# Environment variables

Environment variables are secrets with the `Environment` category:
configuration values like connection strings and service keys, presented as
name → value pairs.

## Adding a variable

1. Open **Connections → Secrets**
2. Add an item with the Environment category
3. Name it like the variable (`DATABASE_URL`), paste the value, save

## What belongs here

Anything a tool or agent would otherwise read out of a `.env` file:

```bash "Typical inhabitants"
# Database
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb"
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# API keys
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_abc123
OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-proj-..."
```

## The export caveat

Anything you copy out of the vault is plaintext from that moment on. Treat
an exported `.env` like the credential file it is — same care, same
distribution.

## Bulk import and export

Not wired into the current panel — add values one item at a time for now.
Import from `.env` and export in dotenv, JSON, YAML, and shell shapes are
on the roadmap; this page updates when they land.