Prisma · runtime error

Environment variable not found: DATABASE_URL

error: Environment variable not found: DATABASE_URL.
  -->  schema.prisma:8
   |
 7 |   provider = "postgresql"
 8 |   url      = env("DATABASE_URL")

What it means

schema.prisma reads the connection string from env("DATABASE_URL") and it isn't set where this command or server is running.

Common causes

• The agent put DATABASE_URL in .env.local: Next.js reads it, but the Prisma 6 CLI only loads .env
• It's set locally but not in the Vercel (or other host) project settings
• It's set for Production but not Preview deployments

How to fix it

1. For local dev, put DATABASE_URL in .env (keep it in .gitignore)
2. Add it in your host's environment variables for every environment that builds or runs the app, then redeploy
3. Check the spelling: the name in env("…") must match exactly

Prompt for Cursor or Claude Code

Prisma can't find DATABASE_URL. Check which env files exist: the Prisma 6 CLI only reads .env, not .env.local. Put DATABASE_URL in .env for local dev, make sure .env is gitignored, and list the hosting environment variables I still need to set. Don't print the secret value.

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