diff --git a/python/agent/crew-ai/src/main.py b/python/agent/crew-ai/src/main.py
index 62243f3b..38c33a5c 100644
--- a/python/agent/crew-ai/src/main.py
+++ b/python/agent/crew-ai/src/main.py
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
 import wikipedia
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 from crewai import Agent, Crew, Process, Task
 from crewai.tools import BaseTool as CrewAITool
 from langchain_community.tools import DuckDuckGoSearchRun, WikipediaQueryRun
@@ -6,6 +9,11 @@
 from observability import setup_observability
 from pydantic import Field
 
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
+
 setup_observability()
 
 
diff --git a/python/agent/langchain-agent/main.py b/python/agent/langchain-agent/main.py
index 09e46a4d..a7580bdb 100644
--- a/python/agent/langchain-agent/main.py
+++ b/python/agent/langchain-agent/main.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from pathlib import Path
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 from langchain.agents import initialize_agent, Tool
 from langchain.agents.agent_types import AgentType
 from langchain_openai import ChatOpenAI
@@ -7,8 +8,10 @@
 from galileo.handlers.langchain import GalileoCallback
 import os
 
-# Load environment variables (e.g., API keys)
-load_dotenv()
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 
 # Define a tool for the agent to use
diff --git a/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/after/app.py b/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/after/app.py
index 4a8b6f3d..6a7c481e 100644
--- a/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/after/app.py
+++ b/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/after/app.py
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@
 from langchain_core.callbacks import Callbacks
 from langchain_core.messages import HumanMessage, AIMessage
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import galileo_context
 from galileo.handlers.langchain import GalileoAsyncCallback
@@ -19,8 +21,10 @@
     create_supervisor_agent,
 )
 
-# Load environment variables from .env file
-load_dotenv()
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 
 # Build the agent graph
diff --git a/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/before/app.py b/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/before/app.py
index c4387c72..12bd7740 100644
--- a/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/before/app.py
+++ b/python/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/before/app.py
@@ -10,14 +10,18 @@
 from langchain_core.callbacks import Callbacks
 from langchain_core.messages import HumanMessage, AIMessage
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from src.galileo_langgraph_fsi_agent.agents.supervisor_agent import (
     create_supervisor_agent,
 )
 
-# Load environment variables from .env file
-load_dotenv()
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 
 # Build the agent graph
diff --git a/python/agent/minimal-agent-example/app.py b/python/agent/minimal-agent-example/app.py
index e359b6c9..b9325e3f 100644
--- a/python/agent/minimal-agent-example/app.py
+++ b/python/agent/minimal-agent-example/app.py
@@ -8,9 +8,13 @@
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 import json
 from typing import Callable
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from pathlib import Path
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
-load_dotenv()
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 client = openai.OpenAI(api_key=os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY"))
 
diff --git a/python/agent/startup-simulator-3000/agent.py b/python/agent/startup-simulator-3000/agent.py
index 806ac6b7..4eb62553 100644
--- a/python/agent/startup-simulator-3000/agent.py
+++ b/python/agent/startup-simulator-3000/agent.py
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@
 import json
 from typing import Dict, Any, List, Optional
 from datetime import datetime
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from pathlib import Path
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv 
 from galileo import GalileoLogger
 from galileo.openai import openai
 
@@ -27,8 +28,10 @@
 from tools.text_analysis import TextAnalyzerTool
 from tools.keyword_extraction import KeywordExtractorTool
 
-# Load environment variables
-load_dotenv()
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 # Use the Galileo-wrapped OpenAI client
 client = openai.OpenAI(api_key=os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY"))
diff --git a/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/00-tutorial/01-weather-vibes-overview.md b/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/00-tutorial/01-weather-vibes-overview.md
index e96afc73..d82e3df7 100644
--- a/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/00-tutorial/01-weather-vibes-overview.md
+++ b/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/00-tutorial/01-weather-vibes-overview.md
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ Before we dive into the code ocean, make sure you've packed:
 - **Python 3.8+** installed on your system
 - **API Keys** (free options available):
   - OpenAI API key (for agent reasoning)
-  - WeatherAPI key (for weather data)
-  - YouTube API key (for video recommendations)
+  - WeatherAPI key (for weather data https://www.weatherapi.com/)
+  - YouTube V3 API key (for video recommendations)
   - Galileo API key (for monitoring and evaluation)
 - **Development Environment**:
   - Code editor of choice
diff --git a/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/agent.py b/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/agent.py
index 30a3b31f..5f986dc9 100644
--- a/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/agent.py
+++ b/python/agent/weather-vibes-agent/agent.py
@@ -13,11 +13,14 @@
 import os
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 from galileo import log, galileo_context
 
