diff --git a/.env.dist b/.env.dist
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b0dd4c486
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.dist
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+DBA_HOST=mysql80.ab
+DBA_USER=testuser
+DBA_PASSWORD=test
+DBA_DATABASE=phpstan_dba
+DBA_MODE=recording
+DBA_REFLECTOR=mysqli
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 184b3f18e..140d44e7a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -5,3 +5,5 @@ composer.lock
 
 mysqli.php
 pdo.php
+
+.env
diff --git a/bootstrap.php b/bootstrap.php
index 4989f0c14..b0ebbdbec 100644
--- a/bootstrap.php
+++ b/bootstrap.php
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 <?php
 
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflection;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\RuntimeConfiguration;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\Tests\ReflectorFactory;
 
 require_once __DIR__.'/vendor/autoload.php';
 
+if (false === getenv('GITHUB_ACTION')) {
+    $dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__);
+    $dotenv->load();
+}
+
 $config = RuntimeConfiguration::create();
 $config->errorMode(RuntimeConfiguration::ERROR_MODE_EXCEPTION);
 // $config->debugMode(true);
diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 962c106bc..bbba1b910 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
 		"phpstan/phpstan-phpunit": "^1.0",
 		"phpstan/phpstan-strict-rules": "^1.1",
 		"phpunit/phpunit": "^9",
-		"symplify/phpstan-extensions": "^10.0"
+		"symplify/phpstan-extensions": "^10.0",
+		"vlucas/phpdotenv": "^5.4"
 	},
 	"conflicts": {
 		"phpstan/phpstan": "1.4.0"
diff --git a/tests/ReflectorFactory.php b/tests/ReflectorFactory.php
index 18c8f890b..7384b8e2c 100644
--- a/tests/ReflectorFactory.php
+++ b/tests/ReflectorFactory.php
@@ -23,18 +23,19 @@ public static function create(string $cacheDir): QueryReflector
             $user = getenv('DBA_USER') ?: 'root';
             $password = getenv('DBA_PASSWORD') ?: 'root';
             $dbname = getenv('DBA_DATABASE') ?: 'phpstan_dba';
+            $mode = getenv('DBA_MODE') ?: 'recording';
+            $reflector = getenv('DBA_REFLECTOR') ?: 'mysqli';
         } else {
-            $host = getenv('DBA_HOST') ?: 'mysql80.ab';
-            $user = getenv('DBA_USER') ?: 'testuser';
-            $password = getenv('DBA_PASSWORD') ?: 'test';
-            $dbname = getenv('DBA_DATABASE') ?: 'phpstan_dba';
+            $host = getenv('DBA_HOST') ?: $_ENV['DBA_HOST'];
+            $user = getenv('DBA_USER') ?: $_ENV['DBA_USER'];
+            $password = getenv('DBA_PASSWORD') ?: $_ENV['DBA_PASSWORD'];
+            $dbname = getenv('DBA_DATABASE') ?: $_ENV['DBA_DATABASE'];
+            $mode = getenv('DBA_MODE') ?: $_ENV['DBA_MODE'];
+            $reflector = getenv('DBA_REFLECTOR') ?: $_ENV['DBA_REFLECTOR'];
         }
 
-        $mode = getenv('DBA_MODE') ?: 'recording';
-        $reflector = getenv('DBA_REFLECTOR') ?: 'mysqli';
-
         // make env vars available to tests, in case non are defined yet
-        putenv('DBA_REFLECTOR='.$reflector);
+        $_ENV['DBA_REFLECTOR'] = $reflector;
 
         // we need to record the reflection information in both, phpunit and phpstan since we are replaying it in both CI jobs.
         // in a regular application you will use phpstan-dba only within your phpstan CI job, therefore you only need 1 cache-file.
diff --git a/tests/default/config/bootstrap.php b/tests/default/config/bootstrap.php
index 5b66d5846..58862a54b 100644
--- a/tests/default/config/bootstrap.php
+++ b/tests/default/config/bootstrap.php
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 <?php
 
