`dr dotenv` - Environment variable management

Manage environment variables and .env files in DataRobot templates.

Quick start

For most users, setting up environment variables is a single command:

# Interactive wizard guides you through all configuration
dr dotenv setup

The wizard automatically discovers your template's requirements and prompts you for all necessary values. Your credentials are saved securely and you're ready to use the CLI.

Note

First time? If you're new to the CLI, start with the Quick start for step-by-step setup instructions.

Synopsis

dr dotenv <command> [flags]

Description

The dr dotenv command provides tools for creating, editing, validating, and updating environment configuration files. It includes an interactive wizard for guided setup and a text editor for direct file manipulation.

Subcommands

dr dotenv setup

Launch the interactive wizard to configure environment variables.

dr dotenv setup [--if-needed]

Features:

Interactive prompts for all required variables.
Context-aware questions based on template configuration.
Automatic discovery of prompts from every YAML file under the repository's .datarobot/ directory.
Smart defaults from the prompt definitions.
Secure handling of secret values.
DataRobot authentication integration.
Automatic state tracking of completion timestamp.
Conditional execution with --if-needed flag.

Prerequisites:

Must be run inside a git repository.
Requires authentication with DataRobot.

Flags:

--if-needed—Only run setup if the .env file doesn't exist or is missing required variables. This flag is useful for automation scripts and CI/CD pipelines where you want to ensure configuration exists without prompting if it's already valid. The check reads the .env file only; values that happen to be set in your shell environment do not satisfy it.
-y, --yes—Skip interactive prompts and auto-populate all environment variables with their default values (or empty strings if no default is provided). This is useful for CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, or quick development setup where you want to use all defaults. Variables with generate: true will still have random values auto-generated. Can also be enabled via DATAROBOT_CLI_NON_INTERACTIVE=true environment variable.
-a, --all—Show all prompts in the wizard, including those already answered by a default value. Mutually exclusive with --yes.
-o, --output <directory>—Specify a custom directory where the .env file should be written. The directory is created automatically if it doesn't exist. By default, the .env file is written to the repository root. This option skips the repository check and directory up-walk, which means the directory you pass also becomes the root that is scanned for .datarobot/ prompt files. When it is set, the setup completion timestamp is not recorded.

State tracking:

Upon successful completion, dr dotenv setup records the timestamp in the state file. This allows dr templates setup to intelligently skip dotenv configuration if it has already been completed.

The state is stored in the same location as other CLI state (see Configuration - State tracking). Keep in mind that manually running dr dotenv setup always prompts for configuration, regardless of state.

To force the setup wizard to run again (ignoring the state file), use the --force-interactive flag:

dr templates setup --force-interactive

This is useful for testing or when you need to reconfigure your environment from scratch.

Examples:

Standard setup:

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup

Conditional setup (skip if already configured):

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup --if-needed
# Output: "Configuration already exists, skipping setup." (if valid)
# Or: launches wizard (if missing or invalid)

Auto-populate with defaults (no interaction):

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup --yes
# Creates .env file with all defaults (or empty values), skips wizard entirely

Or using environment variable:

cd my-template
DATAROBOT_CLI_NON_INTERACTIVE=true dr dotenv setup

Custom output directory:

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup --output /path/to/config
# Creates .env file at /path/to/config/.env (directory created if needed)

The wizard guides you through:

DataRobot credentials (auto-populated if authenticated).
Application-specific configuration.
Optional features and integrations.
Validation of all inputs.
Generation of .env file.

How --if-needed works:

When the --if-needed flag is set, the command validates your existing .env file against every required prompt discovered under .datarobot/:

✅ Skips setup if .env exists and every required variable is set in that file (including the core DataRobot variables and all template-specific variables).
⚠️ Runs setup if .env doesn't exist.
⚠️ Runs setup if any required variable is missing, empty, or commented out.

Important

The skip decision deliberately ignores your shell environment. A variable exported in your shell but absent from .env still triggers the wizard, so an incomplete .env is never left in place. Prompt default: values are also ignored for this check—only values actually written to the file count.

This makes --if-needed ideal for:

Automation scripts that need to ensure configuration without user interaction.
CI/CD pipelines that should only prompt when necessary.
Onboarding workflows that intelligently skip already-completed steps.
Idempotent operations that can be safely run multiple times.

