overthinkos/direnv

direnv -- Automatic environment variable loading

Layer Properties

| Property | Value | |----------|-------| | Install files | layer.yml (packages only) |

Packages

RPM: direnv · PAC: direnv · DEB: direnv — full cross-distro parity.

Usage

# image.yml
my-image:
  layers:
    - direnv

Typically used as part of the agent-forwarding composition layer rather than directly. Also available in the heavyweight dev-tools layer (46 packages).

Runtime Behavior

Provides the direnv binary AND the per-shell hook installation (post-2026-05 cutover) for automatic environment variable loading from .envrc files.

Shell hooks are now declarative (2026-05 cutover). The layer carries a shell: block:

shell:
  init: |
    eval "$(direnv hook ${SHELL_NAME})"   # bash/zsh/sh — POSIX-style
  fish:
    init: |
      direnv hook fish | source            # fish — different syntax

Container images get /etc/profile.d/ov-direnv-<shell>.sh and /etc/fish/conf.d/ov-direnv.fish emitted at ov image build time. target: local host deploys get a managed-block in ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc plus ~/.config/fish/conf.d/ov-direnv.fish at ov deploy add time, only for shells the runtime probe finds. The pre-cutover bug (fish hook missing because ~/.config/fish/config.fish was never edited) is structurally fixed.

The primary use case in Overthink is the .secrets workflow: .envrc calls eval "$(ov secrets gpg env)" which decrypts a GPG-encrypted .secrets file in memory and exports the variables — no plaintext on disk. No external direnvrc dependency needed.

Used In Images

Part of agent-forwarding composition layer, used in 27 application images.

Also available in dev-tools layer (used in bazzite-ai, fedora-remote).

Related Layers

• /ov-foundation:agent-forwarding -- metalayer that includes gnupg + direnv + ssh-client
• /ov-foundation:gnupg -- GPG tools (needed for .secrets decryption)
• /ov-coder:dev-tools -- heavyweight layer that also includes direnv (46 packages)

Cross-References

• /ov-build:secrets -- ov secrets gpg commands for managing .secrets files, ov secrets gpg setup for GPG agent + KeePassXC configuration, ov secrets gpg doctor for health checks

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user asks about:

• direnv or .envrc files
• The direnv layer
• Automatic environment variable loading
• The .secrets + direnv workflow

Related

• /ov-build:layer — layer authoring reference (layer.yml schema, task verbs, service declarations)
• /ov-build:eval — declarative testing (eval: block, ov eval image, ov eval live)