export¶

Reference

export is stdout-oriented projection. Use it when another shell command or tool wants the resolved environment rendered directly to standard output.

envctl export
envctl export --format shell
envctl export --format dotenv
envctl --output json export

Purpose¶

export is stdout-oriented projection.

It prints the resolved environment to standard output instead of creating a file or launching a subprocess.

What it does¶

resolves the active environment first
prints shell export lines by default
prints dotenv KEY=value lines with --format dotenv
emits structured JSON with the global --output json flag
prints the final expanded values, not the original placeholder expressions
respects global selectors such as --group, --set, and --var
fails fast if the selected explicit profile does not exist

When to use it¶

Use export when another shell command or script wants the resolved result directly from stdout.

If the caller is another tool and you want a stable structured payload, use envctl --output json export.

When not to use it¶

Do not use export as storage. It is projection output, not a source of truth.

If another tool needs a file on disk, use sync. If you want to execute a command directly with the resolved environment, use run.

Typical examples¶

envctl export
envctl export --format dotenv
envctl --group Runtime export --format dotenv
envctl --output json export

use run for in-memory subprocess injection
use sync for generated dotenv files
use check when you only need pass-or-fail validation

Projection¶

Reconnect export to the projection layer it implements.

Read about projection

run¶

Use this when the target tool can consume environment variables directly.

Open run reference

sync¶

Use this when the target tool needs a file on disk.

Open sync reference