🏗️ env-checkup init

The init command helps you quickly generate a schema file that defines all the environment variables required in your project.
This schema file is later used by the validate command to ensure consistency and correctness in your .env files.

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🧩 Usage

Run the following command in your project root:

npx env-checkup init

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🪄 What It Does

1. Scans your existing .env files (if any).
2. Prompts you to add environment variables interactively.
3. Asks for the expected data type of each variable (string, number, or boolean).
4. Generates a new .env.schema.json file (or updates an existing one).

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💬 Example Interactive Session

$ npx env-checkup init

? Enter variable name: DATABASE_URL
? Type of value (string/number/boolean): string
? Enter variable name: PORT
? Type of value: number
? Enter variable name: JWT_SECRET
? Type of value: string
? Add another variable? (y/n): n
✔ Schema file generated successfully at ./.env.schema.json

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📄 Output File

Once complete, Env Checkup creates a file named .env.schema.json in your project root.

Example:

{
  "DATABASE_URL": "string",
  "PORT": "number",
  "JWT_SECRET": "string"
}

This schema acts as the source of truth for what variables are expected in your .env files.

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⚙️ Options

Flag	Description	Example
--output <path>	Specify a custom location for the generated schema file	env-checkup init --output ./config/env.schema.json
--overwrite	Force overwrite if .env.schema.json already exists	env-checkup init --overwrite
--yes	Skip prompts and generate schema automatically from existing .env files	env-checkup init --yes

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🧠 Example with Options

Generate schema to a custom directory:

npx env-checkup init --output ./config/env.schema.json

Overwrite existing schema file:

npx env-checkup init --overwrite

Automatically detect variables (non-interactive mode):

npx env-checkup init --yes

Env Checkup will look for .env files, read all key names, and infer types automatically where possible.

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🧾 Example Project Structure

my-app/
 ┣ .env
 ┣ .env.local
 ┣ .env.schema.json
 ┣ envcheckup.config.json
 ┣ package.json
 ┗ src/
   ┗ index.ts

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🧩 Example .env File

PORT=4000
DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost:5432/mydb
JWT_SECRET=supersecretkey
DEBUG=true

After running env-checkup init, you get:

{
  "PORT": "number",
  "DATABASE_URL": "string",
  "JWT_SECRET": "string",
  "DEBUG": "boolean"
}

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🧭 Tips

✅ Always commit .env.schema.json to version control 🚫 Never commit .env or .env.local files 🧪 Re-run env-checkup init whenever new environment variables are introduced 🔁 Use --overwrite when regenerating schema intentionally

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🧰 Example npm Script

To make schema generation easier for your team, add this script to your package.json:

"scripts": {
  "env:init": "env-checkup init"
}

Then run:

npm run env:init

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🧾 Summary

Command	Description
npx env-checkup init	Start interactive schema creation
--output <path>	Save schema to a custom path
--overwrite	Replace existing schema file
--yes	Generate automatically without prompts

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Next: → validate Command