_env_line_defines_key() decides which .env lines the writers may rewrite or
drop. It matched on the `KEY=` prefix, but load_env() splits on the first
`=` and strips the name:
key, _, value = line.partition('=')
env_vars[key.strip()] = _parse_env_value(value)
so `OPENAI_API_KEY = sk-...` is a live assignment — the key resolves, the
provider works, and every UI shows it as set. The writers did not see it.
This is the same resurrection hole #40041 fixed for `export KEY=`, still
open for the whitespace form:
- DELETE /api/env 404s ("not found in .env") while the credential stays
active — a key the user revoked through the UI is never actually revoked
- PUT /api/env appends a SECOND line instead of replacing; a later delete
removes the appended line and the original value silently comes back
Rotate-then-delete on a spaced line therefore restores exactly the key the
user rotated away from.
Match load_env()'s parse instead of prefix-matching, so the writers accept
precisely what the reader accepts: skip blank/comment/no-'=' lines, strip an
`export ` prefix, then compare the stripped name. Commented-out lines stay
untouched and `KEY_EXTRA=`/`MY_KEY=` still do not match `KEY`.
Verified against the real dashboard endpoints on a temp HERMES_HOME: the
spaced line is now removed, rotation replaces it in place with no duplicate,
and a parity check asserts the writer matches a line iff load_env() does.
Frowtek
1152d4d3ce