-# Load environment variables & set up path
-load_dotenv()
+# 1) load global/shared secrets first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
+#setup path
 sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent))
 
 # Quick environment check
diff --git a/python/chatbot/basic-examples/app.py b/python/chatbot/basic-examples/app.py
index f1b003a4..ddd17538 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/basic-examples/app.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/basic-examples/app.py
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
 import os
 from galileo import openai, logger  # The Galileo OpenAI client wrapper is all you need!
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv ,find_dotenv
 
-load_dotenv()
+# Load environment variables
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 client = openai.OpenAI(
     api_key=os.environ.get("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
diff --git a/python/chatbot/basic-examples/hallucination.py b/python/chatbot/basic-examples/hallucination.py
index 39aeb961..d0703e96 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/basic-examples/hallucination.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/basic-examples/hallucination.py
@@ -3,9 +3,13 @@
 import time
 import openai  # Using the standard OpenAI library
 from galileo import GalileoLogger  # Import GalileoLogger for logging
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
-load_dotenv()
+# Load environment variables
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 # Initialize the GalileoLogger
 logger = GalileoLogger(project="hallucination", log_stream="dev")
diff --git a/python/chatbot/basic-examples/test.py b/python/chatbot/basic-examples/test.py
index c6eec93c..2270aa33 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/basic-examples/test.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/basic-examples/test.py
@@ -3,9 +3,13 @@
 import openai  # Using the standard OpenAI library
 from galileo import GalileoLogger  # Import GalileoLogger for logging
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
-load_dotenv()
+# Load environment variables
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 # Initialize the GalileoLogger
 logger = GalileoLogger(project="chatbot", log_stream="test")
diff --git a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.py b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.py
index b8d31406..5c372b18 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.py
@@ -30,13 +30,15 @@
 
 from anthropic import Anthropic
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import galileo_context, log
 
-# Load the environment variables from the .env file
-# This will override any existing environment variables with the same name
-load_dotenv(override=True)
+# Load environment variables
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 # Set the model name from the environment variable
 # If this is not set, raise an exception
diff --git a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/test.py b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/test.py
index 31168a05..b3e55309 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/test.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/test.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import os
 import time
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import GalileoScorers
 from galileo.datasets import create_dataset, get_dataset
@@ -27,8 +27,11 @@ def setup_module():
     """
     print("Setting up test environment...")
 
-    # Load the environment variables from the .env file
-    load_dotenv()
+    # Load environment variables
+    # 1) load global/shared first
+    load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+    # 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+    load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
     # Verify required environment variables are set
     # You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.py b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.py
index 271c12b2..d9345aca 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.py
@@ -33,13 +33,15 @@
 from azure.ai.inference.models import SystemMessage, UserMessage, AssistantMessage
 from azure.core.credentials import AzureKeyCredential
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import galileo_context, log
 
-# Load the environment variables from the .env file
-# This will override any existing environment variables with the same name
-load_dotenv(override=True)
+# Load environment variables
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 # Set the model name from the environment variable
 # If this is not set, raise an exception
diff --git a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/test.py b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/test.py
index 31168a05..b3e55309 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/test.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/test.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import os
 import time
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import GalileoScorers
 from galileo.datasets import create_dataset, get_dataset
@@ -27,8 +27,11 @@ def setup_module():
     """
     print("Setting up test environment...")
 
