Variables

gogo supports variables that can be used in commands via {{.VAR}} templates or ${VAR} shell expansion.

Global Variables

Define variables at the top level of your task file:

vars:
  BINARY_NAME: myapp
  VERSION: 1.0.0

tasks:
  build:
    cmd: go build -ldflags "-X main.version={{.VERSION}}" -o {{.BINARY_NAME}} ./...

Dynamic Variables

Variables can be computed from shell commands:

vars:
  GIT_SHA:
    sh: git rev-parse --short HEAD
  DATE:
    sh: date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ

tasks:
  build:
    cmd: go build -ldflags "-X main.sha={{.GIT_SHA}} -X main.date={{.DATE}}" ./...

Task-Scoped Variables

Tasks can define their own variables that override global ones:

vars:
  ENV: development

tasks:
  deploy:
    vars:
      ENV: production
    cmd: deploy --env {{.ENV}}

Built-in Variables

CLI Arguments

Arguments after -- are available as {{.CLI_ARGS}}:

tasks:
  test:
    cmd: go test {{.CLI_ARGS}} ./...

gogo test -- -v -run TestFoo

Environment Variable Expansion

Variables in the task file are expanded from environment variables using {{.VAR}} syntax at parse time:

tasks:
  deploy:
    cmd: deploy --region {{.AWS_REGION}}

If AWS_REGION is set in the environment, it will be substituted before the task file is processed.

Task Environment

Tasks can set environment variables for their commands. Values support ${VAR} expansion from variables and the environment:

vars:
  PORT: "8080"

tasks:
  serve:
    env:
      PORT: "${PORT}"
      NODE_ENV: production
    cmd: node server.js

Cross-References Between Env Entries

env values can reference other entries in the same env block. References are resolved transparently before the command runs:

tasks:
  serve:
    env:
      HOST: localhost
      PORT: "8080"
      ADDR: "${HOST}:${PORT}"   # → localhost:8080
    cmd: server --addr $ADDR

Lookup order for ${VAR} inside an env value: another key in the same env block first, then task vars, then the process environment. Self-cycles or mutual cycles between env keys resolve to the empty string rather than looping forever.

Variable Resolution Order

When resolving {{.VAR}} or ${VAR} inside a command, gogo looks up the name in this order:

1. Task-scoped vars (which override global vars)
2. CLI_ARGS (if the lookup is for that name)
3. The process environment

Unknown ${VAR} references are left intact for the shell to expand. Unknown {{.VAR}} templates are left verbatim.