env-secrets

name	env-secrets
description	Use when adding or updating environment variables or secrets. Covers global secrets (~/.env.zsh), project-specific secrets (.env.local), and documentation patterns (.env.example).

Environment Variables and Secrets

Storage Locations

Global secrets (used across all projects):

• Store in ~/.env.zsh
• Sourced automatically by .zshrc on shell startup
• Use for API keys, tokens, and credentials needed system-wide

Project-specific secrets:

• Store in .env.local in the project root
• Add .env.local to .gitignore to prevent accidental commits
• Use direnv (already enabled in .zshrc) to auto-load when entering project directory
• Create .env.example to document required variable names without exposing values

Example .env.local

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb
API_KEY=your_secret_key_here

Acceptance Checks

• Secrets stored in ~/.env.zsh (global) or .env.local (project)
• .env.example updated with variable names (no values)
• direnv loads when entering the project directory