Multiple Dotenv Files Bug

[pdoronila]

Dagu Multiple Dotenv Files Bug

Issue Summary

Affected Versions: < 1.30.2
Fixed In: v1.30.2
Severity: Critical - breaks environment variable layering

Problem

In dagu versions prior to 1.30.2, when specifying multiple dotenv files in a workflow, only the first file is loaded. Subsequent files are silently ignored.

# BROKEN in < 1.30.2
dotenv:
  - /opt/project/bundles/k3s/envs/k3s.env   # Loaded
  - /opt/project/bundles/k3s/args.env        # IGNORED!

This breaks configuration layering pattern where bundle defaults are loaded first and Terraform-provided args override them.

Expected Behavior (v1.30.2+)

Per dagu documentation:

"All files are loaded sequentially in order. Variables from later files override variables from earlier files."

Symptoms

• Environment variables from args.env not available in workflow steps
• Role detection fails (agents detect as servers)
• Bundle defaults cannot be overridden by Terraform args
• Dagu only logs "Loaded .env file" for the first file

Diagnosis

Run a test workflow to verify which variables are passed to steps:

name: test-dotenv
dotenv:
  - /opt/project/bundles/k3s/envs/k3s.env
  - /opt/project/bundles/k3s/args.env
steps:
  - name: check
    command: bash -c "env | grep DAG_K3S > /tmp/vars.txt"

sudo dagu start /tmp/test-dotenv.yaml && cat /tmp/vars.txt

If only k3s.env variables appear (and not args.env variables like DAG_K3S_ROLE), you're affected.

Solution

Upgrade dagu to v1.30.2 or later:

# Check current version
dagu version

# Download and install v1.30.2+
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/dagu-org/dagu/releases/download/v1.30.2/dagu_1.30.2_linux_amd64.tar.gz" | tar -xzf - -C /tmp
sudo mv /tmp/dagu /usr/local/bin/

Workarounds (if upgrade not possible)

1. Single merged env file: Combine all env files into one before workflow execution
2. Source in command: command: bash -c "source /path/to/args.env && your-command"
3. Reverse order: Put the most important file first (but loses override capability)

References

• Dagu v1.30.2 Release Notes - "Fixed loading of multiple .env files"
• Dagu YAML Reference - dotenv documentation

[kriyanshii]

I'll try to solve this, thank you for creating the issue!

[ghansham]

I would recommend namespace creation in such a case.

[yottahmd]

I wonder if this has been resolved already in the latest code.

Solution
Upgrade dagu to v1.30.2 or later: