env-handler

Environment Variable Handler

Core Rules

1. NO .env.example: Do not create this file. Use .env as the template.
2. Secrets in .env.local: Actual sensitive values must live in .env.local (git-ignored).
3. Placeholders: Every variable in .env.local MUST have a corresponding entry in .env.
4. If sensitive: KEY=""
5. If public/common: KEY="default_value"

Instructions

1. Adding a New Sensitive Variable

When you need to add a secret (e.g., REPLICATE_API_TOKEN):

1. Update .env:

Add the variable with an empty string value. ``bash # .env REPLICATE_API_TOKEN="" ``

1. Ask the User:

Explicitly request the user to add the actual value to their local secrets file. > "I have added REPLICATE_API_TOKEN to your .env file. Please open .env.local and add the actual token: REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=your_token_here"

2. Adding a Non-Sensitive Variable

When adding a public or configuration variable (e.g., NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL):

1. Update .env:

Add the variable with its default or development value. ``bash # .env NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL="http://localhost:3000" ``

3. Reading Variables

• Server-side: process.env.KEY
• Client-side: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_KEY

Checklist

• [ ] Is the variable in .env?
• [ ] If sensitive, is the value in .env empty?
• [ ] Did I ask the user to update .env.local?