Setting variables in environment.plist

Question

I've been trying to come to terms with how to set environment variables needed by launched applications in Sierra, but I'm puzzled.

Following various bits of advice found online, I created a file ~/Library/LaunchAgents/environment.plist. It looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>Label</key>
  <string>my.startup</string>
  <key>ProgramArguments</key>
  <array>
    <string>sh</string>
    <string>-c</string>
    <string>
      launchctl setenv FOO foo
      launchctl setenv BAR bar
      <!-- ... -->
      launchctl setenv PATH /usr/local/opt/scala210/bin:/usr/local/bin:$PATH
    </string>
  </array>
  <key>RunAtLoad</key>
  <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

From my experimenting, it appears that nothing less than a system reboot will make changes to this file take effect. I did find mentions of this command that will supposedly do the trick:

$ launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/environment.plist

...but when I run it I get this response:

[my home dir]/Library/LaunchAgents/environment.plist: service already loaded

In the documentation for launchctl I see mention of a -F flag that seems relevant:

Force the loading or unloading of the plist. Ignore the Disabled key.

However, it makes no difference if I include this switch; I get the same output and the file is ignored.

So anyway, rebooting does make the changes take effect (maybe logging out and back in also would? I didn't check), but with one exception: the PATH variable. That variable just stayed the same no matter how I changed it, and across reboots. Eventually I stumbled across a Stack Exchange answer that offhandedly warned that changing PATH in this way would be ignored until the Dock was restarted with the killall Dock command. So I did that, and rebooted, and finally I had my PATH set correctly.

So, anyway, I suppose my main question would be: Is there any more hassle-free way to update environment variables than the way I outline above? And a subsidiary question might be: Does the special handling of PATH make any sense at all?

Answer 1

• Unload the launch agent:

  launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/environment.plist
  

• Modify the plist/env settings

• Load the launch agent again:

  launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/environment.plist
  

---

You have to quit and relaunch Terminal to get the new value of the variable in the shell.

With the example of Kuldeep Yadav's comment the usr.aws.plist in ~/Library/LaunchAgent/ would look like this then:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
        <key>Label</key>
        <string>usr.aws</string>
        <key>ProgramArguments</key>
        <array>
                <string>/bin/launchctl</string>
                <string>setenv</string>
                <string>AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY</string>
                <string>loremipsum</string>
                <string>/bin/launchctl</string>
                <string>setenv</string>
                <string>AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID</string>
                <string>loremipsum2</string>
                <string>/bin/launchctl</string>
                <string>setenv</string>
                <string>AWS_ACCESS_KEY</string>
                <string>loremipsum3</string>
                <string>/bin/launchctl</string>
                <string>setenv</string>
                <string>AWS_SECRET_KEY</string>
                <string>loremipsum4</string>
        </array>
        <key>RunAtLoad</key>
        <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

This is only tested (& working) with bash & zsh.