modbender Env Sync
Your .env has 30 variables and nobody knows what half of them do. This tool creates a properly documented .env.example with secrets stripped out.
One command. Zero config. Just works.
Quick Start
npx ai-env-sync
What It Does
- Reads all your .env files (.env, .env.local, .env.development)
- Strips secret values but keeps the keys
- Adds helpful comments explaining each variable
- Generates a clean .env.example
Usage Examples
# Generate .env.example
npx ai-env-sync
# Specify project directory
npx ai-env-sync ./my-project
Best Practices
- Run before committing - keep .env.example in sync
- Add to CI - verify .env.example matches .env structure
- Group related vars - makes it easier to configure
- Document required vs optional - not everything needs a value
When to Use This
- Onboarding new team members
- Setting up CI/CD environments
- Documenting environment requirements
- Keeping .env.example up to date
Part of the LXGIC Dev Toolkit
This is one of 110+ free developer tools built by LXGIC Studios. No paywalls, no sign-ups, no API keys on free tiers. Just tools that work.
Find more:
- GitHub: https://github.com/LXGIC-Studios
- Twitter: https://x.com/lxgicstudios
- Substack: https://lxgicstudios.substack.com
- Website: https://lxgicstudios.com
Requirements
No install needed. Just run with npx. Node.js 18+ recommended. Needs OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable.
npx ai-env-sync --help
How It Works
Reads your .env files, identifies the variables, and uses GPT-4o-mini to generate helpful descriptions for each one. Sensitive values are replaced with placeholder text like "your_api_key_here".
License
MIT. Free forever. Use it however you want.