Fix .env drift in CI with env-doctor

Goal

Make CI fail when .env drifts from .env.example, so a missing key never breaks a deploy again.

Prerequisites

• env-doctor cloned (see quickstart)
• A CI workflow file (GitHub Actions example below)

Steps

1. Reproduce locally:

   python -m env_doctor check --env .env --example .env.example

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2. Fix: add missing keys to .env.example (empty placeholders) or remove dead keys. Add them by hand — do not rely on auto-fix (not implemented yet).
3. Add to CI:

   - name: Audit .env drift
     run: python -m env_doctor check --env .env --example .env.example --format text

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4. If you have more than one env file pair, repeat the same check for each pair in CI.

Verify

Push a branch that deletes a key from .env.example — CI should fail with a missing-in-env error. Restore the key — CI passes.

Troubleshoot

• CI fails: read the error lines — fix the missing/duplicate keys they name, then re-run. Warnings alone do not fail the run; triage them by hand (do not auto-fix).
• False unused-var: --scan only sees the code you point it at — widen the scan path.
• Secrets in CI logs: never print .env contents in CI. Redact before sharing logs.