diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d24e358
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+REDCAP_OPEN_API_KEY=
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index eb3eac4..e182fe0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ venv/
 ENV/
 env.bak/
 venv.bak/
+!.env.example
 
 # Python specific content
 venv
diff --git a/src/questionnaire_data/common/dotenv.py b/src/questionnaire_data/common/dotenv.py
index 19bfc62..7bd4591 100644
--- a/src/questionnaire_data/common/dotenv.py
+++ b/src/questionnaire_data/common/dotenv.py
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ def load_env_vars() -> None:
 
     First, env vars are loaded from the shared project folder on GenomeDK.
     Then, they are overwritten by values from the local .env file (if this exists).
+    Otherwise it will use the default, though empty, `.env.example`.
     """
-    load_dotenv("/faststorage/project/sdca-dpnext-study/env/.quest-env")
+    load_dotenv(".env.example")
+    load_dotenv("/faststorage/project/sdca-dpnext-study/env/.quest-env", override=True)
     load_dotenv(".env", override=True)