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Overview

The generate_env_template tool scans the entire codebase and generates a complete .env.example file from scratch. It automatically:
  • Groups variables by detected cluster (Database, API, Authentication, etc.)
  • Adds inferred descriptions for each variable
  • Marks which variables are required vs optional
  • Generates sensible placeholder values

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Parameters

​
projectPath
string
Path to the project directory. Defaults to current working directory.
​
outputPath
string
Path to write the generated .env.example file. If not provided, only returns the content without writing to disk.

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Response

​
content
string
required
The generated .env.example file content
​
variableCount
number
required
Total number of variables included in the template
​
clusterCount
number
required
Number of variable clusters (groups) detected
​
requiredCount
number
required
Number of required variables (marked with [REQUIRED])
​
optionalCount
number
required
Number of optional variables (marked with [OPTIONAL])
​
writtenTo
string
Absolute path where the file was written (only present if outputPath was provided)
​
metadata
object
required
Scan metadata

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Example Response

{
  "content": "# Environment Variables\n# Generated by Aegis\n#\n# Required variables are marked with [REQUIRED]\n# Optional variables (with defaults) are marked with [OPTIONAL]\n\n# ============================================\n# Database\n# ============================================\n\n# Database connection string [REQUIRED]\nDATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb\n\n# Database host address [OPTIONAL]\nDB_HOST=localhost\n\n# ============================================\n# Authentication\n# ============================================\n\n# Secret key for JWT token signing [REQUIRED]\nJWT_SECRET=your-secret-here\n\n# Session secret key [REQUIRED]\nSESSION_SECRET=your-secret-here\n\n# ============================================\n# API\n# ============================================\n\n# API key [REQUIRED]\nAPI_KEY=your-secret-here\n\n# Base URL for the application [OPTIONAL]\nBASE_URL=https://example.com\n",
  "variableCount": 6,
  "clusterCount": 3,
  "requiredCount": 4,
  "optionalCount": 2,
  "writtenTo": "/Users/dev/my-project/.env.example",
  "metadata": {
    "projectPath": "/Users/dev/my-project",
    "scannedFiles": 156,
    "cacheHit": false,
    "duration": 267
  }
}

​
Generated Content Example

# Environment Variables
# Generated by Aegis
#
# Required variables are marked with [REQUIRED]
# Optional variables (with defaults) are marked with [OPTIONAL]

# ============================================
# Server
# ============================================

# Server port number [OPTIONAL]
PORT=3000

# Server host address [OPTIONAL]
HOST=localhost

# Node.js environment (development/production/test) [OPTIONAL]
NODE_ENV=development

# ============================================
# Database
# ============================================

# Database connection string [REQUIRED]
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb

# Database host address [REQUIRED]
DB_HOST=localhost

# Database port number [REQUIRED]
DB_PORT=5432

# Database username [REQUIRED]
DB_USER=your-value-here

# Database password [REQUIRED]
DB_PASSWORD=your-secret-here

# ============================================
# Authentication
# ============================================

# Secret key for JWT token signing [REQUIRED]
JWT_SECRET=your-secret-here

# API key [REQUIRED]
API_KEY=your-secret-here

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Usage Example

Generate and write to file: 
{
  "name": "generate_env_template",
  "arguments": {
    "projectPath": "/path/to/project",
    "outputPath": ".env.example"
  }
}
Generate content only (don’t write): 
{
  "name": "generate_env_template",
  "arguments": {
    "projectPath": "/path/to/project"
  }
}

​
Variable Clustering

Variables are automatically grouped into clusters:
  • Server: PORT, HOST, NODE_ENV, BASE_URL
  • Database: DATABASE_URL, DB_, POSTGRES_, MYSQL_*
  • Caching: REDIS_, MEMCACHED_
  • Authentication: JWT_, SESSION_, AUTH_*
  • API: API_KEY, API_SECRET, *_API_KEY
  • Email: SMTP_, SENDGRID_, MAILGUN_*
  • Monitoring: SENTRY_, DATADOG_, NEW_RELIC_*
  • AWS: AWS_*
  • Google Cloud: GOOGLE_, GCP_
  • Azure: AZURE_*
  • Payment: STRIPE_, PAYPAL_
  • Framework: Framework-specific variables
  • Secrets: Variables with SECRET, PASSWORD, TOKEN, KEY
  • Other: Uncategorized variables

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Description Generation

Descriptions are automatically generated using:
  1. Known patterns: Common variables like DATABASE_URL, API_KEY get standard descriptions
  2. Service prefixes: AWS_, STRIPE_, etc. get service-specific descriptions
  3. Name analysis: Variable name parts are analyzed to generate meaningful descriptions
  4. Suffix patterns: _URL, _HOST, _PORT, _KEY get context-appropriate descriptions

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Placeholder Values

Sensible placeholders are generated based on variable type:
  • Secrets (SECRET, PASSWORD, TOKEN, KEY): your-secret-here
  • URLs: https://example.com
  • Hosts: localhost
  • Ports: 3000
  • Emails: [email protected]
  • NODE_ENV: development
  • LOG_LEVEL: info
  • DEBUG: false
  • With defaults: Empty string
  • Other: your-value-here

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Required vs Optional

Variables are marked as required if:
  • They have no default value in code AND
  • They match critical patterns (DATABASE*, DB_, REDIS, *SECRET, API_KEY)
Otherwise marked as optional.

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Use Cases

  • New Projects: Generate initial .env.example from existing code
  • Documentation: Create comprehensive environment variable documentation
  • Onboarding: Help new developers understand all required configuration
  • Migration: Update .env.example when adding new variables to code
  • Auditing: Ensure .env.example is complete and up-to-date

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