Default --env-file to .env.local for validate and sidecar ssh/setup

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: schurchleycci

docs/CLI.md

@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ chunk
 │   --workdir <path>                # Working directory on sidecar
 │   --project <path>                # Override project directory
 │   -e / --env KEY=VALUE            # Set env var in remote sidecar session (repeatable)
-│   --env-file <path>               # Load env file (defaults to .env.local when flag is present)
+│   --env-file <path>               # Env file to load (default: .env.local; pass a path to override)
 │
 ├── sidecar
 │   ├── list --org-id <id>          # List sidecars
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ chunk
 │   │   --sidecar-id <id>           # Sidecar ID (defaults to active sidecar)
 │   │   --identity-file <path>      # SSH identity file
 │   │   -e / --env KEY=VALUE        # Set env var in remote session (repeatable)
-│   │   --env-file <path>           # Load env file (defaults to .env.local when flag is present)
+│   │   --env-file <path>           # Env file to load (default: .env.local; pass a path to override)
 │   ├── sync                        # Sync files to sidecar
 │   │   --sidecar-id <id>           # Sidecar ID (defaults to active sidecar)
 │   │   --identity-file <path>      # SSH identity file
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ chunk
 │   │   --skip-snapshot             # Skip creating a snapshot after install
 │   │   --force                     # Re-detect environment even if cached
 │   │   -e / --env KEY=VALUE        # Set env var in remote sidecar session (repeatable)
-│   │   --env-file <path>           # Load env file (defaults to .env.local when flag is present)
+│   │   --env-file <path>           # Env file to load (default: .env.local; pass a path to override)
 │   └── snapshot
 │       ├── create                  # Snapshot a sidecar, then delete the source sidecar
 │       │   --sidecar-id <id>       # Sidecar ID (defaults to active sidecar)

internal/cmd/sidecar.go

@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ func newSidecarSSHCmd() *cobra.Command {
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&sidecarID, "sidecar-id", "", "Sidecar ID (defaults to active sidecar)")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&identityFile, "identity-file", "", "SSH identity file")
 	cmd.Flags().StringArrayVarP(&envVarsFlag, "env", "e", nil, "KEY=VALUE pairs to set in the remote session (repeatable)")
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&envFile, "env-file", "", "Env file to load (default .env.local when flag is present)")
+	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&envFile, "env-file", defaultEnvFile, "Env file to load (default: .env.local; pass a path to override)")
 	cmd.Flags().Lookup("env-file").NoOptDefVal = defaultEnvFile
 
 	return cmd
@@ -799,7 +799,7 @@ Example:
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&skipSync, "skip-sync", false, "Skip syncing files to the sidecar")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&force, "force", false, "Re-detect environment even if cached in .chunk/config.json")
 	cmd.Flags().StringArrayVarP(&envVarsFlag, "env", "e", nil, "KEY=VALUE pairs to set in remote sidecar session (repeatable)")
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&envFile, "env-file", "", "Env file to load (default .env.local when flag is present)")
+	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&envFile, "env-file", defaultEnvFile, "Env file to load (default: .env.local; pass a path to override)")
 	cmd.Flags().Lookup("env-file").NoOptDefVal = defaultEnvFile
 
 	return cmd

internal/cmd/validate.go

@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func newValidateCmd() *cobra.Command {
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&save, "save", false, "Save --cmd to .chunk/config.json")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&projectDir, "project", "", "Override project directory")
 	cmd.Flags().StringArrayVarP(&envVarsFlag, "env", "e", nil, "KEY=VALUE pairs to set in remote sidecar session (repeatable)")
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&envFile, "env-file", "", "Env file to load (default .env.local when flag is present)")
+	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&envFile, "env-file", defaultEnvFile, "Env file to load (default: .env.local; pass a path to override)")
 	cmd.Flags().Lookup("env-file").NoOptDefVal = defaultEnvFile
 
 	return cmd