tauri-dotenv-working-directory

name	tauri-dotenv-working-directory
description	Fix for Tauri app not loading .env file with dotenvy. Use when: (1) Environment variables return "not set" errors in Tauri commands, (2) dotenvy::from_filename() fails with relative paths like "../../.env", (3) API keys or config work locally but not in Tauri app, (4) GhostClient::from_env() or similar fails with missing env vars. The fix is that `cargo tauri dev` runs with CWD at project root, not at ui/src-tauri, so use ".env" not "../../.env".
author	Claude Code
version	1.0.0
date	"2025-01-23T00:00:00.000Z"

Tauri Dotenvy Working Directory Fix

Problem

When adding dotenvy to a Tauri app to load environment variables, relative paths like ../../.env fail because the working directory during cargo tauri dev is not what you'd expect from the file structure.

Context / Trigger Conditions

Error symptoms:

• GHOST_URL not set or similar "env var not set" errors
• GhostClient::from_env() or API clients fail to initialize
• dotenvy::from_filename("../../.env") returns Err
• App works when env vars are exported manually but not via .env

Project structure:

project-root/
├── .env                 # Environment file here
├── Cargo.toml
├── crates/
└── ui/
    ├── src/
    └── src-tauri/
        ├── Cargo.toml
        └── src/
            └── main.rs  # dotenvy loaded here

Assumption (wrong): Since main.rs is in ui/src-tauri/src/, you might think CWD is ui/src-tauri/ and use ../../.env to reach the project root.

Reality: When cargo tauri dev runs, the working directory is the project root, not ui/src-tauri/. So the path should just be .env.

Solution

Try multiple paths to handle different execution contexts:

fn main() {
    // Load .env file - try multiple locations
    // When running via `cargo tauri dev`, CWD is project root
    // When running the binary directly, CWD varies
    let env_paths = [
        ".env",                    // Project root (cargo tauri dev)
        "../../.env",              // From ui/src-tauri (if run directly)
        "../.env",                 // From ui/ (if run from there)
    ];

    let mut loaded = false;
    for path in &env_paths {
        if dotenvy::from_filename(path).is_ok() {
            eprintln!("Loaded .env from: {}", path);
            loaded = true;
            break;
        }
    }

    if !loaded {
        eprintln!("Warning: Could not load .env file from any location");
    }

    tauri::Builder::default()
        // ... rest of setup
}

Cargo.toml dependency:

[dependencies]
dotenvy = "0.15"

Verification

1. Add logging to see which path works:

   eprintln!("Loaded .env from: {}", path);
   

2. Check the Tauri dev output for the message:

   Loaded .env from: .env
   

3. Verify env vars are available:

   println!("GHOST_URL = {:?}", std::env::var("GHOST_URL"));
   

Example

Before (fails):

fn main() {
    // Wrong - assumes CWD is ui/src-tauri
    if let Err(e) = dotenvy::from_filename("../../.env") {
        eprintln!("Warning: Could not load .env: {}", e);
    }
    // ...
}

After (works):

fn main() {
    // Correct - CWD is project root during cargo tauri dev
    if let Err(e) = dotenvy::from_filename(".env") {
        eprintln!("Warning: Could not load .env: {}", e);
    }
    // ...
}

Notes

• The working directory behavior is determined by how Tauri's dev command runs cargo
• In production builds, the working directory may be different (app installation dir)
• For production, consider embedding secrets differently or using a config file
• The multi-path approach handles both dev and various execution scenarios
• Always log which path was loaded to aid debugging

Related

• Tauri doesn't automatically load .env files - you must add dotenvy yourself
• This issue is separate from Tauri IPC (which only works in the webview)
• Environment variables set in the shell will override .env file values