[eas-cli] Use development mode for EAS Simulator env files

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ This is the log of notable changes to EAS CLI and related packages.
 
 ### 🐛 Bug fixes
 
+- [eas-cli] Use development mode when EAS Simulator loads env files. ([#4245](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/pull/4245) by [@ramonclaudio](https://github.com/ramonclaudio))
+
 ### 🧹 Chores
 
 ## [22.2.0](https://github.com/expo/eas-cli/releases/tag/v22.2.0) - 2026-08-20

packages/eas-cli/src/commands/simulator/__tests__/exec.test.ts

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { Config } from '@oclif/core';
 import SimulatorExec from '../exec';
 
 jest.mock('@expo/env', () => ({
+  LOADED_ENV_NAME: '__EXPO_ENV_LOADED',
   loadEnvFiles: jest.fn(),
   loadProjectEnv: jest.fn(),
 }));
@@ -20,14 +21,20 @@ function getMockOclifConfig(): Config {
 }
 
 describe(SimulatorExec, () => {
+  const originalEnv = process.env;
   const mockConfig = getMockOclifConfig();
   const projectDir = '/test/project';
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     jest.clearAllMocks();
+    process.env = { ...originalEnv };
     jest.mocked(spawnAsync).mockResolvedValue({} as never);
   });
 
+  afterEach(() => {
+    process.env = originalEnv;
+  });
+
   function createCommand(argv: string[]): {
     command: SimulatorExec;
     getContextAsync: jest.SpyInstance;
@@ -48,7 +55,11 @@ describe(SimulatorExec, () => {
     expect(getContextAsync).toHaveBeenCalledWith(SimulatorExec, {
       nonInteractive: true,
     });
-    expect(loadProjectEnv).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projectDir, { silent: true });
+    expect(loadProjectEnv).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projectDir, {
+      force: true,
+      mode: 'development',
+      silent: true,
+    });
     expect(loadEnvFiles).toHaveBeenCalledWith([`${projectDir}/.env.eas-simulator`], {
       force: true,
     });
@@ -118,17 +129,4 @@ describe(SimulatorExec, () => {
     expect(loadEnvFiles).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     expect(spawnAsync).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
-
-  it('loads simulator-specific env after regular env files', async () => {
-    const { command } = createCommand(['agent-device', 'touch', '@e2']);
-    await command.runAsync();
-
-    expect(loadProjectEnv).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projectDir, { silent: true });
-    expect(loadEnvFiles).toHaveBeenCalledWith([`${projectDir}/.env.eas-simulator`], {
-      force: true,
-    });
-    expect(jest.mocked(loadProjectEnv).mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(
-      jest.mocked(loadEnvFiles).mock.invocationCallOrder[0]
-    );
-  });
 });

packages/eas-cli/src/simulator/__tests__/env.integration.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import { LOADED_ENV_NAME } from '@expo/env';
+import * as fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { loadSimulatorEnvAsync } from '../env';
+
+describe(loadSimulatorEnvAsync, () => {
+  const originalEnv = process.env;
+  let projectDir: string;
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    projectDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'eas-simulator-env-'));
+    process.env = {
+      ...originalEnv,
+      PARENT_DOTENV_VALUE: 'from-parent',
+      SHARED_WITH_SHELL: 'from-shell',
+      NODE_ENV: 'production',
+      [LOADED_ENV_NAME]: '["PARENT_DOTENV_VALUE"]',
+      __EXPO_CONFIG_MODE: 'production',
+    };
+    delete process.env.EXPO_NO_DOTENV;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    process.env = originalEnv;
+    await fs.rm(projectDir, { force: true, recursive: true });
+  });
+
+  it('keeps shell values and gives simulator values priority over project dotenv values', async () => {
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(projectDir, '.env.development'),
+      [
+        'PROJECT_VALUE=from-project',
+        'SHARED_WITH_SIMULATOR=from-project',
+        'SHARED_WITH_SHELL=from-project',
+        '__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE=from-project',
+      ].join('\n')
+    );
+    await fs.writeFile(
+      path.join(projectDir, '.env.eas-simulator'),
+      [
+        'SIMULATOR_VALUE=from-simulator',
+        'SHARED_WITH_SIMULATOR=from-simulator',
+        'SHARED_WITH_SHELL=from-simulator',
+        '__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE=from-simulator',
+      ].join('\n')
+    );
+
+    await loadSimulatorEnvAsync(projectDir);
+
+    expect(process.env).toMatchObject({
+      NODE_ENV: 'development',
+      PROJECT_VALUE: 'from-project',
+      SHARED_WITH_SHELL: 'from-shell',
+      SHARED_WITH_SIMULATOR: 'from-simulator',
+      SIMULATOR_VALUE: 'from-simulator',
+    });
+    expect(process.env.PARENT_DOTENV_VALUE).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(process.env[LOADED_ENV_NAME]).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});

packages/eas-cli/src/simulator/__tests__/env.test.ts

@@ -1,16 +1,85 @@
+import { loadEnvFiles, loadProjectEnv } from '@expo/env';
 import * as fs from 'fs-extra';
 import { parse as parseDotenv } from 'dotenv';
 
 import {
   EAS_SIMULATOR_SESSION_ID,
   SIMULATOR_DOTENV_FILE_HEADER,
   getSimulatorEnvFilePath,
+  loadSimulatorEnvAsync,
   resetSimulatorEnvAsync,
   writeSimulatorEnvAsync,
 } from '../env';
 
