launch-sync-environment-variables-from-env-example

A deployed site needs every configuration setting the project expects it to have; this compares the two lists, fills in the names that are missing, and never prints a secret value while doing it.

When to use

SCOPE

USE FOR

Find which environment variable keys from .env.example are missing in a Launch environment.
Add missing environment variable keys to a Launch environment automatically.
Audit a Launch environment for configuration drift before running a deployment.
Preview which keys a sync would add with a dry run, before actually applying it.

NOT FOR

Updating the values of variables that already exist — it only adds keys that are missing.
Printing or logging a secret value — only key names and counts ever appear in output.

This is a saved copy of the skill's SKILL.md instructions. It may differ from the upstream file or the version you install.

In this document (15)

Sync Launch environment variables from .env.example

Description

Fetch environment variables from a Contentstack Launch project, compare them with a local .env.example file, and patch the target environment to add any missing keys.

When to Use

Use when a Launch environment must match the keys defined in a local .env.example file. Use to audit missing environment variables before a deployment. Use to add missing variable names to a Launch environment without manually editing config.

User Problem

A Launch environment can drift from the variables expected by a frontend project. This skill checks the environment against .env.example and updates Launch when keys are missing.

Success Criteria

All keys present in .env.example exist in the target Launch environment. Missing keys are added through the Launch Projects/Environments API. The script reports what was missing and what was updated. No secrets are printed in logs.

Expected Inputs

Launch project UID
Launch environment UID
Path to local .env.example file
Launch API credentials or authenticated context
Optional: dry-run flag

Expected Outputs

List of keys found in .env.example
List of keys already present in Launch
List of missing keys that were patched
Summary of API calls made
Exit code indicating success or failure

Example User Requests

Generate a Node.js script that syncs Launch environment variables from .env.example.
Compare my Launch environment variables with .env.example and add any missing keys.
Write a script to patch missing Launch environment variables for project abc123 and environment dev456.

Workflow Summary

Read and parse the local .env.example file. Fetch the target Launch environment and its current variables. Compare keys from the file against keys in Launch. Build a minimal patch payload containing only missing keys. Call PATCH /projects/{project_uid}/environments/{environment_uid}. Report the changes and stop without exposing values.

Instructions

Parse input

Read the local .env.example file and extract variable names. Ignore comments, blank lines, and malformed entries.

Fetch Launch state

Use the Launch API to get the target project and environment, then read the current environment variables.

Compare keys

Compare .env.example keys against Launch keys. Identify only missing keys unless the user explicitly asks to update existing values.

Patch environment

Call PATCH /projects/{project_uid}/environments/{environment_uid} with the minimal update needed to add missing keys.

Report results

Return a concise summary of missing keys, patched keys, and any errors. Never print secret values or tokens.

Output Format

Use concise, machine-readable summaries. Do not print secret values from Launch or local files. Show missing keys and updated keys separately. Include the project UID and environment UID in the summary. If running in dry-run mode, clearly label that no changes were made.

Tooling Notes

Use the Launch API and Projects/Environments endpoints. Validate project and environment UIDs before patching. Avoid logging deployment tokens or environment secrets. Use the smallest possible PATCH payload. If the API returns validation errors, surface them without retrying blindly.

Security

Defaults

Never expose deployment tokens or environment secrets. Validate project and environment targets before patching. Do not print variable values in logs or output. Require explicit user intent before making any change. Prefer dry-run behavior unless the user asks to apply changes.

Destructive Actions

Treat any PATCH that changes Launch configuration as a destructive external action. Confirm the target project and environment before applying changes. Do not broaden the update beyond missing keys unless the user explicitly requests it.

Secrets

Never reveal secret values from .env.example or Launch. Log only key names and counts. Redact tokens, API keys, and environment values in all output.

Environment Variables

Read environment variables only as needed for authentication and target selection. Never echo env var values. Support loading from local .env.example for comparison only, not for secret disclosure.

Product Context

- Product: Launch
- Description: Contentstack Launch: hosting, deployment, edge delivery, serverless functions, environment management, and CI/CD for Contentstack-powered frontends.
- Product safety rules: - Never expose deployment tokens or environment secrets.
Validate deployment targets before triggering.
Require confirmation for production deployments.
Never auto-deploy to production without review.
- Default tools: ["Launch API", "Projects", "Environments", "Deployments", "Serverless Functions", "Edge Delivery", "Custom Domains"]
- Default connectors: ["Launch Proxy", "GitHub", "CI/CD Pipelines"]

This skill ships inside the Contentstack Agent Skills plugin.

Run this outside your AI tool, using Node.js 22.20.0 or newer. Skills CLI 1.7.2 skips skill selection; prompts cancel installation without an interactive terminal. If choosing Project when asked about installation scope, open your project's folder before running this.

Install checklist

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Without a tool picker, check Installing to: for your intended tool. Stop if it names a different tool.
If asked, choose Symlink (Recommended) for shared files or Copy to all agents for separate copies; review the summary before confirming installation.
Install the find-skills skill? defaults to Yes, adding another skill for all projects. Choose No if you don't want that extra installation.

Skills CLI 1.7.2 sends install data to skills.sh by default, including the source, skill names, target tools and file details; GitHub sources are reported only when GitHub confirms the repository is public, while other remote sources can also be reported. Confirmed-public GitHub sources also trigger a security-audit request. Before installing, set the environment variable DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 to disable both.

npx skills add contentstack/contentstack-agent-skills --skill "launch-sync-environment-variables-from-env-example" --full-depth

Once this skill is installed where Claude Code loads it, type /launch-sync-environment-variables-from-env-example in Claude Code when you want to start it. Claude Code won't start this skill on its own.

What's inside

Files included with this skill.

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launch-sync-environment-variables-from-env-example