How --yes works:

When the --yes flag is set, the command skips the interactive wizard entirely and auto-populates all environment variables:

✅ Uses default values for all prompts that have a default: specified in the YAML configuration.
✅ Sets empty strings for prompts without defaults (unless they already have values from environment or existing .env).
✅ Auto-generates secrets for prompts with generate: true (e.g., session secrets, encryption keys).
✅ Preserves existing values from environment variables or the existing .env file.

This makes --yes ideal for:

CI/CD pipelines that need predictable, non-interactive setup.
Development environments where defaults are sufficient for local testing.
Automated testing where you want a quick scaffold of all variables.
Template initialization in contexts where manual configuration comes later.

dr dotenv edit

Open the .env file in an interactive editor or wizard.

dr dotenv edit

Behavior:

If .env exists, opens it in the editor.
If no extra variables are detected, opens text editor mode.
If template prompts are found, offers wizard mode.
Can switch between editor and wizard modes.

Editor mode controls:

e—edit in text editor.
w—switch to wizard mode.
Enter—save and exit.
Esc—save and exit.

Wizard mode controls:

Navigate prompts with arrow keys.
Enter values or select options.
Esc—return to previous screen.

Example:

cd my-template
dr dotenv edit

dr dotenv update

Automatically refresh DataRobot credentials in the .env file.

dr dotenv update

Features:

Updates DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT and DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN.
Preserves all other environment variables.
Automatically authenticates if needed.
Uses current authentication session.

Prerequisites:

Must be run inside a git repository.
Must have a .env or .env.template file.
Requires authentication with DataRobot.

Example:

cd my-template
dr dotenv update

Use cases:

Refresh expired API tokens.
Switch DataRobot environments.
Update credentials after re-authentication.

dr dotenv validate

Validate that all required environment variables are properly configured.

dr dotenv validate

Features:

Validates against every prompt discovered under .datarobot/.
Checks both .env file and environment variables.
Verifies core DataRobot variables (DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT, DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN).
Reports missing or invalid variables with helpful error messages.
Respects conditional requirements based on selected options.

Prerequisites:

Must be run inside a git repository.
Must have a .env file.

Example:

cd my-template
dr dotenv validate

Output:

Successful validation:

Validating required variables:
  APP_NAME: my-app
  DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT: https://app.datarobot.com
  DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN: ***
  DATABASE_URL: postgresql://localhost:5432/db

Validation passed: all required variables are set.

Validation errors:

Validating required variables:
  APP_NAME: my-app
  DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT: https://app.datarobot.com

Validation errors:

Error: required variable DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN is not set
  Description: DataRobot API token for authentication
  Set this variable in your .env file or run `dr dotenv setup` to configure it.

Error: required variable DATABASE_URL is not set
  Description: PostgreSQL database connection string
  Set this variable in your .env file or run `dr dotenv setup` to configure it.

Use cases:

Verify configuration before running tasks.
Debug missing environment variables.
CI/CD pipeline checks.
Troubleshoot application startup issues.

File structure

.env.template

Template file committed to version control:

# Required Configuration
APP_NAME=
DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT=
DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN=

# Optional Configuration
# DEBUG=false
# PORT=8080

.env

Generated configuration file (never committed):

# Required Configuration
APP_NAME=my-awesome-app
DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT=https://app.datarobot.com
DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN=***

# Optional Configuration
DEBUG=true
PORT=8000

Prompt definition files

The wizard is driven by prompt definition files that live under the .datarobot/ directory at the root of your repository.

Discovery

There is no single, fixed prompt file. The CLI walks the .datarobot/ directory and collects every *.yaml and *.yml file it finds, at any nesting level:

my-template/
├── .datarobot/
│   ├── prompts.yaml           # discovered
│   ├── llm.yml                # discovered
│   └── components/
│       ├── backend.yaml       # discovered
│       └── frontend/
│           └── prompts.yaml   # discovered
└── .env

Discovery rules:

Rule	Behavior
Root	Only `.datarobot/` at the repository root (or at `--output`) is scanned.
Pattern	Any file matching `.yaml` or `.yml`. Filenames are not significant.
Recursion	Subdirectories are walked, up to 5 levels below `.datarobot/`.
Hidden directories	Skipped, apart from `.datarobot` itself.
Ordering	Files are sorted by full path, then processed in that order.
Non-prompt YAML	Files that don't match the prompt schema are silently skipped, so copier answer files, version manifests, and other config can live alongside prompts.
Duplicates	If two files define the same `env` (or `key`), the first one in path order wins and the rest are ignored.