-    # Load the environment variables from the .env file
-    load_dotenv()
+    # Load environment variables
+    # 1) load global/shared first
+    load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+    # 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+    load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
     # Verify required environment variables are set
     # You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.py b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.py
index f53e72a5..a910431e 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.py
@@ -31,14 +31,16 @@
 from datetime import datetime
 import os
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import galileo_context, log
 from galileo.openai import OpenAI
 
-# Load the environment variables from the .env file
-# This will override any existing environment variables with the same name
-load_dotenv(override=True)
+# Load environment variables
+# 1) load global/shared first
+load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+# 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
 # Set the model name from the environment variable
 # If this is not set, raise an exception
diff --git a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/test.py b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/test.py
index 31168a05..b3e55309 100644
--- a/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/test.py
+++ b/python/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/test.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import os
 import time
 
-from dotenv import load_dotenv
+from dotenv import load_dotenv, find_dotenv
 
 from galileo import GalileoScorers
 from galileo.datasets import create_dataset, get_dataset
@@ -27,8 +27,11 @@ def setup_module():
     """
     print("Setting up test environment...")
 
-    # Load the environment variables from the .env file
-    load_dotenv()
+    # Load environment variables
+    # 1) load global/shared first
+    load_dotenv(os.path.expanduser("~/.config/secrets/myapps.env"), override=False)
+    # 2) then load per-app .env (if present) to override selectively
+    load_dotenv(find_dotenv(usecwd=True), override=True)
 
     # Verify required environment variables are set
     # You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.test.ts b/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.test.ts
index 1d057377..48501c8d 100644
--- a/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.test.ts
+++ b/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { createDataset, GalileoCallback, GalileoScorers, getDataset, getLogger, runExperiment } from "galileo";
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
 
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ const sendInputToLlm = async (datasetRow: any): Promise<string> => {
 
 describe('Chatbot Galileo Tests', () => {
     beforeAll(async () => {
-        // Load environment variables from .env file
-        dotenv.config();
 
         // Verify required environment variables are set
         // You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.ts b/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.ts
index a848cacd..d61bbf17 100644
--- a/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.ts
+++ b/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/app.ts
@@ -1,24 +1,22 @@
 /**
  * A demo Financial Services Agent using LangGraph, with Galileo as the evaluation platform.
  */
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import * as readline from 'readline';
 
 import { getLogger, GalileoCallback } from "galileo";
 import { createSupervisorAgent } from './agents/supervisorAgent';
 
-// Load environment variables from .env file
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
-dotenv.config();
 
 // Validate required environment variables
-const requiredEnvVars = {
-    GALILEO_API_KEY: process.env.GALILEO_API_KEY,
-    GALILEO_PROJECT: process.env.GALILEO_PROJECT,
-    GALILEO_LOG_STREAM: process.env.GALILEO_LOG_STREAM,
-    MODEL_NAME: process.env.MODEL_NAME,
-    PINECONE_API_KEY: process.env.PINECONE_API_KEY,
-    OPENAI_API_KEY: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,
-};
+const required = [
+  "GALILEO_API_KEY",
+  "GALILEO_PROJECT",
+  "GALILEO_LOG_STREAM",
+  "MODEL_NAME",
+  "PINECONE_API_KEY",
+  "OPENAI_API_KEY",
+] as const;
 
 for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(requiredEnvVars)) {
     if (!value) {
diff --git a/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/agent/langgraph-fsi-agent/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/mastra/index.ts b/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/mastra/index.ts
index 793b8cf5..04820479 100644
--- a/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/mastra/index.ts
+++ b/typescript/agent/mastra-template-csv-to-questions/src/mastra/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import "../config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import {
   OpenInferenceOTLPTraceExporter,
   isOpenInferenceSpan,
diff --git a/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/minimal_agent.ts b/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/minimal_agent.ts
index f79f21b7..d5518c08 100644
--- a/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/minimal_agent.ts
+++ b/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/minimal_agent.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import * as dotenv from 'dotenv';
+import "./config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as path from 'path';
 import { OpenAI } from 'openai';
@@ -6,8 +6,6 @@ import { log, wrapOpenAI, init, flush } from 'galileo';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
 import inquirer from 'inquirer';
 
-// Load environment variables
-dotenv.config();
 
 // Suppress any warnings if needed
 // process.env.NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED = '0';
diff --git a/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/agent/minimal-agent-example/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/src/config/environment.ts b/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/src/config/environment.ts
index 1565d699..e7574e43 100644
--- a/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/src/config/environment.ts
+++ b/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/src/config/environment.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,22 @@
-import { config } from 'dotenv';
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
 
