github.com/dotenv-org/dotenv-vault @v1.27.0
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README
dotenv-vault is a cli to sync .env files across machines, environments, and team members.
[!NOTE] dotenv-vault is a paid only cloud service for syncing your .env files (as of May 2025).
Looking for a free cloud-less alternative? See my new product dotenvx – that lets you: - encrypt your .env files - commit them to code - and securely sync them over git
🌱 Install
It works with a single command. Run npx dotenv-vault@latest push.
npx dotenv-vault@latest push
remote: Securely pushing (.env)... done
remote: Securely pushed development (.env)
remote: Securely built vault (.env.vault)
That's it. You securely synced your .env file. Next, tell your teammate to run npx dotenv-vault@latest pull
npx dotenv-vault@latest pull
Nice!
See further usage and commands.
Other Ways to Install
Don't want to use npx? Install a number of other ways.
Install via Homebrew
$ brew install dotenv-org/brew/dotenv-vault
$ dotenv-vault help
Install on Windows
Install and run commands via Docker
$ docker run -w $(pwd) -v $(pwd):$(pwd) -it dotenv/dotenv-vault help
🏗️ Usage
When you make a change to your .env file, push it up.
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest push
Commit your .env.vault file safely to code.
$ git add .env.vault
$ git commit -am "Add .env.vault"
$ git push
Now your teammate can pull the latest .env changes.
$ git pull
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest pull
That's it!
🚀 Deploying
Stop scattering your production secrets across multiple third-parties and tools. Instead, use an encrypted .env.vault file.
Generate your encrypted .env.vault file.
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest build
Fetch your production DOTENV_KEY.
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest keys production
remote: Listing .env.vault decryption keys... done
dotenv://:key_1234…@dotenv.org/vault/.env.vault?environment=production
Set DOTENV_KEY on your server.
# heroku example
heroku config:set DOTENV_KEY=dotenv://:key_1234…@dotenv.org/vault/.env.vault?environment=production
Commit your .env.vault file safely to code and deploy.
$ git add .env.vault
$ git commit -am "Update .env.vault"
$ git push
$ git push heroku main # heroku example
That's it! On deploy, your .env.vault file will be decrypted and its secrets injected as environment variables – just in time.
🌴 Manage Multiple Environments
After you've pushed your .env file, dotenv-vault automatically sets up multiple environments. Manage multiple environments with the included UI. learn more
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest open production
That's it! Manage your ci, staging, and production secrets from there.
Would you also like to pull your production .env to your machine? Run the command:
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest pull production
📚 Examples
Vercel
Heroku
GitHub Actions
GitLab CI/CD
Netlify
Docker
CircleCI
Serverless
Railway
Render
Travis CI
Google Cloud
Fly.io
Slack
Buddy
Cloud66
Digital Ocean
Dagger
Bitbucket
Node.js
Express
NextJS
Remix
Astro
Rails
Ruby
Sinatra
Flask
Python
Supabase
Pulumi
Angular
Nuxt
Vite
📖 Commands
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest help
new
Create your project at Dotenv Vault.
Example:
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest new
ARGUMENTS
[DOTENV_VAULT]
Set .env.vault identifier. Defaults to generated value.
$ npx dotenv-vault@latest new vlt_6beaae5…
local: Adding .env.vault (DOTENV_VAULT)... done
local: Added to .env.vault (DOTENV_VAULT=vlt_6beaa...)
FLAGS
-y, --yes
Automatic yes to prompts. Assume yes to all prompts and run non-interactively.
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For agents
$ claude mcp add dotenv-vault \
-- python -m otcore.mcp_server <graph>