Tip

Because non-conforming YAML is skipped rather than rejected, a malformed prompt file fails quietly. Run with --debug to see which files were parsed and which were skipped.

File schema

A prompt file is a mapping of section names to lists of prompts. Section names are arbitrary—prompts is a convention, not a keyword:

# Top-level keys are section names.
app_config:
  - env: "APP_NAME"
    help: "Enter your application name"

A section is a root section unless some option's requires field names it; root sections are always active, and the rest are activated conditionally. Root sections are processed in alphabetical order.

Note

Sections and requires references are scoped to the file that declares them. A requires in one file cannot activate a section in another file.

Every prompt supports the following fields:

Field	Type	Description
`env`	string	Environment variable to write to `.env`. Required unless `key` is given.
`key`	string	Identifier used when the prompt does not map to an environment variable. Written to `.env` as a comment.
`help`	string	Description shown to the user and emitted as a comment above the variable. Strongly recommended.
`type`	string	`string` (default) or `secret_string` for masked input. See also `llmgw_catalog` below.
`default`	string	Initial value. A prompt already sitting at its default is not shown unless `always_prompt` or `--all` is set.
`optional`	bool	Allows the prompt to be left blank.
`multiple`	bool	Renders `options` as checkboxes; selections are stored comma-separated.
`generate`	bool	Auto-generates a random value when empty. Only applies to `secret_string`.
`always_prompt`	bool	Shows the prompt even when its default already answers it.
`options`	list	Choices for a selection prompt.

Each entry in options supports:

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	Text shown in the list.
`value`	string	Value stored in `.env`. Defaults to `name`.
`requires`	string	Section in the same file to activate when this option is selected.

Interactive configuration

Prompt types

Text input:

app_config:
  - env: "APP_NAME"
    help: "Enter your application name"

Secret string:

app_config:
  - env: "API_KEY"
    type: "secret_string"
    help: "Enter your API key"
    generate: true  # Auto-generate a random secret

Single selection:

app_config:
  - env: "ENVIRONMENT"
    help: "Select deployment environment"
    options:
      - name: "Development"
        value: "dev"
      - name: "Production"
        value: "prod"

Multiple selection:

app_config:
  - env: "ENABLED_FEATURES"
    help: "Select features to enable"
    multiple: true
    options:
      - name: "Analytics"
      - name: "Monitoring"

LLM from LLM gateway:

app_config:
  - env: "LLM_GATEWAY_MODEL"
    type: "llmgw_catalog"
    optional: false
    help: "Choose LLM from LLM Gateway catalog."

The llmgw_catalog type fetches the live model catalog from your DataRobot instance and renders it as a single-selection list.

Conditional prompts

Prompts can be shown based on previous selections:

app_config:
  - key: "enable_database"
    help: "Enable database?"
    options:
      - name: "Yes"
        requires: "database_config"
      - name: "No"

database_config:
  - env: "DATABASE_URL"
    help: "Database connection string"

database_config is not a root section, because it is named by a requires, so its prompts appear only when the user picks "Yes". A prompt with any requires option is always shown, even if it has a default.

Common workflows

Initial setup

Set up a new template with all configuration:

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup

Automated/idempotent setup

Ensure configuration exists without unnecessary prompts (useful in scripts):

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup --if-needed

This will:

Skip the wizard if configuration is already valid.
Run the wizard only if configuration is missing or incomplete.

