Sidebar & File Panel
The ENV Manager sidebar lives in the VS Code Activity Bar and provides three distinct panels.
Environment Files Panel
The top panel lists every .env* file discovered in your workspace, including:
.env.env.local,.env.development,.env.production.env.example- Any file matching the glob
**/.env*
Switching the Active File
Click any file in the list to load it as the active environment. The Variables panel updates instantly and the status bar at the bottom of the window shows the active file name.
Creating a New File
Click the New File icon in the Files panel toolbar. You'll be prompted for a filename. The file is created in your workspace root.
Templates
Click the New from Template icon to create a pre-populated .env file for your framework. See Templates for available options.
Diff Tool
Click the Compare icon to open the diff viewer and compare any two env files side-by-side.
Variables Panel
Once a file is selected, the Variables panel shows all its key-value pairs. See Visual Editor for full details.
⚡ Pro Tools Panel
The bottom panel provides one-click access to every advanced feature:
| Item | Action |
|---|---|
| 🔍 Scan for Secret Leaks | Runs the secret leak scanner |
| ☁️ Vercel Sync | Push / pull from Vercel |
| 🔗 GitHub Actions Sync | Push secrets to GitHub |
| 💡 Smart Suggestions | Suggest missing vars from package.json |
| 📄 Generate .env.example | Create a sanitized example file |
| 🚀 Export for CI/CD | Export to GitHub Actions, GitLab, etc. |
| 🔔 Check Rotation | Show stale secrets report |
| 📦 New from Template | Create .env from a framework template |
Status Bar
The status bar at the bottom of the VS Code window shows the name of the currently active .env file. Clicking it opens the Switch Environment quick pick, letting you switch files from anywhere without touching the sidebar.