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Environment Variables

When you run source venv/bin/activate, the SDK sets several environment variables that tell its tools where to find libraries, firmware, and device binaries. Understanding these helps when troubleshooting or deploying to non-standard locations.

Variables set by activation​

VariableDefault valuePurpose
AXELERA_FRAMEWORK. (SDK root)Location of the Voyager SDK repository
AXELERA_RUNTIME_DIR/opt/axelera/runtime-\<version\>/omegaHost runtime libraries for Metis devices
AXELERA_DEVICE_DIR/opt/axelera/device-\<version\>Metis firmware and low-level binaries
LD_LIBRARY_PATH$AXELERA_RUNTIME_DIR/lib:$AXELERA_FRAMEWORK/operators/libDynamic library search path
PYTHONPATH$AXELERA_RUNTIME_DIR/tvm/tvm-srcPython module search path for SDK packages

What each variable does​

AXELERA_FRAMEWORK​

Points to the SDK repository root. All tools use this to find models, pipelines, and configuration files.

echo $AXELERA_FRAMEWORK
# /home/user/voyager-sdk

AXELERA_RUNTIME_DIR​

Location of the host-side runtime libraries. These are installed by install.sh to /opt/axelera/ in version-specific directories.

echo $AXELERA_RUNTIME_DIR
# /opt/axelera/runtime-1.5.0/omega

AXELERA_DEVICE_DIR​

Location of the device firmware and low-level binaries that are loaded onto the Metis AIPU at runtime.

echo $AXELERA_DEVICE_DIR
# /opt/axelera/device-1.5.0

LD_LIBRARY_PATH​

Standard Linux variable that tells the dynamic linker where to find shared libraries. The SDK adds its own library paths so that compiled models can access the Axelera runtime.

PYTHONPATH​

Standard Python variable that adds directories to the module search path. The SDK adds paths so that import axelera and related imports work.

Useful for troubleshooting​

If a tool reports missing libraries or modules, check these variables:

# Verify environment is active
echo $AXELERA_FRAMEWORK    # Should show your SDK path
echo $AXELERA_RUNTIME_DIR  # Should show /opt/axelera/runtime-...

# If empty, you forgot to activate
source venv/bin/activate

Optional variables​

VariablePurpose
AXELERA_CONFIGURE_DEVICE=0Prevent pipelines from auto-configuring device clock/MVM settings

After deactivation​

When you run deactivate, all variables are restored to their original values (or unset if they didn't exist before activation). This prevents SDK paths from leaking into unrelated work.

See also​