denisidoro/navi · error

{name} not set

Error message

{name} not set

What it means

`env_var::must_get(name)` reads an environment variable and panics with "{name} not set" if it is missing. It is used for variables navi considers mandatory (e.g. config/feature selectors), so absence is treated as a fatal configuration error rather than a recoverable one.

Source

Thrown at src/env_var.rs:34

pub const FZF_OVERRIDES_VAR: &str = "NAVI_FZF_OVERRIDES_VAR";
pub const FINDER: &str = "NAVI_FINDER";

pub const CONFIG: &str = "NAVI_CONFIG";
pub const CONFIG_YAML: &str = "NAVI_CONFIG_YAML";

pub fn parse<T: FromStr>(varname: &str) -> Option<T> {
    if let Ok(x) = env::var(varname) {
        x.parse::<T>().ok()
    } else {
        None
    }
}

pub fn must_get(name: &str) -> String {
    if let Ok(v) = env::var(name) {
        v
    } else {
        panic!("{name} not set")
    }
}

pub fn escape(name: &str) -> String {
    name.replace('-', "_")
}

View on GitHub (pinned to f7330b9ad5)

Solutions

1. Export the required variable before running: `export NAVI_VAR=value`
2. Set it inline for one run: `NAVI_VAR=value navi ...`
3. Check for name mismatches — navi accepts dash or underscore in some lookups via `env_var::escape`, but the raw name must match exactly for must_get
4. Add the export to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc) so it persists

Example fix

// before (fails)
$ navi some-subcommand
// thread 'main' panicked at 'NAVI_PATH not set'
// after
$ export NAVI_PATH="$HOME/.navi"
$ navi some-subcommand

fn require_env(name: &str) -> std::io::Result<String> {
    std::env::var(name).map_err(|_| {
        std::io::Error::new(std::io::ErrorKind::NotFound, format!("{} not set", name))
    })
}
// call sites: require_env("NAVI_PATH")? before spawning navi

fn env_set(name: &str) -> Option<String> {
    std::env::var(name).ok().filter(|v| !v.is_empty())
}

// must_get panics; use catch_unwind or check first
if std::env::var_os(name).is_some() {
    let v = navi::env_var::must_get(name);
} else {
    eprintln!("{} not set", name);
    std::process::exit(1);
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling `must_get("SOME_VAR")` (directly or via navi internals) when `std::env::var(name)` returns Err — i.e. the variable is absent from the process environment (empty-string values are OK and returned).

Common situations: Running navi without exporting a required variable, typos in variable names (e.g. NAVI_PATH vs NAVI_PATHS), CI environments that don't inherit your shell exports, or running under systemd/cron where the interactive shell profile isn't loaded.

Understand the failure class

Background: "environment variable is not set" and "Missing keys in environment" errors: what missing required env var messages mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 28 libraries.

Related errors

• Could not open file in external editor
• Invalid link
• `{}` has no parent
• No files found
• No variables received from finder

AI-assisted analysis of denisidoro/navi@f7330b9ad5 (2026-09-03). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7592a6a50fed54ea. Report an issue: GitHub.