> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.task-master.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configuration

Before getting started with Task Master, you'll need to set up your API keys. There are a couple of ways to do this depending on whether you're using the CLI or working inside MCP. It's also a good time to start getting familiar with the other configuration options available — even if you don’t need to adjust them yet, knowing what’s possible will help down the line.

## API Key Setup

Task Master uses environment variables to securely store provider API keys and optional endpoint URLs.

### MCP Usage: mcp.json file

For MCP/Cursor usage: Configure keys in the env section of your .cursor/mcp.json file.

```java .env lines icon="java" theme={null}
{
	"mcpServers": {
		"task-master-ai": {
			"command": "npx",
			"args": ["-y", "task-master-ai"],
			"env": {
				"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_HERE",
				"PERPLEXITY_API_KEY": "PERPLEXITY_API_KEY_HERE",
				"OPENAI_API_KEY": "OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
				"GOOGLE_API_KEY": "GOOGLE_API_KEY_HERE",
				"XAI_API_KEY": "XAI_API_KEY_HERE",
				"OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "OPENROUTER_API_KEY_HERE",
				"MISTRAL_API_KEY": "MISTRAL_API_KEY_HERE",
				"AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY": "AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE",
				"OLLAMA_API_KEY": "OLLAMA_API_KEY_HERE",
				"GITHUB_API_KEY": "GITHUB_API_KEY_HERE"
			}
		}
	}
}
```

<Tip>
  **Optimize Context Usage**: You can control which Task Master MCP tools are loaded using the `TASK_MASTER_TOOLS` environment variable. This helps reduce LLM context usage by only loading the tools you need.

  Options:

  * `core` or `lean` (default) - 7 essential tools
  * `standard` - 15 commonly used tools
  * `all` - All 36 tools

  Example:

  ```json theme={null}
  "env": {
    "TASK_MASTER_TOOLS": "standard",
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "your_key_here"
  }
  ```

  See the [MCP Tools documentation](/capabilities/mcp#configurable-tool-loading) for details.
</Tip>

### CLI Usage: `.env` File

Create a `.env` file in your project root and include the keys for the providers you plan to use:

```java .env lines icon="java" theme={null}
# Required API keys for providers configured in .taskmaster/config.json
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-key-here
PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=pplx-your-key-here
# OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here
# GOOGLE_API_KEY=AIzaSy...
# AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=your-azure-openai-api-key-here
# etc.

# Optional Endpoint Overrides
# Use a specific provider's base URL, e.g., for an OpenAI-compatible API
# OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.third-party.com/v1
#
# Azure OpenAI Configuration
# AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT=https://your-resource-name.openai.azure.com/ or https://your-endpoint-name.cognitiveservices.azure.com/openai/deployments
# OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://custom-ollama-host:11434/api

# Google Vertex AI Configuration (Required if using 'vertex' provider)
# VERTEX_PROJECT_ID=your-gcp-project-id
```

## What Else Can Be Configured?

The main configuration file (`.taskmaster/config.json`) allows you to control nearly every aspect of Task Master’s behavior. Here’s a high-level look at what you can customize:

<Tip>
  You don’t need to configure everything up front. Most settings can be left as defaults or updated later as your workflow evolves.
</Tip>

<Accordion title="View Configuration Options">
  ### Models and Providers

  * Role-based model setup: `main`, `research`, `fallback`
  * Provider selection (Anthropic, OpenAI, Perplexity, etc.)
  * Model IDs per role
  * Temperature, max tokens, and other generation settings
  * Custom base URLs for OpenAI-compatible APIs

  ### Global Settings

  * `logLevel`: Logging verbosity
  * `debug`: Enable/disable debug mode
  * `projectName`: Optional name for your project
  * `defaultTag`: Default tag for task grouping
  * `defaultSubtasks`: Number of subtasks to auto-generate
  * `defaultPriority`: Priority level for new tasks

  ### API Endpoint Overrides

  * `ollamaBaseURL`: Custom Ollama server URL
  * `azureBaseURL`: Global Azure endpoint
  * `vertexProjectId`: Google Vertex AI project ID
  * `vertexLocation`: Region for Vertex AI models

  ### Tag and Git Integration

  * Default tag context per project
  * Support for task isolation by tag
  * Manual tag creation from Git branches

  ### State Management

  * Active tag tracking
  * Migration state
  * Last tag switch timestamp
</Accordion>

<Note>
  For advanced configuration options and detailed customization, see our [Advanced Configuration Guide](/best-practices/configuration-advanced) page.
</Note>