dotenv get exits with code 1 for empty string values
Author: ShamikOfficialCreated Sep 12, 2026Updated Sep 12, 2026
Description
dotenv get KEY treats an empty string value as missing because the CLI uses a truthiness check (if stored_value:) instead of testing for key presence / None.
Empty values are valid in .env files (KEY= or KEY=""). The library API already returns them correctly via get_key / dotenv_values; only the CLI get command is wrong.
Steps to reproduce
import subprocess, sys, tempfile
from pathlib import Path
from dotenv import set_key
with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as directory:
path = Path(directory) / ".env"
set_key(path, "EMPTY", "")
result = subprocess.run(
[sys.executable, "-m", "dotenv", "-f", str(path), "get", "EMPTY"],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
)
print(result.returncode, repr(result.stdout))Expected behavior
0 ''(exit code 0, empty value printed)
Actual behavior
1 ''(exit code 1 — same as a missing key)
dotenv get ZERO with ZERO=0 works (exit 0), so only falsy-but-present empty strings are affected.
Environment
- python-dotenv: 1.2.3 (current
main) - Python: 3.14
- OS: Windows
Suggested fix
In src/dotenv/cli.py get, distinguish missing/None from an empty string, e.g. exit only when the key is absent or the stored value is None.
Source: theskumar/python-dotenv