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env validate

Validate environment configuration against the template and runtime requirements.

Claude Code Knowledge Pack7/10/2026

Overview

Validate environment configuration against the template and runtime requirements.

Steps

  1. Read .env.example to get the expected variable list.
  2. Read .env (or the active environment) to get actual values.
  3. Check for missing variables:
    • Required variables without values.
    • Variables in .env.example not present in .env.
  4. Check for extra variables:
    • Variables in .env not documented in .env.example.
  5. Validate variable formats:
    • URLs: Valid URL format with expected scheme.
    • Ports: Numeric, in valid range (1-65535).
    • Booleans: true/false, not yes/no or 1/0.
    • Emails: Valid email format.
  6. Check for common issues:
    • Trailing whitespace in values.
    • Unquoted values with special characters.
    • Duplicate variable definitions.
  7. Verify connectivity for database URLs and API endpoints if --live flag is set.

Format

Environment Validation: <environment>

Missing (required):
  - DATABASE_URL: No value set

Missing (optional):
  - LOG_LEVEL: Using default "info"

Format issues:
  - PORT: "abc" is not a valid port number

Extra (undocumented):
  - LEGACY_MODE: Not in .env.example

Status: <valid/invalid>

Rules

  • Fail on any missing required variable.
  • Warn on undocumented variables (may be leftover from old code).
  • Do not print actual secret values in validation output.
  • Support multiple environment files (.env.development, .env.production).
  • Exit with non-zero code if validation fails (for CI integration).