Multi Dotenv
A VS Code extension for managing multi-file .env profiles with a dashboard UI, secret masking, notes, and one-click sync to .env.local.
Author: dark-aura-95 · Publisher: AuraBox · Repo: vscode-env-manger
Features
- Multi-file profiles — Each
.env* file in the workspace root is a named profile (.env, .env.dev, .env.prod, …)
- Dashboard UI — Search, edit, reorder, and manage variables from a webview panel
- Apply →
.env.local — Switch the active profile and sync its values to .env.local for local development
- Shared keys across profiles — Add a variable to all profiles at once; set values per profile
- Notes — Optional one-line notes stored as
# comment lines above variables in profile files
- Duplicate profile — Copy a profile file to a new
.env.* name from the toolbar
- Secret masking — Masks values for keys containing
SECRET, TOKEN, PASSWORD, API_KEY, or JWT_SECRET
- Generate
.env.example — Create a sanitized keys-only example from the active profile
- Validation — Warns about duplicate keys, empty values, and other common issues
Getting Started
- Open a workspace with profile files such as
.env.dev and .env.prod (or create .env from the empty state)
- Run Multi Dotenv: Open Dashboard from the Command Palette, or click ENV in the status bar
- Select a profile, edit variables, then click Apply to sync it to
.env.local
How profiles work
| File |
Role |
.env, .env.dev, .env.prod, … |
Profile sources — edited in the dashboard and stored on disk |
.env.local |
Local runtime — written when you click Apply (not shown as a profile) |
.env.example |
Template — generated from the active profile; not treated as a profile |
Supported profile names
| File |
Profile name |
.env |
Default |
.env.dev / .env.development |
DEV |
.env.test / .env.testing |
TEST |
.env.qa |
QA |
.env.uat |
UAT |
.env.uat_gcp |
UAT GCP (from tokens) |
.env.staging / .env.stg |
STAGING |
.env.prod / .env.production |
PROD |
.env.local (in filename) |
LOCAL |
Other .env.* |
Stage tokens from the suffix (e.g. .env.preprod → PREPROD) |
Example layout
my-project/
.env.dev # development values
.env.prod # production values
.env.local # created/updated on Apply
.env.example # optional generated template
# .env.dev
# API base URL for development
API_URL=https://api-dev.example.com
DB_HOST=localhost
After Apply on the DEV profile, .env.local contains only that profile's active variables.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
Multi Dotenv: Open Dashboard |
Open the environment dashboard |
Multi Dotenv: Open Dashboard in New Editor |
Open the dashboard beside the current editor |
Multi Dotenv: Switch Environment |
Pick and activate a profile (syncs to .env.local) |
Multi Dotenv: Generate Example File |
Create .env.example from the active profile |
Multi Dotenv: Refresh Environment |
Reload profiles and variables from disk |
Multi Dotenv: Add Variable |
Open the dashboard to add a variable |
Multi Dotenv: Delete Variable |
Open the dashboard to delete a variable |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
multiDotenv.showSecretsMasked |
true |
Mask secret variable values by default |
multiDotenv.autoDetectEnvFiles |
true |
Auto-detect .env* files as profiles (excludes .env.example and .env.local) |
License
MIT © 2026 dark-aura-95 / AuraBox — see LICENSE.
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