Runtime paths and environment variables¶
Standard paths¶
| Purpose | Default |
|---|---|
| AI IT House home | ~/.ai/it-role-house/ |
| Claude home | ~/.claude/ |
| Codex home | ~/.codex/ |
| Model override | ~/.config/ai-it-house/models.json |
| Demo estate | ~/it-role-demo/ |
| Findings ledger | <project>/.findings/ |
| Fabric records | <project>/.fabric/ |
| Fabric authority key | ~/.config/justifiable-fabric/authority.key |
User versus deployment configuration¶
Ordinary users need not set any of these variables to start /layered or $workflow-layered; the orchestrator uses the installed defaults in the current workspace. The shell commands and Fabric budget settings below are administrator/developer configuration, applied only under the organisation's change and security policy. The human alone is responsible for accepted exceptions and revised risk tolerances; increasing runtime limits is not a substitute for those decisions.
Installation path overrides¶
The standard installation needs no path-variable exports. The installer defaults to AI_IT_HOME=~/.ai, derives AI_IT_HOUSE as <AI_IT_HOME>/it-role-house, and uses ~/.claude and ~/.codex for the provider surfaces.
Administrators can override these installer destinations with AI_IT_HOME, AI_IT_HOUSE, CLAUDE_HOME and CODEX_HOME. If AI_IT_HOUSE is explicitly set, it takes precedence over the path derived from AI_IT_HOME. See the environment reference for the defaults.
Destination overrides do not establish support for complete runtime relocation: generated instructions still contain references to ~/.ai/it-role-house. A deployment using other destinations needs separate validation of its generated provider instructions and runtime paths. Exporting variables alone does not move or migrate an existing installation.
Fabric-specific environment controls¶
| Variable | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
FABRIC_HOME |
./.fabric |
Engagement JSONL location |
FABRIC_AUTHORITY_KEY |
~/.config/justifiable-fabric/authority.key |
HMAC authority key |
FABRIC_MAX_REWORK |
3 |
Rework attempts per contract lineage |
FABRIC_MAX_REFORMULATE |
2 |
Reformulations per layer/round |
FABRIC_MAX_CONTRACTS |
40 |
Contracts per round |
FABRIC_MAX_ROUNDS |
5 |
Human revision rounds |
FABRIC_MAX_STEPS |
120 |
Shared episode budget |
Operational reading¶
Treat these environment variables as governance controls, not as mere performance knobs. Changing them alters what autonomous rework and escalation behaviour is permitted.