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The GitHits CLI reads several environment variables at startup. You can use them to authenticate without a browser, switch credential storage modes, or suppress update notifications.
VariablePurposeDefault
GITHITS_API_TOKENAPI token for authentication (format: ghi-...)—
GITHITS_AUTH_STORAGEOverride OAuth storage mode: keychain or filekeychain
GITHITS_TELEMETRYEmit end-of-run timing spans to stderr for local profiling—
GITHITS_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECKDisable npm latest-version update notices—

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GITHITS_API_TOKEN

Set an API token to authenticate without browser OAuth. This is the recommended approach for CI pipelines, automation scripts, and headless environments where a browser login isn’t practical. Tokens follow the format ghi-... and can be generated from your GitHits account settings. When GITHITS_API_TOKEN is set, the CLI skips local OAuth storage entirely. You can verify this with npx githits@latest auth status, which reports the credential source. 
export GITHITS_API_TOKEN=ghi-your-token-here
npx githits@latest auth status
GITHITS_API_TOKEN takes precedence over stored OAuth credentials. If both are present, the environment variable is used.

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GITHITS_AUTH_STORAGE

Override the OAuth credential storage mode for a single process or for all GitHits commands in the current shell session.
  • keychain (default) — stores OAuth credentials in the system keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service).
  • file — stores OAuth credentials as JSON files in the GitHits config directory.
Use file mode in SSH sessions, CI environments, or when persistent keychain prompts remain even after granting access. 
GITHITS_AUTH_STORAGE=file npx githits@latest login --force
File storage is not encrypted. Any process running as your OS user can read the stored tokens. For CI and automation, use GITHITS_API_TOKEN instead.

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GITHITS_TELEMETRY

When set to any non-empty value, the CLI emits end-of-run timing spans to stderr. Use this for local profiling and performance investigation. The output goes to stderr only and does not affect stdout. 
GITHITS_TELEMETRY=1 npx githits@latest example "connect to redis"

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GITHITS_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK

When set to any non-empty value, suppresses the npm latest-version check and update notice that the CLI prints when a newer version is available. Useful in CI environments where the notice would pollute log output. 
export GITHITS_DISABLE_UPDATE_CHECK=1