-// Load environment variables
-config();
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
 
 export interface EnvironmentConfig {
   stripe: {
diff --git a/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/tests/setup.ts b/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/tests/setup.ts
index bf5bd338..d795fb48 100644
--- a/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/tests/setup.ts
+++ b/typescript/agent/stripe-agent-tool/tests/setup.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 // Global test setup
-import { config } from 'dotenv';
-
-// Load environment variables for testing
-config();
+import "./config/environment";  // side-effect: loads env va
 
 // Mock environment variables if not set
 process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY = process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY || 'sk_test_mock_key';
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.test.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.test.ts
index 54d557e7..8bc87de0 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.test.ts
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/app.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import { createDataset, GalileoScorers, getDataset, runExperiment } from "galileo";
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
 import { chatWithLLM } from "./chat";
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ const sendInputToLlm = async (datasetRow: any): Promise<string> => {
 
 describe('Chatbot Galileo Tests', () => {
     beforeAll(async () => {
-        // Load environment variables from .env file
-        dotenv.config();
 
         // Verify required environment variables are set
         // You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/chat.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/chat.ts
index 8eba45de..b88f0ed4 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/chat.ts
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/chat.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import Anthropic from '@anthropic-ai/sdk';
 
 import { getLogger, log } from "galileo";
 
-// Load environment variables from .env file
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
-dotenv.config();
-
 // Validate required environment variables
 const requiredEnvVars = {
     GALILEO_API_KEY: process.env.GALILEO_API_KEY,
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/anthropic/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.test.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.test.ts
index 54d557e7..8bc87de0 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.test.ts
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/app.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import { createDataset, GalileoScorers, getDataset, runExperiment } from "galileo";
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
 import { chatWithLLM } from "./chat";
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ const sendInputToLlm = async (datasetRow: any): Promise<string> => {
 
 describe('Chatbot Galileo Tests', () => {
     beforeAll(async () => {
-        // Load environment variables from .env file
-        dotenv.config();
 
         // Verify required environment variables are set
         // You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/chat.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/chat.ts
index 303be032..3e207222 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/chat.ts
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/chat.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import ModelClient from "@azure-rest/ai-inference";
 import { AzureKeyCredential } from "@azure/core-auth";
 
 import { getLogger, log } from "galileo";
 
-// Load environment variables from .env file
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
-dotenv.config();
 
 // Validate required environment variables
 const requiredEnvVars = {
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/azure-inference/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/.env.example b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/.env.example
deleted file mode 100644
index 8c61c48e..00000000
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/.env.example
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-# Galileo Environment Variables
-GALILEO_API_KEY=                        # Your Galileo API key.
-GALILEO_PROJECT=Simple Chatbot          # Your Galileo project name.
-GALILEO_LOG_STREAM=Default Log Stream   # The name of the log stream you want to use for logging.
-
-# Provide the console url below if you are using a custom deployment, and not using app.galileo.ai
-# GALILEO_CONSOLE_URL=                  # Optional if you are using a hosted version of Galileo
-
-# OpenAI and compatible LLM Environment Variables
-OPENAI_API_KEY=                         # Your OpenAI API key. If you are using Ollama just set this to ollama
-# OPENAI_BASE_URL=                      # Optional if you are not using the public OpenAI API. If you are using Ollama, set this to http://localhost:11434/v1
-MODEL_NAME=                             # The name of the model you want to use, e.g. gpt-3.5-turbo, llama2, etc.
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.test.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.test.ts
index 04159c37..766e631d 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.test.ts
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/app.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import { createDataset, GalileoScorers, getDataset, runExperiment } from "galileo";
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
 import { chatWithLLM } from "./chat";
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ const sendInputToLlm = async (datasetRow: any): Promise<string> => {
 
 describe('Chatbot Galileo Tests', () => {
     beforeAll(async () => {
-        // Load environment variables from .env file
-        dotenv.config();
 
         // Verify required environment variables are set
         // You will also need to set up the environment variables for your OpenAI API connection.
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/chat.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/chat.ts
index 837eff88..f4be296c 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/chat.ts
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/chat.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import { getLogger, log, wrapOpenAI } from "galileo";
 
 import { OpenAI } from "openai";
 
-// Load environment variables from .env file
-import dotenv from 'dotenv';
-dotenv.config();
 
