Set environment variables

Create or update environment variables for an environment in a single atomic
request.

By default this is an upsert: each variable in the payload is created if new
or fully overwritten if the key already exists, and any variable not in the
payload is left untouched. This lets you change one variable without
re-sending the others, which matters for write-only secrets you can no longer
read back.

Set prune: true to make it a full replace instead: after upserting, every
variable not in the payload is deleted. Sending prune: true with an empty
variables list resets the environment by deleting every variable.

Each variable is written exactly as sent, never merged, so omitted optional
fields fall back to their defaults rather than the previous value. Values are
always encrypted at rest. Set kind: recoverable to allow a value to be read
back; it defaults to writeonly, which can never be read back through the API.

Required Permissions

Your root key must have one of the following permissions:

environment.*.set_environment_variables (for any environment)
environment.<environment_id>.set_environment_variables (for a specific environment)

1 min read

post/v2/environments.setEnvironmentVariables

Request example

package main

import(
	"context"
	"os"
	unkey "github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2"
	"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2/models/components"
	"log"
)

func main() {
    ctx := context.Background()

    s := unkey.New(
        unkey.WithSecurity(os.Getenv("UNKEY_ROOT_KEY")),
    )

    res, err := s.Environments.SetEnvironmentVariables(ctx, components.V2EnvironmentsSetEnvironmentVariablesRequestBody{
        Project: "payments",
        App: "payments-api",
        Environment: "production",
        Variables: []components.EnvironmentVariableInput{
            components.EnvironmentVariableInput{
                Key: "DATABASE_URL",
                Value: "postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db",
            },
            components.EnvironmentVariableInput{
                Key: "LOG_LEVEL",
                Value: "debug",
                Kind: components.KindRecoverable.ToPointer(),
                Description: unkey.Pointer("Application log verbosity"),
            },
        },
        Prune: unkey.Pointer(true),
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    if res.V2EnvironmentsSetEnvironmentVariablesResponseBody != nil {
        // handle response
    }
}

Response

{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_123"
  },
  "data": {}
}

post/v2/environments.setEnvironmentVariables

Authorization

Authorizationstringheaderrequired#

Unkey uses bearer tokens for authentication. Public integrations use root keys, while the dashboard proxy uses short-lived JWTs.
To authenticate, include the token in the Authorization header of each request:

Authorization: Bearer unkey_123

Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Legacy permissions use tuple strings like api.*.create_key; resource permissions use Unkey Resource Names plus actions, like unkey:v1:ws_123:keyspaces/*#create_key.
Security best practices:

Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code
Use different root keys for different environments
Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures
Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle
Monitor key usage with audit logs.

Body

application/json

projectstringrequired#

Identifies a resource by either its unique ID or its slug.
Accepts a prefixed ID (such as 'proj_' or 'app_') or a slug.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$

appstringrequired#

Identifies a resource by either its unique ID or its slug.
Accepts a prefixed ID (such as 'proj_' or 'app_') or a slug.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$

environmentstringrequired#

Identifies a resource by either its unique ID or its slug.
Accepts a prefixed ID (such as 'proj_' or 'app_') or a slug.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$

variablesobject[]required#

The variables to upsert. Each entry is created if its key is new or fully
overwritten if the key already exists. Existing variables whose keys are
not in this list are left untouched, unless prune is true.

Each entry is written exactly as sent, never merged with the current
state. Only value is required; omitted optional fields (kind,
description) fall back to their defaults rather than any previous value,
so overwriting a variable without a description clears it.

Each key may appear at most once; a duplicate key is rejected with a 400.
The whole operation is atomic: if any part fails the environment is left
unchanged. All values are encrypted at rest. Limited to 50 variables per
request.

Items: max 50

Show child attributes

keystringrequired#

The variable name. Must be a POSIX shell name: letters, digits, and
underscores only, and must not start with a digit. Other names are
unreachable from shells and most runtimes.

Length: 1–256Pattern: ^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$

valuestringrequired#

The variable value. Always encrypted at rest. The limit is enforced
server-side in UTF-8 bytes, so a multibyte value may be rejected before
it reaches this code-point maximum.

Length: 1–16384

kindenum<string>#

How the value may be read back. writeonly values can never be read back
through the API; recoverable values can be decrypted. Values are encrypted
at rest either way.

Default: "writeonly"

Options:recoverablewriteonly

descriptionstring#

Human-readable description of the variable.

Length: max 255

pruneboolean#

Optional. Defaults to false. When false, the variables above are upserted
and any existing variable not in the list is kept. When true, this becomes
a full replace: after upserting, every variable not in the list is deleted.
Combined with an empty variables list, prune: true resets the entire
environment by deleting every variable.

Default: false

Responses

application/json

Successfully set the environment variables.

metaobjectrequired#

Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The requestId is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team.

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance.

dataobjectrequired#

Empty response object by design. A successful response indicates this operation was successfully executed.

metaobjectrequired#

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

errorobjectrequired#

Base error structure following Problem Details for HTTP APIs (RFC 7807). This provides a standardized way to carry machine-readable details of errors in HTTP response content.

Show child attributes

detailstringrequired#

A human-readable explanation specific to this occurrence of the problem. This provides detailed information about what went wrong and potential remediation steps. The message is intended to be helpful for developers troubleshooting the issue.

statusintegerrequired#

HTTP status code that corresponds to this error. This will match the status code in the HTTP response. Common codes include 400 (Bad Request), 401 (Unauthorized), 403 (Forbidden), 404 (Not Found), 409 (Conflict), and 500 (Internal Server Error).

titlestringrequired#

A short, human-readable summary of the problem type. This remains constant from occurrence to occurrence of the same problem and should be used for programmatic handling.

typestringrequired#

A URI reference that identifies the problem type. This provides a stable identifier for the error that can be used for documentation lookups and programmatic error handling. When followed, this URI should provide human-readable documentation for the problem type.

errorsobject[]required#

List of individual validation errors that occurred in the request. Each error provides specific details about what failed validation, where the error occurred in the request, and suggestions for fixing it. This granular information helps developers quickly identify and resolve multiple issues in a single request without having to make repeated API calls.

Show child attributes

locationstringrequired#

JSON path indicating exactly where in the request the error occurred. This helps pinpoint the problematic field or parameter. Examples include:

'body.name' (field in request body)
'body.items[3].tags' (nested array element)
'path.apiId' (path parameter)
'query.limit' (query parameter)
Use this location to identify exactly which part of your request needs correction.

messagestringrequired#

Detailed error message explaining what validation rule was violated. This provides specific information about why the field or parameter was rejected, such as format errors, invalid values, or constraint violations.

fixstring#

A human-readable suggestion describing how to fix the error. This provides practical guidance on what changes would satisfy the validation requirements. Not all validation errors include fix suggestions, but when present, they offer specific remediation advice.

Remove environment variables Update environment settings