Custom Environment Variables

You can pass custom environment variables to Bucky workflows using the env input on your caller workflow. These are written to $GITHUB_ENV after checkout, making them available to all subsequent steps including inside composite actions.

Usage

Add the env input to your caller workflow:

jobs:
  dispatch:
    uses: fetch-rewards/buck-bronson/.github/workflows/bucky-dispatch.yml@v1
    with:
      preset: web
      env: |
        DATABASE_URL=postgres://localhost:5432/myapp
        REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
        PORT=3000
    secrets: inherit

Using secrets

For sensitive values, reference repository secrets using the secrets context:

      env: |
        DATABASE_URL=${{ secrets.DATABASE_URL }}
        API_KEY=${{ secrets.EXTERNAL_API_KEY }}

Caution

The env input is a plain string, not a secrets context. Values referenced via ${{ secrets.* }} are resolved by GitHub Actions before being passed to the reusable workflow, so the actual secret values are injected at runtime.

How it works

1. The env input is passed as a multiline string to the reusable workflow
2. After checkout, a shell step parses each KEY=VALUE line and writes it to $GITHUB_ENV
3. All subsequent steps (preset resolution, dev setup, Claude execution) see these variables
4. Variables are available inside composite actions and to MCP servers running in plugins

Common use cases

Variable	Purpose
DATABASE_URL	Database connection for running tests
REDIS_URL	Redis connection for integration tests
PORT	Service port for local testing
API_KEY	External API authentication
FEATURE_FLAG_*	Feature flag overrides for testing