From 40ce2d3e41f2c02ba470c454f48d8a6281ce0744 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Bryce Mecum <petridish@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2026 17:01:20 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Add env vars reference

---
 docs/reference/environment_variables.md | 63 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
 docs/reference/index.md                 |  1 +
 mkdocs.yml                              |  1 +
 3 files changed, 65 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 docs/reference/environment_variables.md

diff --git a/docs/reference/environment_variables.md b/docs/reference/environment_variables.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eb0bdca6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/reference/environment_variables.md
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+<!--
+Copyright 2026 Columnar Technologies Inc.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+-->
+
+# Environment Variables
+
+dbc supports the following environment variables:
+
+## `DBC_BASE_URL`
+
+Base URL of the driver registry to use. When set, overrides the default registries.
+
+## `DBC_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID`
+
+OAuth client ID for [`dbc auth login`](cli.md#login).
+
+## ADBC Variables
+
+dbc respects the following environment variables that [ADBC](https://arrow.apache.org/adbc) driver managers respect:
+
+### `ADBC_DRIVER_PATH`
+
+When set, drivers are installed to the specified path. See [Config Level](config_level.md#default-behavior).
+
+### `VIRTUAL_ENV`
+
+When set, drivers are installed inside the Python virtual environment specified by the value unless `ADBC_DRIVER_PATH` is set. See [Config Level](config_level.md#default-behavior).
+
+### `CONDA_PREFIX`
+
+When set, drivers are installed inside the Conda environment specified by the value unless `ADBC_DRIVER_PATH` or `VIRTUAL_ENV` are set. See [Config Level](config_level.md#default-behavior).
+
+## Other Variables
+
+dbc supports the following general environment variables:
+
+### `HTTP_PROXY`
+
+Proxy URL for `http://` requests.
+
+### `HTTPS_PROXY`
+
+Proxy URL for `https://` requests.
+
+### `NO_PROXY`
+
+Hosts that bypass the proxy.
+
+### `NO_COLOR`
+
+When set to a truthy value (e.g., `true`, `1`), disables colored output.
diff --git a/docs/reference/index.md b/docs/reference/index.md
index 2f8dd764..0801df84 100644
--- a/docs/reference/index.md
+++ b/docs/reference/index.md
@@ -20,4 +20,5 @@ limitations under the License.
 - [Config level](./config_level.md)
 - [Driver List](./driver_list.md)
 - [Supported Platforms](./supported_platforms.md)
+- [Environment Variables](./environment_variables.md)
 - [Analytics](./analytics.md)
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 8b818b2f..e3a282df 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ nav:
       - Config Level: reference/config_level.md
       - Driver List: reference/driver_list.md
       - Supported Platforms: reference/supported_platforms.md
+      - Environment Variables: reference/environment_variables.md
       - Analytics: reference/analytics.md
 theme:
   name: material