poetry-dotenv-plugin
A Poetry plugin to automatically load environment variables from .env files
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you use Poetry and rely on `.env` files for local development. The plugin is simple, low-friction to install, and solves a common workflow gap for Pipenv users switching to Poetry. However, note that maintenance is dormant (last release July 2023); if you need active support or compatibility with very recent Poetry versions, verify compatibility first or consider alternatives.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Poetry to be installed and a `.env` file present in your project directory.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two runtime dependencies (poetry and python-dotenv).
- Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-07-16, over a year ago, though the repo remains active with no archived flag and a recent commit on 2024-07-19.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in your own projects.
last release 2023-07-16 (1125 days) · last repo commit 2024-07-19 · 158 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 141,326 downloads/mo, #11,242 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
poetry self add poetry-dotenv-plugin
# Then in your project with a .env file:
poetry run python -c 'import os; print(os.environ.get("MY_ENV_VAR"))'- Whether the plugin works correctly with Poetry versions released after 2024-07-19 (last commit date).
- Current compatibility with the latest python-dotenv release and any breaking changes in its API.
What it is and what it does
Poetry Dotenv Plugin is a Poetry plugin that automatically injects environment variables from `.env` files into the environment before Poetry commands execute. It wraps python-dotenv to handle variable expansion and interpolation, making it a drop-in replacement for users migrating from Pipenv who relied on automatic `.env` loading. The plugin integrates via Poetry's event handler system and can be controlled through environment variables like POETRY_DOTENV_LOCATION and POETRY_DONT_LOAD_ENV, mirroring Pipenv's interface for ease of transition.
The plugin is lightweight, requiring only Poetry and python-dotenv as runtime dependencies. It supports Python 3.7 and later, and by default overrides existing environment variables—though this can be disabled by setting POETRY_DOTENV_DONT_OVERRIDE to true. Installation is straightforward via `poetry self add`, and it requires no additional configuration beyond having a `.env` file in your project.
Use it for
- Migrating from Pipenv to Poetry while preserving existing `.env` loading workflows without code changes.
- Automatically loading development secrets and configuration from `.env` files during local Poetry runs.
- Using POSIX variable expansion in `.env` files (e.g., `${VAR}` syntax) via python-dotenv's interpolation support.
- Controlling `.env` loading behavior per project using POETRY_DOTENV_LOCATION and POETRY_DONT_LOAD_ENV environment variables.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you use Poetry and rely on `.env` files for local development.
The plugin is simple, low-friction to install, and solves a common workflow gap for Pipenv users switching to Poetry. However, note that maintenance is dormant (last release July 2023); if you need active support or compatibility with very recent Poetry versions, verify compatibility first or consider alternatives.
Install
poetry-dotenv-plugin on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two runtime dependencies (poetry and python-dotenv). Maintenance is dormant—last release was 2023-07-16, over a year ago, though the repo remains active with no archived flag and a recent commit on 2024-07-19.
Requires Poetry to be installed and a `.env` file present in your project directory.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) places no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in your own projects.
Quickstart
poetry self add poetry-dotenv-plugin
# Then in your project with a .env file:
poetry run python -c 'import os; print(os.environ.get("MY_ENV_VAR"))'Verify before relying
- Whether the plugin works correctly with Poetry versions released after 2024-07-19 (last commit date).
- Current compatibility with the latest python-dotenv release and any breaking changes in its API.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7,<4 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagespoetrypython-dotenv |
| Maintenance | Dormant 1,125 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 141,326 / month, #11,242 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: System :: Systems AdministrationTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: poetry_dotenv_plugin-0.2.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also load-dotenv · migrate-to-uv · pytest-dotenv · python-dotenv · dotenv · pytest-env · django-dotenv · dump-env · pipenv · expandvars