Python Configuration

What it does

When your agent uses it

• Externalizing config
• Setting up pydantic-settings
• Managing secrets
• Implementing environment-specific behavior

Example prompts

• “/python-configuration”

Requirements

• Python 3
• A credential in API_KEY
• A credential in API_SECRET_KEY

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

1. 1Externalized Configuration
2. 2Typed Settings
3. 3Fail Fast
4. 4Sensible Defaults

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 46891e7. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

• Tool permissions

  Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

  From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

• Runs code

  No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are python and bash).

  From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

• Network

  No URLs in SKILL.md.

  From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

• Credentials

  Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:

  • DB_PASSWORD
  • API_SECRET_KEY
  • API_KEY
  • AUTH_SECRET_KEY

  From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Python Configuration loads about 1.6k tokens when it runs, and up to ~2.6k if it reads all its reference files. Until then it costs about 56 tokens; SKILL.md has 353 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it

~56

When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches

~1.6k

With references · SKILL.md plus every file in references/, read only if the agent opens them

~2.6k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

• NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:82

  "env_file": ".env",

• NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:156

  model_config = {"env_file": ".env"}

• NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:159

  Create a `.env` file for local development (never commit this):

• NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:162

  # .env (add to .gitignore)

• NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:206

  5. **Never commit secrets** - Use `.env` files (gitignored) or secret managers

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from wshobson/agents at commit 46891e7, republished under its MIT licence (© wshobson). 353 words, ~1,555 tokens.

name

python-configuration

description

Python configuration management via environment variables and typed settings. Use when externalizing config, setting up pydantic-settings, managing secrets, or implementing environment-specific behavior.

from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings
from pydantic import Field

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    database_url: str = Field(alias="DATABASE_URL")
    api_key: str = Field(alias="API_KEY")
    debug: bool = Field(default=False, alias="DEBUG")

settings = Settings()  # Loads from environment

from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings
from pydantic import Field, PostgresDsn, ValidationError
import sys

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    """Application configuration loaded from environment variables."""

    # Database
    db_host: str = Field(alias="DB_HOST")
    db_port: int = Field(default=5432, alias="DB_PORT")
    db_name: str = Field(alias="DB_NAME")
    db_user: str = Field(alias="DB_USER")
    db_password: str = Field(alias="DB_PASSWORD")

    # Redis
    redis_url: str = Field(default="redis://localhost:6379", alias="REDIS_URL")

    # API Keys
    api_secret_key: str = Field(alias="API_SECRET_KEY")

    # Feature flags
    enable_new_feature: bool = Field(default=False, alias="ENABLE_NEW_FEATURE")

    model_config = {
        "env_file": ".env",
        "env_file_encoding": "utf-8",
    }

# Create singleton instance at module load
try:
    settings = Settings()
except ValidationError as e:
    print(f"Configuration error:\n{e}")
    sys.exit(1)

from myapp.config import settings

def get_database_connection():
    return connect(
        host=settings.db_host,
        port=settings.db_port,
        database=settings.db_name,
    )

from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings
from pydantic import Field, ValidationError
import sys

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    # Required - no default means it must be set
    api_key: str = Field(alias="API_KEY")
    database_url: str = Field(alias="DATABASE_URL")

    # Optional with defaults
    log_level: str = Field(default="INFO", alias="LOG_LEVEL")

try:
    settings = Settings()
except ValidationError as e:
    print("=" * 60)
    print("CONFIGURATION ERROR")
    print("=" * 60)
    for error in e.errors():
        field = error["loc"][0]
        print(f"  - {field}: {error['msg']}")
    print("\nPlease set the required environment variables.")
    sys.exit(1)

class Settings(BaseSettings):
    # Has local default, but prod will override
    db_host: str = Field(default="localhost", alias="DB_HOST")
    db_port: int = Field(default=5432, alias="DB_PORT")

    # Always required - no default for secrets
    db_password: str = Field(alias="DB_PASSWORD")
    api_secret_key: str = Field(alias="API_SECRET_KEY")

    # Development convenience
    debug: bool = Field(default=False, alias="DEBUG")

    model_config = {"env_file": ".env"}

# .env (add to .gitignore)
DB_PASSWORD=local_dev_password
API_SECRET_KEY=dev-secret-key
DEBUG=true

# Database configuration
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=myapp
DB_USER=admin
DB_PASSWORD=secret

# Redis configuration
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
REDIS_MAX_CONNECTIONS=10

# Authentication
AUTH_SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
AUTH_TOKEN_EXPIRY_SECONDS=3600
AUTH_ALGORITHM=HS256

# Feature flags
FEATURE_NEW_CHECKOUT=true
FEATURE_BETA_UI=false

© wshobson, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file (references) in plugins/python-development/skills/python-configuration of wshobson/agents.

• SKILL.md
• references/details.md

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 46891e7