Neon has released three new CLI commands — `neonctl link`, `neonctl checkout`, and `neonctl env pull` — designed to make branch-first database development the default workflow. `neonctl link` connects a local workspace to a Neon project and writes context to a `.neon` file. `neonctl checkout` creates or switches Neon database branches similarly to `git checkout`. `neonctl env pull` fetches branch-scoped environment variables (DATABASE_URL, auth secrets, etc.) into your `.env` file automatically. The commands integrate together so switching branches also updates your local env. They also support AI coding agents via `--agent` flags and an installable agent skill, enabling agents to spin up isolated database branches per feature. For developers who prefer not to write secrets to disk, alternatives include the `@neondatabase/env` package with runtime injection via `neon-env run` or `fetchEnv`.
