Minor changes to env passing

[therealnb]

See stacklok/toolhive#2605 (comment) and stacklok/toolhive#2606 (comment).
These are minor changes to make the new operator code work.

[claude]

PR Review: Minor changes to env passing

Summary

This PR simplifies the Helm chart configuration by removing duplicate environment variable definitions and clarifying the relationship between the env field and podTemplateSpec.

✅ Positive Changes

1. Eliminates Duplication: Removes the redundant env array that duplicated all environment variables already defined in podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].env
2. Clearer Documentation: The comment "NOTE: When using podTemplateSpec, define env vars there instead of here to avoid duplicates" makes the configuration pattern explicit
3. Reduces Confusion: Setting env: [] as the default is clearer than having duplicate definitions that might conflict
4. Removes MCP_PORT Override: The removal of MCP_PORT from podTemplateSpec with the comment that it's "automatically set by the operator from spec.port" is correct and prevents conflicts

🔍 Observations

1. Breaking Change Risk: Users upgrading who rely on the top-level env field will need to migrate their values to podTemplateSpec.spec.containers[0].env. Consider documenting this in release notes.
2. Template Behavior: Verify that the Helm template properly handles env: [] - some templates concatenate arrays and empty arrays should work fine, but worth confirming.

📝 Suggestions

1. Consider adding a comment in the values file showing an example of how to add custom env vars to podTemplateSpec for users who aren't familiar with Kubernetes pod specs
2. The database configuration section (lines 127-161) still references SQLite paths that differ from the podTemplateSpec env vars (/tmp/mcp_optimizer.db vs /data/mcp_optimizer.db). Consider aligning these or documenting why they differ.

✅ Code Quality

• Change is minimal and focused (-36 lines, +5 lines)
• Aligns with the operator's responsibility for setting MCP_PORT
• Clear comments explaining the intent

Verdict

LGTM - This is a sensible simplification that reduces duplication and clarifies configuration patterns. Just ensure migration guidance is provided for existing users.

[tgrunnagle]

Might be worth calling out the breaking k8s config change in 'release notes' whenever the cut a new one.