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      "title": "Getting started",
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      "title": "Deploying",
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        {
          "label": "Git deploys",
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          "label": "Preview environments",
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          "label": "Environment variables",
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      "label": "Environment variables",
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  ],
  "title": "Environment variables",
  "lead": "Set configuration and secrets per environment. Rivetlane injects them at build time and at runtime, and never writes secret values to build logs.",
  "meta": "Updated Oct 6, 2026 · 6 min read",
  "body": [
    {
      "type": "heading",
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Scopes"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "text": "Every variable belongs to one or more scopes. A deploy reads the scope that matches its target, so the same key can hold a different value in each."
    },
    {
      "type": "list",
      "ordered": false,
      "items": [
        "`production` — deploys made with `rivet deploy --prod` or merged to your production branch.",
        "`preview` — every preview environment, one per branch or pull request.",
        "`development` — values written to `.env.local` by `rivet env pull`."
      ]
    },
    {
      "type": "heading",
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Set a variable"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "text": "Use `rivet env set` from a linked project directory. Pass `--secret` for credentials: the value is encrypted at rest, masked in logs and cannot be read back from the dashboard."
    },
    {
      "type": "code",
      "language": "shell",
      "label": "Terminal",
      "code": "$ rivet env set DATABASE_URL \"postgres://[email protected]:5432/storefront\" --env production\n✓ Set DATABASE_URL for production (storefront)\n$ rivet env set TALLYBIRD_SECRET_KEY --env production,preview --secret\n? Value: ••••••••••••••••\n✓ Set TALLYBIRD_SECRET_KEY for production, preview (storefront) · secret"
    },
    {
      "type": "callout",
      "tone": "tip",
      "title": "Changes apply on the next deploy",
      "text": "Running deploys keep the values they started with. Run `rivet deploy --prod` to pick up a change without pushing a commit."
    },
    {
      "type": "heading",
      "level": 3,
      "text": "Defaults in rivetlane.toml"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "text": "Non-secret defaults can live in the repository, next to the code that reads them. Values under `[env.preview]` override `[env]` for preview deploys only."
    },
    {
      "type": "code",
      "language": "toml",
      "label": "rivetlane.toml",
      "code": "[env]\nNODE_ENV = \"production\"\nLOG_LEVEL = \"info\"\n\n[env.preview]\nLOG_LEVEL = \"debug\""
    },
    {
      "type": "callout",
      "tone": "warning",
      "title": "Keep secrets out of the repo",
      "text": "`rivetlane.toml` is readable by anyone with access to the repository. A key that looks like a credential fails the build with `E_SECRET_IN_CONFIG`."
    },
    {
      "type": "heading",
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Build time and runtime"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "text": "Variables are available to your build command and to the running app. Keys prefixed with `PUBLIC_` are also inlined into client bundles, so treat them as public."
    },
    {
      "type": "callout",
      "tone": "note",
      "text": "Changing a `PUBLIC_` variable needs a fresh build. `rivet deploy --prod --force` skips the build cache; a plain redeploy reuses the old bundle."
    },
    {
      "type": "heading",
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Pull variables locally"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "text": "Write the `development` scope to `.env.local` so local runs match your deploys. Secrets are included only for members with the Developer role or higher."
    },
    {
      "type": "code",
      "language": "shell",
      "label": "Terminal",
      "code": "$ rivet env pull --env development\n✓ Wrote 7 variables to .env.local (2 secrets)"
    },
    {
      "type": "heading",
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Precedence"
    },
    {
      "type": "paragraph",
      "text": "When the same key is defined in more than one place, the first match wins:"
    },
    {
      "type": "list",
      "ordered": true,
      "items": [
        "A value set with `rivet env set` for the deploy's scope.",
        "The `[env.<scope>]` table in `rivetlane.toml`.",
        "The `[env]` table in `rivetlane.toml`."
      ]
    }
  ],
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    "label": "Preview environments",
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