circleci: secret env var not injected into build

TL;DR

CircleCI only injects a context's variables into jobs that list that context. Add context: [your-context-name] to the workflow job (or move the variable to project settings), and the build sees the secret.

Error

circleci: secret env var not injected into build

Steps

1. Confirm the variable exists: open the CircleCI project settings (or organization context settings) and verify the variable name. Expected: the variable is stored where you think it is.
2. Check the workflow: open .circleci/config.yml and look at the job's context list. Expected: you see whether your context is attached to this job.
3. Attach the context: add the context name to the job's context list in the workflow. Expected: the next build receives all variables in that context.
4. If the variable should be available to every job, move it to project-level environment variables instead of a context. Expected: all jobs in the project see it without context wiring.
5. Re-run the build and print the variable's presence (not its value) in a debug step. Expected: the variable is set; the build proceeds.

When to use

• A CircleCI job cannot see a secret you configured
• New jobs added to a workflow miss existing contexts
• Choosing between project variables and contexts

When not to use

• The variable injects but holds a stale value (update the context)
• Forked-PR builds (contexts need explicit sharing settings)

Tool compatibility

• CircleCI contexts and project environment variables; .circleci/config.yml workflows

Variant phrasings

circleci context not working

Contexts attach per job in the workflow, not per project; every job that needs the secret must list the context.

env var set but empty in circleci build

An empty value usually means the job read a different scope; verify context attachment before re-saving.

Why it happens

CircleCI scopes secrets twice: storage scope (project vs organization context) and workflow scope (which jobs list the context). A variable stored correctly but never attached to the job is invisible to it, which looks exactly like a missing secret.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WdJGFnQnfLBGFwP48ykVRA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_WdJGFnQnfLBGFwP48ykVRA

Thread query: circleci: secret env var not injected into build

TL;DR: CircleCI only injects a context's variables into jobs that list that context. Add context: [your-context-name] to the workflow job (or move the variable to project settings), and the build sees the secret.