env-audit

name	env-audit
description	Environment variable and configuration audit. 8 dimensions (ENV1-ENV8): variable completeness, unused vars, startup validation, secret exposure, environment parity, type safety, default values, and documentation. Supports Node.js (.env/process.env), Python (os.environ/settings), and framework-specific patterns (Vite import.meta.env, Next.js NEXT_PUBLIC_). Switches: zuvo:env-audit full | [path] | --secrets-only | --parity
codesift_tools	{"always":["analyze_project","index_status","index_folder","index_file","plan_turn","scan_secrets","get_file_tree","search_text","search_patterns","get_file_outline","find_references","search_symbols","get_symbol","audit_scan"],"by_stack":{"typescript":["get_type_info"],"javascript":[],"python":["python_audit","analyze_async_correctness"],"php":["php_project_audit","php_security_scan"],"kotlin":["analyze_sealed_hierarchy","find_extension_functions","trace_flow_chain","trace_suspend_chain","trace_compose_tree","analyze_compose_recomposition","trace_hilt_graph","trace_room_schema","analyze_kmp_declarations","extract_kotlin_serialization_contract"],"nestjs":["nest_audit"],"nextjs":["framework_audit","nextjs_route_map"],"astro":["astro_audit","astro_actions_audit","astro_hydration_audit"],"hono":["analyze_hono_app","audit_hono_security"],"express":[],"fastify":[],"react":["react_quickstart","analyze_hooks","analyze_renders"],"django":["analyze_django_settings","effective_django_view_security","taint_trace"],"fastapi":["trace_fastapi_depends","get_pydantic_models"],"flask":["find_framework_wiring"],"jest":[],"yii":["resolve_php_service"],"prisma":["analyze_prisma_schema"],"drizzle":[],"sql":["sql_audit"],"postgres":["migration_lint"]}}

zuvo:env-audit

Audit environment variable management for completeness, safety, and consistency across development, staging, and production environments. Single-pass execution.

When to use: After adding new env vars, before production deploy, when debugging config-related incidents, onboarding new environments, periodic check. When NOT to use: Secret scanning in source code (/security-audit), CI pipeline config (zuvo:ci-audit), infrastructure (/security-audit).

Mandatory File Loading

Read every file below before starting. Print the checklist.

CORE FILES LOADED:
  1. ../../shared/includes/codesift-setup.md   -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]
  2. ../../shared/includes/env-compat.md        -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]
  3. ../../shared/includes/run-logger.md        -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]
  4. ../../shared/includes/retrospective.md        -- [READ | MISSING -> STOP]

If any file is MISSING, STOP. Do not proceed from memory.

---

Argument Parsing

Token	Behavior
(empty) or full	All 8 dimensions, scope = project root
[path]	Scope to a directory (monorepo package, module)
--secrets-only	ENV4 only -- focus on secret exposure
--parity	ENV5 only -- compare environment configurations

---

Safety Gates

GATE 1 -- Read-Only

This audit is read-only. The only write target is audits/.

FORBIDDEN:

• Modifying any .env, config, or source file
• Creating or deleting environment variables
• Accessing external secret managers (analyze config references only)

GATE 2 -- PII and Secret Censorship

When including env var values in the report:

• Replace actual values with ***
• Show only variable names, never values
• Exception: .env.example placeholder values can be shown as-is

---

Phase 0: Detect and Scope

0.1 Target Resolution

Set TARGET_ROOT from arguments. All subsequent commands use this path.

0.2 Stack Detection

Detect which env access patterns to search for:

Signal	Stack	Access Pattern
package.json	Node.js	process.env.VAR, process.env['VAR']
vite.config.*	Vite	import.meta.env.VITE_VAR
next.config.*	Next.js	process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_VAR (client-safe)
requirements.txt, pyproject.toml	Python	os.environ['VAR'], os.getenv('VAR'), os.environ.get('VAR')
wrangler.toml	Cloudflare Workers	env.VAR (binding)
docker-compose.*	Docker Compose	environment: / env_file: directives

0.3 Variable Name Extraction

Build a comprehensive inventory by scanning code for all env access patterns detected in 0.2. Collect unique variable names (not values).

0.4 Inventory

Cross-reference all sources:

1. Variables defined in .env* files (names only)
2. Variables accessed in code (from extraction)
3. Variables in Docker Compose, CI config, or cloud deployment files

Print:

ENV VAR INVENTORY
------------------------------------
Target:          [TARGET_ROOT]
Config sources:  [.env, .env.example, .env.local, ...]
Stack:           [Node.js / Python / Vite / Next.js]
Vars defined:    [N]
Vars used in code: [N]
------------------------------------

---

Phase 1: Dimension Analysis (ENV1-ENV8)

Single-pass inline execution. No sub-agents required.

ENV1: Variable Completeness -- Weight 15, Max 15, Critical Gate

Are all required env vars defined and documented?

