Dotenv Safe Edit
Opens files matching *.env, *.env.*, .env, or .env.* in an isolated
custom editor instead of the normal text editor.
Why
VS Code's normal text editor turns every open file into a TextDocument,
which is exactly what tools like GitHub Copilot Chat's "Ask" mode read as
implicit context (the active editor). If a .env file is left open and you
switch to Ask mode, its contents can get pulled into the chat automatically.
Dotenv Safe Edit registers a non-text custom editor for .env files.
The file is still read from disk to display it, but it never becomes a TextDocument
and never shows up as an "active text editor" — so tools that read open tabs/editors
have nothing to read while it's open here.
This does not protect against:
- Agents/tools with direct filesystem or shell access (
cat .env, file-read tools, etc.)
- Anyone using "Open As... > Text Editor" to bypass Dotenv Safe Edit deliberately
- Anything that indexes your workspace on disk directly (e.g.
@workspace
style search over files, if it bypasses editor state)
It closes one specific, real hole: forgetting to close the tab before switching to
chat. Values are also masked by default to reduce the risk of shoulder surfing or
accidental exposure when sharing your screen.
Features
- Works for matching files anywhere on disk, including outside the current workspace
folder.
- Values masked by default (
type="password" style inputs)
- Per-row reveal/mask toggle, or reveal/mask all
- Copy a single value to clipboard without revealing it on screen
- Full editing inside the extension, so there's no need to open the
.env file
in a regular text editor
- Add / edit / delete variables, saved directly to disk
- Comments and blank lines are editable too (free-text lines, auto-prefixed
with
# unless left blank), not just read-only passthrough
- Reorder any line (variable or comment/blank) via move up/down buttons or
drag-and-drop using the handle on the left
- Empty key or value fields are flagged with a red border
- Sticky toolbar that stays visible while scrolling through long files
- Save is disabled until there's an actual unsaved change
- "Open as Plain Text..." escape hatch, with a confirmation warning before
making the file contents visible in the normal editor
- Bypass extension per-file: right-click the file → Open With... → Text Editor
- Wrapping quotes (e.g.
KEY="value") get baked into the displayed value.
Screenshots
Values masked by default
Values revealed for editing
Install
Install Dotenv Safe Edit from the Visual Studio Marketplace, or directly from
the VS Code Extensions view:
- Open the Extensions view in VS Code.
- Search for Dotenv Safe Edit.
- Select the extension and click Install.
Manual installation
To build and install the extension manually:
npm installnpm run package (runs tsc then vsce package)
Then install the extension:
- Right click the
vscode-dotenv-safe-x.y.z.vsix file → Install Extension VSIX.
Or alternatively:
- VS Code → Extensions view →
... menu (top right) → Install from VSIX...
- Pick the generated
vscode-dotenv-safe-x.y.z.vsix
Uninstall
- Extensions view → Dotenv Safe Edit → gear icon → Uninstall
