milaidy 1.0.0

package/docs/environment.md

@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+---
+summary: "Where Milaidy loads environment variables and the precedence order"
+read_when:
+  - You need to know which env vars are loaded, and in what order
+  - You are debugging missing API keys in the Gateway
+  - You are documenting provider auth or deployment environments
+title: "Environment Variables"
+---
+
+# Environment variables
+
+Milaidy pulls environment variables from multiple sources. The rule is **never override existing values**.
+
+## Precedence (highest → lowest)
+
+1. **Process environment** (what the Gateway process already has from the parent shell/daemon).
+2. **`.env` in the current working directory** (dotenv default; does not override).
+3. **Global `.env`** at `~/.milaidy/.env` (aka `$MILAIDY_STATE_DIR/.env`; does not override).
+4. **Config `env` block** in `~/.milaidy/milaidy.json` (applied only if missing).
+5. **Optional login-shell import** (`env.shellEnv.enabled` or `MILAIDY_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1`), applied only for missing expected keys.
+
+If the config file is missing entirely, step 4 is skipped; shell import still runs if enabled.
+
+## Config `env` block
+
+Two equivalent ways to set inline env vars (both are non-overriding):
+
+```json5
+{
+  env: {
+    OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-...",
+    vars: {
+      GROQ_API_KEY: "gsk-...",
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+## Shell env import
+
+`env.shellEnv` runs your login shell and imports only **missing** expected keys:
+
+```json5
+{
+  env: {
+    shellEnv: {
+      enabled: true,
+      timeoutMs: 15000,
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+Env var equivalents:
+
+- `MILAIDY_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1`
+- `MILAIDY_SHELL_ENV_TIMEOUT_MS=15000`
+
+## Env var substitution in config
+
+You can reference env vars directly in config string values using `${VAR_NAME}` syntax:
+
+```json5
+{
+  models: {
+    providers: {
+      "vercel-gateway": {
+        apiKey: "${VERCEL_GATEWAY_API_KEY}",
+      },
+    },
+  },
+}
+```
+
+See [Configuration: Env var substitution](/gateway/configuration#env-var-substitution-in-config) for full details.
+
+## Related
+
+- [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration)
+- [FAQ: env vars and .env loading](/help/faq#env-vars-and-env-loading)
+- [Models overview](/concepts/models)