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Code vs example coverage	All used vars listed in .env.example	Var used in code but missing from .env.example	CRITICAL
Required vars guarded	Startup fails fast on missing required var	App starts, crashes later when var accessed	CRITICAL
.env.example exists	Yes, with all vars and placeholder values	No .env.example at all	HIGH
Stale vars	No vars in .env.example that are unused in code	Accumulated dead config	MEDIUM

Detection approach: Compare the set of variables found in code against the set defined in .env.example. Report both directions: used-but-undocumented and documented-but-unused.

Critical gate: ENV1=0 (no .env.example OR multiple critical vars undocumented) triggers FAIL.

ENV2: Unused Variables -- Weight 5, Max 5

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Defined but never used	All defined vars referenced in code	Stale vars accumulate	MEDIUM
Dead config sections	Removed features cleaned up	Config references removed features	LOW

Detection approach: Check each var in .env.example against code access patterns. A var referenced only in comments or documentation counts as unused.

ENV3: Startup Validation -- Weight 15, Max 15, Critical Gate

Does the app fail fast on missing or invalid configuration?

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Schema validation	Zod/Joi/Pydantic/envalid validates all vars at startup	No validation, raw access everywhere	CRITICAL
Fail-fast behavior	App throws before serving requests on missing var	Starts, breaks when var first accessed	CRITICAL
Type coercion	Parsed and validated (parseInt, Number, schema)	Port used as string in numeric context	HIGH

What to search for:

• Validation libraries: z.object, Joi.object, BaseSettings, envalid, envsafe, convict, cleanEnv, ConfigModule, @IsString
• Fail-fast patterns: throw with env/config message, process.exit on missing env
• Raw usage: process.env.VAR without validation wrapper
• NestJS: ConfigModule.forRoot() with validationSchema

Critical gate: ENV3=0 (no validation anywhere) triggers FAIL.

ENV4: Secret Exposure -- Weight 15, Max 15, Critical Gate

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
.env in .gitignore	.env and .env.local listed in .gitignore	.env committed to repository	CRITICAL
Client-side exposure	Only NEXT_PUBLIC_/VITE_ vars are non-sensitive	API keys in NEXT_PUBLIC_* variables	CRITICAL
Hardcoded secrets	Secrets only in env vars or secret manager	API keys hardcoded in config files	CRITICAL
Docker image leakage	.env listed in .dockerignore	.env copied into Docker image	HIGH
Git history	No .env files in git history	Past .env commits (secrets may still be in history)	HIGH

Detection approach:

• Check .gitignore for .env patterns
• git ls-files for committed .env files
• Search for NEXT_PUBLIC_*KEY, NEXT_PUBLIC_*SECRET, VITE_*KEY etc.
• Search for hardcoded secrets: (api_key|secret|password|token)\s*[:=]\s*['"][^'"{}$] excluding test/mock/example files
• Check .dockerignore for .env

Critical gate: ENV4=0 (secrets committed or API keys in client-side vars) triggers FAIL.

ENV5: Environment Parity -- Weight 10, Max 10

Are dev/staging/production environments consistent?

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Same var set across envs	All environments define the same variables	Prod has vars dev lacks	HIGH
Docker Compose alignment	docker-compose env matches app config	Docker sets vars not in .env.example	MEDIUM
Feature flag documentation	Feature flags documented per environment	Undocumented per-env behavior	MEDIUM

Detection approach: Compare variable sets across all .env* files found at the target root. Check Docker Compose environment: sections against the .env.example inventory.

ENV6: Type Safety -- Weight 8, Max 8

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Central config module	Typed config with validated accessors	Raw process.env.X scattered across 50+ files	HIGH
Boolean parsing	=== 'true' or schema-parsed	if (process.env.FLAG) (any string is truthy)	HIGH
Number parsing	parseInt with NaN check or schema	Port used as string	MEDIUM
Access centralization	< 3 files access process.env directly	20+ files with raw env access	MEDIUM

Detection approach: Count per-file occurrences of raw env access. Search for boolean truthy gotchas (if (process.env.VAR)). Check for number conversion patterns.

ENV7: Default Values -- Weight 7, Max 7

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Dev-friendly defaults	PORT ?? 3000 for local development	App crashes without complete .env	MEDIUM
No secret defaults	Secret vars always required, no fallback	JWT_SECRET ?? 'default-secret'	CRITICAL
Documented defaults	.env.example shows which vars have defaults	Developer cannot tell required vs optional	LOW

Detection approach:

• Search for ?? and || operators after env access (Node.js)
• Search for os.getenv('VAR', 'default') patterns (Python)
• Flag any default on SECRET/KEY/PASSWORD/TOKEN variables

ENV8: Documentation -- Weight 5, Max 5

Check	Good	Bad	Severity
Inline comments	Each var in .env.example has a comment explaining purpose	Bare variable names only	MEDIUM
Required vs optional	Marked with # Required / # Optional (default: 3000)	No indication which vars are needed	MEDIUM
Setup instructions	README covers env setup	New developer has to guess	LOW

---

Phase 2: Scoring

ENV1 = [0-15]   Variable Completeness    (critical gate)
ENV2 = [0-5]    Unused Variables
ENV3 = [0-15]   Startup Validation       (critical gate)
ENV4 = [0-15]   Secret Exposure          (critical gate)
ENV5 = [0-10]   Environment Parity
ENV6 = [0-8]    Type Safety
ENV7 = [0-7]    Default Values
ENV8 = [0-5]    Documentation

Score = sum / 80 x 100

Critical gates: ENV1=0 OR ENV3=0 OR ENV4=0 triggers FAIL.