 // Validate required environment variables
 const requiredEnvVars = {
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package-lock.json b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package-lock.json
index 5b931c48..a0757104 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package-lock.json
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package-lock.json
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
                 "@types/node": "^24.0.12",
                 "jest": "^29.7.0",
                 "ts-jest": "^29.4.0",
-                "tsx": "^4.20.3",
+                "tsx": "^4.20.5",
                 "typescript": "^5.8.3"
             },
             "engines": {
@@ -3170,9 +3170,9 @@
             }
         },
         "node_modules/form-data": {
-            "version": "4.0.3",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/form-data/-/form-data-4.0.3.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-qsITQPfmvMOSAdeyZ+12I1c+CKSstAFAwu+97zrnWAbIr5u8wfsExUzCesVLC8NgHuRUqNN4Zy6UPWUTRGslcA==",
+            "version": "4.0.4",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/form-data/-/form-data-4.0.4.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-KrGhL9Q4zjj0kiUt5OO4Mr/A/jlI2jDYs5eHBpYHPcBEVSiipAvn2Ko2HnPe20rmcuuvMHNdZFp+4IlGTMF0Ow==",
             "license": "MIT",
             "dependencies": {
                 "asynckit": "^0.4.0",
@@ -6307,9 +6307,9 @@
             }
         },
         "node_modules/tsx": {
-            "version": "4.20.3",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tsx/-/tsx-4.20.3.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-qjbnuR9Tr+FJOMBqJCW5ehvIo/buZq7vH7qD7JziU98h6l3qGy0a/yPFjwO+y0/T7GFpNgNAvEcPPVfyT8rrPQ==",
+            "version": "4.20.5",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tsx/-/tsx-4.20.5.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-+wKjMNU9w/EaQayHXb7WA7ZaHY6hN8WgfvHNQ3t1PnU91/7O8TcTnIhCDYTZwnt8JsO9IBqZ30Ln1r7pPF52Aw==",
             "dev": true,
             "license": "MIT",
             "dependencies": {
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package.json b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package.json
index 204cd999..925ec315 100644
--- a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package.json
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/package.json
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
         "@types/node": "^24.0.12",
         "jest": "^29.7.0",
         "ts-jest": "^29.4.0",
-        "tsx": "^4.20.3",
+        "tsx": "^4.20.5",
         "typescript": "^5.8.3"
     }
 }
diff --git a/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/chatbot/sample-project-chatbot/openai-ollama/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/datasets-experiments/index.ts b/typescript/datasets-experiments/index.ts
index fcc01043..a2cb18ba 100644
--- a/typescript/datasets-experiments/index.ts
+++ b/typescript/datasets-experiments/index.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import { createDataset, getDataset, runExperiment, wrapOpenAI, createPromptTemplate } from "galileo";
 import { MessageRole } from "galileo/dist/types/message.types";
 import { OpenAI } from 'openai';
-import { config } from "dotenv";
-
-config();
 
 const projectName = "datasets-experiments";
 
diff --git a/typescript/datasets-experiments/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/datasets-experiments/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/datasets-experiments/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/typescript/rag/app.ts b/typescript/rag/app.ts
index bdc2c5ef..25ee948c 100644
--- a/typescript/rag/app.ts
+++ b/typescript/rag/app.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import * as dotenv from 'dotenv';
+import "./src/config/env";  // side-effect: loads env vars
 import { OpenAI } from 'openai';
 import { log, wrapOpenAI, init, flush } from 'galileo';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
diff --git a/typescript/rag/src/config/env.ts b/typescript/rag/src/config/env.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94275f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/typescript/rag/src/config/env.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+// src/config/env.ts
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import dotenv from "dotenv";
+import dotenvFlow from "dotenv-flow";
+
+// 1) Load a shared file FIRST (lowest precedence among files)
+//    Real env vars in process.env always win.
+const shared = path.join(os.homedir(), ".config", "secrets", "myapps.env");
+if (fs.existsSync(shared)) {
+  dotenv.config({ path: shared, override: false });
+}
+
+// 2) Let dotenv-flow load the standard cascade for the project:
+//    .env -> .env.local -> .env.[NODE_ENV] -> .env.[NODE_ENV].local
+dotenvFlow.config({
+  node_env: process.env.NODE_ENV, // e.g. "development", "test", "production"
+  silent: true,                   // don’t log missing files
+});
\ No newline at end of file