Use case example - CI/CD pipeline:

#!/bin/bash
# Ensure environment is configured before running tests
dr dotenv setup --if-needed
dr run test

Use case example - Onboarding script:

#!/bin/bash
# Multi-step setup that can be safely re-run
git clone https://github.com/myorg/my-app
cd my-app
npm install
dr dotenv setup --if-needed  # Only prompts if needed
dr run dev

Quick updates

Update just the DataRobot credentials:

dr dotenv update

Manual editing

Edit variables directly:

dr dotenv edit
# Press 'e' for editor mode
# Make changes
# Press Enter to save

Validation

Check configuration before running tasks:

dr dotenv validate
dr run dev

Switch wizard to editor

Start with wizard, switch to editor:

dr dotenv edit
# Press 'w' for wizard mode
# Complete some prompts
# Press 'e' to switch to editor for fine-tuning

Configuration discovery

The CLI assembles configuration from:

Core DataRobot prompts—DATAROBOT_ENDPOINT and DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN, always present and filled from your authenticated session.
.datarobot/**/*.{yaml,yml}—every prompt definition file in the repository, as described in Prompt definition files.
Existing .env—current values, if present. If .env doesn't exist, .env.template is read instead as the starting point.
Environment variables—system environment.

Priority order for a prompt's initial value (highest to lowest):

System environment variable of the same name.
Value from .env (or .env.template when .env doesn't exist yet).
The prompt's default: value.
A generated value, for secret_string prompts with generate: true.

User input in the wizard overrides whatever was resolved above.

Note

PULUMI_CONFIG_PASSPHRASE is an exception: it also falls back to the pulumi_config_passphrase key in drconfig.yaml.

Security

Secret handling

Prompts declared as type: secret_string are masked with bullets during input.
Masking is driven by the prompt's declared type, not by the variable's name. A variable named MY_API_KEY is not masked unless its prompt declares type: secret_string.
DATAROBOT_API_TOKEN is masked when listed by dr dotenv edit and dr dotenv validate.
Secrets are stored as plain text in .env.

Warning

.env files should never be committed. To ensure this, add it to .gitignore.

Auto-generation

Secret strings with generate: true are automatically generated:

app_config:
  - env: "SESSION_SECRET"
    type: "secret_string"
    generate: true
    help: "Session encryption key"

This generates a 32-character, base64 URL-safe random string when no value exists. Existing values are never overwritten, and generated prompts are not shown in the wizard unless --all is passed.

Error handling

Not in repository

Error: not inside a git repository

Run this command from within an application template git repository.
To create a new template, run `dr templates setup`.

Solution: Navigate to a git repository or use dr templates setup.

Missing .env file

Error: .env file does not exist at /path/to/.env

Run `dr dotenv setup` to create one.

Solution: Run dr dotenv setup to create the file.

Authentication required

Error: not authenticated

Run `dr auth login` to authenticate.

Solution: Authenticate with dr auth login.

Validation failures

Validation errors:

Error: required variable DATABASE_URL is not set
  Description: PostgreSQL database connection string
  Set this variable in your .env file or run `dr dotenv setup` to configure it.

Solution: Set the missing variables or run dr dotenv setup.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success.
1	Error (file not found, validation failed, not in repo).
130	Interrupted (Ctrl+C).

Examples

Create configuration from scratch

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup

Update after re-authentication

dr auth login
dr dotenv update

Validate before deployment

dr dotenv validate && dr run deploy

Edit specific variables

dr dotenv edit
# Press 'e' for editor mode
# Update DATABASE_URL
# Press Enter to save

Check configuration

cat .env
dr dotenv validate

Integration with other commands

With templates

dr templates setup
# Automatically runs dotenv setup

With run

dr dotenv validate
dr run dev

With auth

dr auth login
dr dotenv update

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File metadata and controls

dr dotenv - Environment variable management

Quick start

Synopsis

Description

Subcommands

dr dotenv setup

dr dotenv edit

dr dotenv update

dr dotenv validate

File structure

.env.template

.env

Prompt definition files

Discovery

File schema

Interactive configuration

Prompt types

Conditional prompts

Common workflows

Initial setup

Automated/idempotent setup

Quick updates

Manual editing

Validation

Switch wizard to editor

Configuration discovery

Security

Secret handling

Auto-generation

Error handling

Not in repository

Missing .env file

Authentication required

Validation failures

Exit codes

Examples

Create configuration from scratch

Update after re-authentication

Validate before deployment

Edit specific variables

Check configuration

Integration with other commands

With templates

With run

With auth

See also

`dr dotenv` - Environment variable management