+jest.mock('@expo/env', () => ({
+  LOADED_ENV_NAME: '__EXPO_ENV_LOADED',
+  loadEnvFiles: jest.fn(),
+  loadProjectEnv: jest.fn(),
+}));
 jest.mock('fs-extra');
 
+describe(loadSimulatorEnvAsync, () => {
+  const projectDir = '/test/project';
+  const originalEnv = process.env;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.clearAllMocks();
+    process.env = {
+      ...originalEnv,
+      DOTENV_VALUE: 'from-parent',
+      KEEP_VALUE: 'from-shell',
+      NODE_ENV: 'staging',
+      __EXPO_ENV_LOADED: '["DOTENV_VALUE"]',
+      __EXPO_CONFIG_MODE: 'production',
+    };
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    process.env = originalEnv;
+  });
+
+  it('loads simulator env before project env files in development mode', async () => {
+    jest.mocked(loadEnvFiles).mockImplementation(() => {
+      expect(process.env.DOTENV_VALUE).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(process.env.KEEP_VALUE).toBe('from-shell');
+      expect(process.env.NODE_ENV).toBe('development');
+      expect(process.env.__EXPO_ENV_LOADED).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE).toBeUndefined();
+      process.env.SIMULATOR_VALUE = 'from-simulator';
+      process.env.__EXPO_ENV_LOADED = '["SIMULATOR_VALUE"]';
+      process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE = 'from-simulator-env';
+      return {} as never;
+    });
+    jest.mocked(loadProjectEnv).mockImplementation(() => {
+      expect(process.env.SIMULATOR_VALUE).toBe('from-simulator');
+      expect(process.env.__EXPO_ENV_LOADED).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE).toBeUndefined();
+      process.env.PROJECT_VALUE = 'from-project';
+      process.env.__EXPO_ENV_LOADED = '["PROJECT_VALUE"]';
+      process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE = 'from-project-env';
+      return {} as never;
+    });
+
+    await loadSimulatorEnvAsync(projectDir);
+
+    expect(loadEnvFiles).toHaveBeenCalledWith([`${projectDir}/.env.eas-simulator`], {
+      force: true,
+    });
+    expect(loadProjectEnv).toHaveBeenCalledWith(projectDir, {
+      force: true,
+      mode: 'development',
+      silent: true,
+    });
+    expect(jest.mocked(loadEnvFiles).mock.invocationCallOrder[0]).toBeLessThan(
+      jest.mocked(loadProjectEnv).mock.invocationCallOrder[0]
+    );
+    expect(process.env.SIMULATOR_VALUE).toBe('from-simulator');
+    expect(process.env.PROJECT_VALUE).toBe('from-project');
+    expect(process.env.__EXPO_ENV_LOADED).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
+
 describe(resetSimulatorEnvAsync, () => {
   const projectDir = '/test/project';
   const simulatorDotenvPath = getSimulatorEnvFilePath(projectDir);

packages/eas-cli/src/simulator/env.ts

@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-import { loadEnvFiles, loadProjectEnv } from '@expo/env';
+import { LOADED_ENV_NAME, loadEnvFiles, loadProjectEnv } from '@expo/env';
 import { parse as parseDotenv } from 'dotenv';
 import * as fs from 'fs-extra';
 import path from 'path';
 
 import Log from '../log';
+import { getEnvWithoutInheritedDotenvValues } from '../utils/originalEnv';
 
 export const SIMULATOR_DOTENV_FILE_NAME = '.env.eas-simulator';
 export const EAS_SIMULATOR_SESSION_ID = 'EAS_SIMULATOR_SESSION_ID';
@@ -16,9 +17,17 @@ export function getSimulatorEnvFilePath(projectDir: string): string {
 
 export async function loadSimulatorEnvAsync(projectDir: string): Promise<void> {
   const simulatorDotenvFilePath = getSimulatorEnvFilePath(projectDir);
+  const mode = 'development';
 
-  loadProjectEnv(projectDir, { silent: true });
+  process.env = getEnvWithoutInheritedDotenvValues(process.env);
+  process.env.NODE_ENV = mode;
+  delete process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE;
   loadEnvFiles([simulatorDotenvFilePath], { force: true });
+  delete process.env[LOADED_ENV_NAME];
+  delete process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE;
+  loadProjectEnv(projectDir, { force: true, mode, silent: true });
+  delete process.env[LOADED_ENV_NAME];
+  delete process.env.__EXPO_CONFIG_MODE;
 }
 
 export async function writeSimulatorEnvAsync(