Neon CLI command: env

Summary: The Neon CLI neon env pull command writes a branch's Neon environment variables to a local .env file. By default it targets an existing .env file, otherwise .env.local, and only Neon-managed variables are rewritten; other lines in the file are preserved. Use --file to target a specific file, --branch to pull from a specific branch, and --service to pull only selected services.

Neon CLI command: env

Manage a branch's Neon environment variables locally

The env command manages a branch's Neon environment variables locally. neon link and neon checkout pull env variables automatically by default.

Subcommands: pull

neon env pull

Writes the branch's Neon environment variables to a local .env file.

neon env pull works with or without a neon.ts configuration file. Without one, it writes the branch's core variables (DATABASE_URL, DATABASE_URL_UNPOOLED, NEON_BRANCH). With a neon.ts, it also writes credentials for each service you declare (Managed Better Auth, Data API, AI Gateway, Object Storage).

When your neon.ts declares functions, neon env pull also writes each one's invocation URL as NEON_FUNCTION_<SLUG>_BASE_URL (for example, NEON_FUNCTION_DISCORD_BASE_URL). The URL is derived from the branch, so the function doesn't have to be deployed yet; the value is the address it will answer at once you deploy it to that branch. Scoping the pull with --service functions instead writes URLs only for functions that are already deployed, so a declared-but-undeployed function appears in the default neon.ts pull but not with --service functions.

Unset function env vars don't block a pull. If a declared function reads a process.env.* value that isn't set, neon env pull (and the pull that neon link and neon checkout run) skips that value and writes everything else instead of failing. The commands that actually build or run your functions still require every declared value: neon deploy, neon dev, and neon-env run.

Bash

neon env pull [options]

Option	Description	Type	Default	Required
`--config`	Path to a neon.ts policy (defaults to walking up from cwd)	string	—	No
`--env`, `-e`		array	—	No
`--file`	Target .env file to write. Defaults to an existing .env, otherwise .env.local. Only Neon variables are updated; other lines are preserved.	string	—	No
`--service`	Pull only these services' variables: postgres, auth, data-api, functions, object-storage, ai-gateway. Repeat the flag or comma-separate. Overrides neon.ts, and prunes only within the services you name.	array	—	No
`--branch`	Branch ID or name	string	—	No
`--project-id`	Project ID	string	—	No

Write the linked branch's Neon variables into .env.local (or .env if present):

Bash

neon env pull

Pull a specific branch into a specific file:

Bash

neon env pull --branch preview --file .env.preview

Pull only the variables for the services you name, ignoring neon.ts. Repeat --service or comma-separate the values (postgres, auth, data-api, functions, object-storage, ai-gateway):

Bash

neon env pull --service ai-gateway --service postgres

Use a specific neon.ts policy instead of the one found by walking up from the current directory:

Bash

neon env pull --config ./config/neon.ts

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Neon CLI command: env

neon env pull

Related docs (Setup and context)