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflection;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\RuntimeConfiguration;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\Tests\ReflectorFactory;
 
 require_once __DIR__.'/../../../vendor/autoload.php';
 
+if (false === getenv('GITHUB_ACTION')) {
+    $dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__.'/../../..');
+    $dotenv->load();
+}
+
 $config = RuntimeConfiguration::create();
 $config->errorMode(RuntimeConfiguration::ERROR_MODE_EXCEPTION);
 // $config->debugMode(true);
diff --git a/tests/defaultFetchAssoc/config/bootstrap.php b/tests/defaultFetchAssoc/config/bootstrap.php
index c4ceb4205..844ace2b4 100644
--- a/tests/defaultFetchAssoc/config/bootstrap.php
+++ b/tests/defaultFetchAssoc/config/bootstrap.php
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflection;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflector;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\RuntimeConfiguration;
@@ -7,6 +8,11 @@
 
 require_once __DIR__.'/../../../vendor/autoload.php';
 
+if (false === getenv('GITHUB_ACTION')) {
+    $dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__.'/../../..');
+    $dotenv->load();
+}
+
 $config = RuntimeConfiguration::create();
 $config->errorMode(RuntimeConfiguration::ERROR_MODE_EXCEPTION);
 $config->defaultFetchMode(QueryReflector::FETCH_TYPE_ASSOC);
diff --git a/tests/defaultFetchNumeric/config/bootstrap.php b/tests/defaultFetchNumeric/config/bootstrap.php
index 9de8bbd16..a22663be1 100644
--- a/tests/defaultFetchNumeric/config/bootstrap.php
+++ b/tests/defaultFetchNumeric/config/bootstrap.php
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflection;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflector;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\RuntimeConfiguration;
@@ -7,6 +8,11 @@
 
 require_once __DIR__.'/../../../vendor/autoload.php';
 
+if (false === getenv('GITHUB_ACTION')) {
+    $dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__.'/../../..');
+    $dotenv->load();
+}
+
 $config = RuntimeConfiguration::create();
 $config->errorMode(RuntimeConfiguration::ERROR_MODE_EXCEPTION);
 $config->defaultFetchMode(QueryReflector::FETCH_TYPE_NUMERIC);
diff --git a/tests/rules/config/bootstrap.php b/tests/rules/config/bootstrap.php
index 5b66d5846..58862a54b 100644
--- a/tests/rules/config/bootstrap.php
+++ b/tests/rules/config/bootstrap.php
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 <?php
 
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflection;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\RuntimeConfiguration;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\Tests\ReflectorFactory;
 
 require_once __DIR__.'/../../../vendor/autoload.php';
 
+if (false === getenv('GITHUB_ACTION')) {
+    $dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__.'/../../..');
+    $dotenv->load();
+}
+
 $config = RuntimeConfiguration::create();
 $config->errorMode(RuntimeConfiguration::ERROR_MODE_EXCEPTION);
 // $config->debugMode(true);
diff --git a/tests/stringify/config/bootstrap.php b/tests/stringify/config/bootstrap.php
index 814c7f206..4ed1aad54 100644
--- a/tests/stringify/config/bootstrap.php
+++ b/tests/stringify/config/bootstrap.php
@@ -1,11 +1,17 @@
 <?php
 
+use Dotenv\Dotenv;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\QueryReflection;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\QueryReflection\RuntimeConfiguration;
 use staabm\PHPStanDba\Tests\ReflectorFactory;
 
 require_once __DIR__.'/../../../vendor/autoload.php';
 
+if (false === getenv('GITHUB_ACTION')) {
+    $dotenv = Dotenv::createImmutable(__DIR__.'/../../..');
+    $dotenv->load();
+}
+
 $config = RuntimeConfiguration::create();
 $config->errorMode(RuntimeConfiguration::ERROR_MODE_EXCEPTION);
 $config->stringifyTypes(true);