine without its key.

Run growther home show to see every path your install actually uses, and back up all of them. See Where your data lives for the full layout.

Locations are decided once #

GROWTHER_HOME and the three folders above are read when C5 starts and never change while it runs. On a managed device an organisation policy wins over the environment; otherwise the environment wins over the pointer file C5 writes when you move the home from Settings. A service unit registered by an older version may still carry an old GROWTHER_HOME; C5 prefers the pointer in that case and rewrites the unit at the next start.

Databases are refused on a network folder, a mapped drive, a roaming profile or a synced folder. GROWTHER_ALLOW_REMOTE_DATA=1 lifts that only in development builds, never in a released binary.