Grade	Percentage
HEALTHY	>= 80%
NEEDS ATTENTION	60-79%
AT RISK	40-59%
CRITICAL	< 40%

---

Phase 3: Report

Save to: audits/env-audit-[YYYY-MM-DD].md

Report Structure

# Environment & Configuration Audit Report

## Metadata
| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Project | [name] |
| Date | [YYYY-MM-DD] |
| Scope | [TARGET_ROOT or full project] |
| Stack | [Node.js / Python / Vite / Next.js] |
| Config sources | [.env, .env.example, config.ts, ...] |
| Vars defined | [N] |
| Vars used in code | [N] |

## Executive Summary

**Score: [N] / 100** -- [HEALTHY / NEEDS ATTENTION / AT RISK / CRITICAL]

| Metric | Count |
|--------|-------|
| CRITICAL findings | N |
| HIGH findings | N |
| MEDIUM findings | N |

[2-3 sentence summary]

## Dimension Scores

| # | Dimension | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|-----------|-------|-----|-------|
| ENV1 | Variable Completeness | [N] | 15 | |
| ENV2 | Unused Variables | [N] | 5 | |
| ENV3 | Startup Validation | [N] | 15 | |
| ENV4 | Secret Exposure | [N] | 15 | |
| ENV5 | Environment Parity | [N] | 10 | |
| ENV6 | Type Safety | [N] | 8 | |
| ENV7 | Default Values | [N] | 7 | |
| ENV8 | Documentation | [N] | 5 | |
| **Total** | | **[N]** | **80** | |

## Variable Coverage Matrix

| Variable | .env.example | Code Usage | Validated | Type | Default | Secret? |
|----------|-------------|------------|-----------|------|---------|---------|
| DATABASE_URL | Y | Y (3 files) | Y (Zod) | string | none (required) | Y |
| PORT | Y | Y (1 file) | N (raw) | number | 3000 | N |
| ... | | | | | | |

## Findings (sorted by severity)
[Per finding: dimension, severity, file:line, description, fix]

## Remediation Roadmap

### Quick Wins (< 1 hour)
### Short-term (1 day)
### Medium-term (1 week)

Report Validation

After writing, verify:

• Dimension scores sum to total
• Finding counts match Executive Summary
• Variable Coverage Matrix includes all discovered vars
• No actual secret values appear anywhere in the report (Gate 2)

---

Phase 4: Next-Step Routing

RECOMMENDED NEXT ACTION
------------------------------------
ENV4 CRITICAL (secrets exposed)  -> /security-audit --static
ENV3 = 0 (no validation)        -> add config schema (Zod/Joi/Pydantic)
ENV1 = 0 (no .env.example)      -> create .env.example from code usage
ENV7 secret defaults             -> remove default values from secret vars
Score < 60%                      -> fix critical gates, re-audit
Score >= 80%                     -> schedule next audit in 3 months
------------------------------------

---

ENV-AUDIT COMPLETE

Score: [N] / 100 -- [grade] Stack: [Node.js / Python / Vite / Next.js] Dimensions: [N scored] | Critical gates: [PASS/FAIL] Findings: [N critical] / [N total] Run: env-audit - -dimensions

Retrospective (REQUIRED)

Follow the retrospective protocol from retrospective.md. Gate check → structured questions → TSV emit → markdown append. If gate check skips: print "RETRO: skipped (trivial session)" and proceed.

After printing this block, append the Run: line value (without the Run: prefix) to the log file path resolved per run-logger.md.

VERDICT: PASS (0 critical findings), WARN (1-3 critical), FAIL (4+ critical).

---

Execution Notes

• Single-pass inline execution, no sub-agents required
• All commands use the resolved TARGET_ROOT from argument parsing
• Stack detection auto-selects the correct env access patterns (Node.js, Python, Vite, Next.js)
• NestJS projects: check ConfigModule.forRoot() and ConfigService usage patterns specifically
• Docker Compose: check both environment: and env_file: directives
• Monorepos: use [path] argument to scope to a specific package
• CodeSift is minimally used in this skill (env patterns are best found via grep), but codesift-setup.md is loaded for consistency
• The boolean truthy gotcha (if (process.env.FLAG) -- always true for any non-empty string) is a common source of production bugs; flag it prominently