# Setting environment variables from Gradle

**URL:** <https://discuss.gradle.org/t/setting-environment-variables-from-gradle/5333>\
**Category:** Old Forum Archive\
**Created:** [January 9, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/setting-environment-variables-from-gradle/5333 "2012-01-09T19:14:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sergey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Sergey](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Sergey)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:14pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/setting-environment-variables-from-gradle/5333/1 "2012-01-09T19:14:00Z")

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I need to execute from Gradle an Ant script which relies on environment variables. Ant uses

```gradle
<property environment="env"/>

```

for it.

I tried to do

```gradle
env.foo="bar"

```

in Gradle, but it throws a Groovy exception.

What is the proper way to pass environment variables from Gradle to Ant?

---

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**Author:** ![Peter\_Niederwieser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9f8e36/32.png) [@Peter\_Niederwieser](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Peter_Niederwieser)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/setting-environment-variables-from-gradle/5333/2 "2012-01-09T20:52:00Z")

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Gradle, and more generally the JDK, doesn’t support setting environment variables from inside the process. I’d consider tweaking the Ant script, calling Ant as an external process (e.g. via JavaExec), or setting the environment variable externally.

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**Author:** ![adammurdoch](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/gradle/user_avatar/discuss.gradle.org/adammurdoch/32/17_2.png) [@adammurdoch](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/adammurdoch)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/setting-environment-variables-from-gradle/5333/3 "2012-01-09T21:58:00Z")

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You could fake it, by doing something like:

```gradle
ant.properties['env.foo'] = 'bar'

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Sergey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Sergey](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Sergey)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/setting-environment-variables-from-gradle/5333/4 "2012-01-10T06:49:00Z")

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Thanks a lot!

That’s exactly what I was searching for.