EnvGuard Local — .env validator for VS Code
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Find missing and undocumented environment variables before they turn into
runtime surprises or a broken teammate setup. Free, local-only, and with no
telemetry.
Install
In VS Code, open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X), search for
EnvGuard Local, and select Install. Or run this in a terminal:
code --install-extension JUNNINGHOU.envguard-local
Your .env values stay local. EnvGuard inspects variable names only;
it makes no network requests and has no telemetry.
What it catches
EnvGuard adds diagnostics to VS Code's Problems panel for three common forms of
configuration drift:
- Used in code, missing from
.env — for example, process.env.SENTRY_DSN
is referenced but never defined in a configured runtime environment file.
- In
.env, missing from .env.example — a local configuration key was
added without documenting it for the next developer.
- In
.env.example, missing from .env — an onboarding template entry is
stale, or a required key was not set locally.
Supported code patterns: process.env.X, process.env["X"],
import.meta.env.X (Vite), Deno.env.get("X"), os.environ["X"],
os.environ.get("X"), and os.getenv("X") (Python).
See it in action
Imagine a teammate adds SENTRY_DSN to the source code but forgets to update
the onboarding template. Run EnvGuard: Scan workspace for env problems and
EnvGuard reports the mismatch in the Problems panel. Choose its Quick Fix to
add a blank SENTRY_DSN= entry; fill in the secret yourself, locally.
Use it
- Open a project folder in VS Code.
- Run EnvGuard: Scan workspace for env problems from the Command Palette.
- Review the inline diagnostics in the Problems panel.
EnvGuard also re-scans when you save a supported source file or .env file.
The status bar shows the current issue count; select it to run a fresh scan.
Safe Quick Fixes
For a missing key, select the lightbulb next to the diagnostic to append
KEY= to .env or .env.example. EnvGuard never fills or copies secret
values, and it changes a file only after you choose the Quick Fix.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Purpose |
envguard.envFiles |
[".env", ".env.local"] |
Runtime files that define variables. |
envguard.exampleFile |
.env.example |
Template file compared with runtime files. |
Source scanning is intentionally focused on src, app, lib, pages,
server, and scripts folders for JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python files.
Privacy and security
EnvGuard runs entirely inside VS Code. It makes no network requests, sends
no telemetry, creates no account, and stores no data outside the
workspace. It reads configured .env files, .env.example, and supported
source files only to identify variable names; values are never transmitted or
used for analytics.
EnvGuard is a static checker, not a secret scanner. It does not validate whether
a secret value is correct, execute your code, modify .env files, or upload any
workspace content.
Limitations
- The analyzer recognizes the explicit patterns listed above; dynamic key access
and custom environment wrappers are intentionally out of scope.
- Comment handling is line-based and is designed to avoid common false positives.
- A missing variable can be valid when supplied by a deployment platform or
test runner; configure your environment files accordingly before treating a
diagnostic as an error.
Development
npm install
npm run test:core
Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host against the
bundled fixture project.
Support
Ask a question or report a problem in the Marketplace Q&A.
Please remove secret values before sharing examples.
