diff --git a/templates/onchainkit-nextjs/.gitignore b/templates/onchainkit-nextjs/.gitignore
index 5ef6a52078..f668129f6f 100644
--- a/templates/onchainkit-nextjs/.gitignore
+++ b/templates/onchainkit-nextjs/.gitignore
@@ -31,7 +31,14 @@ yarn-error.log*
 .pnpm-debug.log*
 
 # env files (can opt-in for committing if needed)
-.env*
+# local env files
+.env
+.env.local
+.env.*.local
+
+# allow example env files
+!.env.example
+!.template.env
 
 # vercel
 .vercel