Move the real secret out of the git tree: the key lives in ~/.claude/.env
(outside the repo), and link.sh symlinks repo/.env -> ~/.claude/.env so
`source "$REPO/.env"` resolves transparently. The secret never enters git —
not as content (it's a link) and not by accident (gitignored).
link.sh: add link_env() — verify ~/.claude/.env exists + has MAGIC_API_KEY
(warn, never create/copy the secret), then create repo/.env -> ~/.claude/.env.
Defensive + idempotent: links only when repo/.env is absent or already the
right symlink; a residual REAL repo/.env is left untouched with a migrate hint
(never clobbered, so the secret can't be destroyed).
.gitignore: harden .env -> .env + .env.* + !.env.example (covers .env.local,
.env.bak, .env.save; keeps the template tracked).
Messages point at ~/.claude/.env (the canonical edit location) instead of the
ambiguous $REPO/.env: design-tool-gate.sh gate output, design-gate.md
(branch 3 + IMPORTANT), toggle-external.sh, install-plugins.sh.
Verified: shellcheck clean (link.sh, toggle-external.sh, design-tool-gate.sh);
link.sh created the symlink (1 change, idempotent re-run); repo/.env absent
from git status; magic-off path still exits 10 with the ~/.claude/.env hint.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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