> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://unkey.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Unkey is two separate products. Compute builds, deploys, and runs apps behind a gateway. API Management issues API keys, enforces rate limits, manages identities and permissions, and reports usage. Say which product a page belongs to; a reader can use either without the other.
> Every Unkey API endpoint is an HTTP POST to https://api.unkey.com/v2/{service}.{procedure} with a root key in the Authorization: Bearer header. Root keys are workspace scoped.
> Error codes have the form err:{system}:{category}:{specific} and each has a page at /errors/{system}/{category}/{specific}.
> The word environment means production or preview in Compute. Rate limiting has four meanings on this site; the glossary lists them.

# unkey api environments remove-environment-variables

> Delete named variables from an environment in one atomic call.

<Note>
  You need a root key with the permissions listed on this page. Create one in the dashboard under **Settings > Root Keys**. See [Permission reference](/docs/platform/root-keys/permissions-legacy) for every permission.
</Note>

Remove variables from an <Tooltip tip="A production or preview environment of a Compute app, not the dashboard label on a key.">environment</Tooltip> by name, all in one atomic request. Names that don't exist are ignored.

## Usage

```bash theme={"system"}
unkey api environments remove-environment-variables --project=<project> --app=<app> --environment=<environment> --variables=<name>[,<name>...]
```

## Flags

<ParamField body="--app" type="string" required>
  App ID or slug.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--environment" type="string" required>
  Environment ID or slug.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--project" type="string" required>
  Project ID or slug. Both forms resolve to the same project.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--variables" type="string[]" required>
  Comma-separated variable names to remove, 1 to 50 per request. Each must be a POSIX shell name matching `^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*$`.
</ParamField>

### Shared flags

Every `unkey api` command accepts these; [CLI output and shared flags](/docs/platform/cli/output-and-flags) describes them in full.

<ParamField body="--body" type="string">
  A JSON document sent as the request body instead of building it from the flags above. It is mutually exclusive with the request-building flags, and unknown fields are rejected locally. See [Send a raw body](/docs/platform/cli/output-and-flags#send-a-raw-body).
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--root-key" type="string">
  Root key for the request. Falls back to `UNKEY_ROOT_KEY`, then to the config file written by `unkey auth login`. See [CLI authentication](/docs/platform/cli/authentication).
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--api-url" type="string" default="https://api.unkey.com">
  Base URL of the API. Falls back to `UNKEY_API_BASE_URL`. You don't normally need to set it.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--config" type="string" default="~/.unkey/config.toml">
  Path of the TOML file that `unkey auth login` writes. Falls back to `UNKEY_CONFIG`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--output" type="string">
  Output format. Falls back to `UNKEY_OUTPUT`. Set `json` to print the full response envelope (`meta` and `data`) for piping; any other value prints the request ID followed by `data`.
</ParamField>

## Required permissions

Your root key needs one of:

* `environment.*.remove_environment_variables` (any environment)
* `environment.<environment_id>.remove_environment_variables` (a specific environment)

Without a matching permission the API answers 403 and the CLI prints `Permission denied:` followed by the detail. See [Root key permissions](/docs/platform/root-keys/permissions) for the full catalog.

## Examples

Remove two variables:

```bash theme={"system"}
unkey api environments remove-environment-variables --project=payments --app=payments-api --environment=production --variables=OLD_TOKEN,LEGACY_URL
```

Send the request body as JSON:

```bash theme={"system"}
unkey api environments remove-environment-variables --body='{"project":"payments","app":"payments-api","environment":"production","variables":["OLD_TOKEN"]}'
```

## API endpoint

The command calls [`POST /v2/environments.removeEnvironmentVariables`](/docs/compute/api-reference/environments/remove-environment-variables) and prints its response. The request fields carry the same names as the flags in camelCase, which is the shape `--body` expects.

## Related

<Columns cols={1}>
  <Card title="Environment variables" href="/docs/compute/configure/environment-variables">
    Kinds, encryption, and how variables reach a deployment.
  </Card>
</Columns>