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How they reach the runtime
- A runtime you start yourself reads them from the command line or your shell, as usual.
- RoachNet.app starts the runtime with its own environment, so a variable has to be set where the app can see it. Apps opened from Finder or the Dock don't read your shell profile;
launchctl setenv NAME value sets one for apps you open afterwards in this login session, and launchctl unsetenv NAME clears it. Quit and reopen RoachNet after either.
RoachNet.app always sets a few values itself, so setting them has no effect on the runtime it starts: OLLAMA_BASE_URL (always http://127.0.0.1:36434), OLLAMA_MODELS, ROACHNET_STORAGE_PATH and the companion bridge settings, which come from the installer settings. It also gives the runtime its own per-launch token in place of any ROACHNET_API_TOKEN, on the runtime's standard input since 1.1.3.
Models
| Variable |
Default |
What it does |
ROACHNET_INFERENCE_ENGINE |
native |
ollama sends model requests to an Ollama you run yourself instead of RoachInference; RoachNet never starts one. See RoachClaw. |
ROACHNET_OLLAMA_URL |
http://127.0.0.1:11434 |
Where your own Ollama listens, with ROACHNET_INFERENCE_ENGINE=ollama. |
ROACHNET_MODEL_MEMORY_GB |
80% of memory |
How much memory loaded models may use together, in GB. Also what this Mac offers a cluster. |
ROACHNET_MAX_LOADED_MODELS |
2 |
How many models stay loaded at once |
ROACHNET_MODEL_SLOTS |
4 |
Parallel requests per model, 1 to 16. 1 runs them one at a time. |
ROACHNET_KV_CACHE |
f16 |
f32 keeps the context cache at full precision, in twice the memory |
ROACHNET_INFERENCE_BACKEND |
Metal |
cpu or metal |
OLLAMA_BASE_URL |
http://127.0.0.1:36434 |
Where the model server listens, for a runtime you start yourself. Must be a loopback address; Ollama's port, 11434, or no port means 36434. |
Local API and storage
| Variable |
Default |
What it does |
ROACHNET_API_TOKEN |
unset |
For a runtime you start yourself: every route except GET /api/health then needs this token. Since 1.1.3 the runtime takes it out of its environment when it starts, so the programs it runs don't inherit it. |
ROACHNET_STORAGE_PATH |
~/RoachNet/storage |
Where data lives, for a runtime you start yourself |
ROACHNET_SETUP_PORT |
an ephemeral port |
Pins the setup service's port for roachnet-runtime --setup |
RoachTail and the companion
| Variable |
Default |
What it does |
ROACHTAIL_PEER_IDLE_DAYS |
90 |
Days a device token may go unused before it stops working. 0 turns that off. |
ROACHTAIL_RELAY_HOST |
unset |
The HTTPS relay you run, for reaching the bridge from a phone |
ROACHTAIL_JOIN_CODE_TTL_MS |
10 minutes |
How long a join code lasts, in milliseconds |
ROACHNET_COMPANION_HOST |
127.0.0.1 |
The bridge's address, for a runtime you start yourself |
ROACHNET_COMPANION_PORT |
38111 |
The bridge's port, for a runtime you start yourself |
Cluster
| Variable |
Default |
What it does |
ROACHNET_CLUSTER_PORT |
7419 |
The port Cluster listens on while it's on |
ROACHNET_CLUSTER_HOST |
every interface |
The address Cluster listens on |
ROACHNET_CLUSTER_BONJOUR |
on |
0 stops advertising over Bonjour; other Macs then need your address |
