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Developer documentation > DataRobot CLI > Command reference > dotenv command

dotenv command

Manage environment variables and .env files in DataRobot templates.

Overview

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.

Commands

dr dotenv setup

Launch the interactive wizard to configure environment variables.

dr dotenv setup

Features:

  • Interactive prompts for all required variables.
  • Context-aware questions based on template configuration.
  • Automatic discovery of configuration from .datarobot/prompts.yaml files.
  • Smart defaults from .env.template.
  • Secure handling of secret values.
  • DataRobot authentication integration.
  • Automatic state tracking of completion timestamp.

Prerequisites:

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

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 dr dotenv setup will always prompt for configuration if run manually, 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.

Example:

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup

The wizard guides you through: 1. DataRobot credentials (auto-populated if authenticated). 2. Application-specific configuration. 3. Optional features and integrations. 4. Validation of all inputs. 5. Generation of .env file.

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 template requirements defined in .datarobot/prompts.yaml. - 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

Interactive configuration

Prompt types

The wizard supports multiple input types defined in .datarobot/prompts.yaml:

Text input: 

prompts:
  - key: "app_name"
    env: "APP_NAME"
    help: "Enter your application name"

Secret string: 

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

Single selection: 

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

Multiple selection: 

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

Conditional prompts

Prompts can be shown based on previous selections:

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

  - key: "database_url"
    section: "database_config"
    env: "DATABASE_URL"
    help: "Database connection string"

Common workflows

Initial setup

Set up a new template with all configuration:

cd my-template
dr dotenv setup

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 automatically discovers configuration from:

  1. .env.template—base template with variable names.
  2. .datarobot/prompts.yaml—interactive prompts and validation.
  3. Existing .env—current values (if present).
  4. Environment variables—system environment (override .env).

Priority order (highest to lowest): 1. System environment variables. 2. User input from wizard. 3. Existing .env file values. 4. Default values from prompts. 5. Template values from .env.template.

Security

Secret handling

  • Secret values are masked in the UI.
  • Variables containing "PASSWORD", "SECRET", "KEY", or "TOKEN" are automatically treated as secrets.
  • The secret_string prompt type enables secure input with masking.
  • .env files should never be committed (add to .gitignore).

Auto-generation

Secret strings with generate: true are automatically generated:

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

This generates a cryptographically secure random string when no value exists.

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

See also