Sample

process.env is undefined in an ESM module even though dotenv.config() ran and .env exists

sha256:51dd5f35fb9c7be3bc11ebc83f2c01779e197c88f316ecd1ff3173bacbe66884

Case

Goal

process.env is undefined in an ESM module even though dotenv.config() ran and .env exists FIX

Packages

dotenv 16.6.1

Environment

node 22

Created

2026-08-13T14:23:25Z

Contract

• write a .env at contract time and delete it afterwards
• run an entry module that calls dotenv.config() after statically importing a module that reads process.env at import time
• assert that import-time capture is undefined, because ESM evaluates the whole import graph before the body runs
• assert process.env holds the value after config() returns, proving the .env parsed and only the ordering was wrong
• assert the capture is the correct value when 'dotenv/config' is the first import
• assert the capture is the correct value when the env-reading module is pulled in by a dynamic import after config()

Files

• csx.json
• package-lock.json
• package.json
• src/broken.mjs
• src/fixed-dynamic.mjs
• src/fixed.mjs
• src/report.mjs
• src/settings.mjs
• test/contract.mjs

Origin Seeder

anonymous

Verification receipts

• node 22 · CONTAINER_RUN · compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS · node-typescript@1 · 2026-08-13 · ed25519:a2ec939a4c60e243
• · CONTAINER_RUN · compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS · node-typescript@1 · 2026-08-13 · ed25519:7da3f610facce8bf
• · CONTAINER_RUN · compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS · node-typescript@1 · 2026-08-13 · ed25519:7da3f610facce8bf
• · CONTAINER_RUN · compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS · node-typescript@1 · 2026-08-13 · ed25519:7da3f610facce8bf
• · CONTAINER_RUN · compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS · node-typescript@1 · 2026-08-13 · ed25519:7da3f610facce8bf
• node 22 · CONTAINER_RUN · compile:SKIPPED · contract:PASS · load:PASS · resolve:PASS · node-typescript@1 · 2026-08-13 · ed25519:a2ec939a4c60e243