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  • It looks like this also works well without the export: (SUMAN_DEBUG=foo && echo $SUMAN_DEBUG) and keeps it in the scope of the command sequence Commented Mar 27, 2019 at 15:30
  • 3
    I'm afraid that's wrong. The first one doesn't work because command arguments are expanded before variable assignment happens. The second one works because SUMAN_DEBUG=foo performs an assignment in the scope of the current shell (my terminology may be imprecise here). @groovenectar's answer seems like a way to go. Your solution with export is useful if the variable is intended to be referenced from a subshell (e.g. you invoke a script that expects that variable to be set). Commented Jul 26, 2019 at 9:42
  • My answer is indeed wrong. Thanks for pointing it out. I re-ran my tests and realized that one of these forms sets the variable as a side-effect so that later tests showed it expanding because of leakage between test cases. I am still not satisfied with the generally accepted answer because I routinely pass variables to apps this way and it works. I wonder if echo being a built-in results in slightly different precedence rules being invoked. Commented Jul 27, 2019 at 15:06
  • This answer should either be updated or removed. Commented Sep 29, 2021 at 10:57