---
title: "A branch-first dev loop for Neon: link, checkout and env pull"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/a-branch-first-dev-loop-for-neon-link-checkout-and-env-pull-izs1vv1xz
source_url: https://neon.com/blog/branch-first-dev-loop
type: article
source: "Neon"
published: 2026-06-10T20:57:19.313Z
updated: 2026-06-10T20:57:49.900Z
tags: ["backend", "cli"]
reading_time: 7
upvotes: 0
comments: 0
language: en
---

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# A branch-first dev loop for Neon: link, checkout and env pull

**[Neon](https://daily.dev/sources/neontech)** · 7 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

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`.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://neon.com/blog/branch-first-dev-loop>

---

Tags: [#backend](https://daily.dev/tags/backend), [#cli](https://daily.dev/tags/cli)

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