diff --git a/cli/app/new.go b/cli/app/new.go
index 6ff12e6e..975ca502 100644
--- a/cli/app/new.go
+++ b/cli/app/new.go
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ var appNewCommand = cli.Command{
 		var secrets AppSecrets
 		var secretTable *jsontable.JSONTable
 		if internal.Secrets {
-			sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv(config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+			sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv()
 			if err != nil {
 				logrus.Fatal(err)
 			}
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ var appNewCommand = cli.Command{
 type AppSecrets map[string]string
 
 // createSecrets creates all secrets for a new app.
-func createSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsConfig map[string]string, sanitisedAppName string) (AppSecrets, error) {
+func createSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsConfig map[string]secret.SecretValue, sanitisedAppName string) (AppSecrets, error) {
 	// NOTE(d1): trim to match app.StackName() implementation
 	if len(sanitisedAppName) > 45 {
 		logrus.Debugf("trimming %s to %s to avoid runtime limits", sanitisedAppName, sanitisedAppName[:45])
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ func ensureDomainFlag(recipe recipe.Recipe, server string) error {
 }
 
 // promptForSecrets asks if we should generate secrets for a new app.
-func promptForSecrets(recipeName string, secretsConfig map[string]string) error {
+func promptForSecrets(recipeName string, secretsConfig map[string]secret.SecretValue) error {
 	if len(secretsConfig) == 0 {
 		logrus.Debugf("%s has no secrets to generate, skipping...", recipeName)
 		return nil
diff --git a/cli/app/secret.go b/cli/app/secret.go
index c0bf460b..2b2f7fd4 100644
--- a/cli/app/secret.go
+++ b/cli/app/secret.go
@@ -20,19 +20,23 @@ import (
 	"github.com/urfave/cli"
 )
 
-var allSecrets bool
-var allSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "all, a",
-	Destination: &allSecrets,
-	Usage:       "Generate all secrets",
-}
+var (
+	allSecrets     bool
+	allSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "all, a",
+		Destination: &allSecrets,
+		Usage:       "Generate all secrets",
+	}
+)
 
-var rmAllSecrets bool
-var rmAllSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
-	Name:        "all, a",
-	Destination: &rmAllSecrets,
-	Usage:       "Remove all secrets",
-}
+var (
+	rmAllSecrets     bool
+	rmAllSecretsFlag = &cli.BoolFlag{
+		Name:        "all, a",
+		Destination: &rmAllSecrets,
+		Usage:       "Remove all secrets",
+	}
+)
 
 var appSecretGenerateCommand = cli.Command{
 	Name:      "generate",
@@ -87,28 +91,22 @@ var appSecretGenerateCommand = cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		secretsConfig, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(app.Path, composeFiles, app.Recipe)
+		secrets, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(app.Path, composeFiles, app.Recipe)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		secretsToCreate := make(map[string]string)
-		if allSecrets {
-			secretsToCreate = secretsConfig
-		} else {
+		if !allSecrets {
 			secretName := c.Args().Get(1)
 			secretVersion := c.Args().Get(2)
-			matches := false
-			for name := range secretsConfig {
-				if secretName == name {
-					secretsToCreate[name] = secretVersion
-					matches = true
-				}
-			}
-
-			if !matches {
+			s, ok := secrets[secretName]
+			if !ok {
 				logrus.Fatalf("%s doesn't exist in the env config?", secretName)
 			}
+			s.Version = secretVersion
+			secrets = map[string]secret.SecretValue{
+				secretName: s,
+			}
 		}
 
 		cl, err := client.New(app.Server)
@@ -116,7 +114,7 @@ var appSecretGenerateCommand = cli.Command{
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		secretVals, err := secret.GenerateSecrets(cl, secretsToCreate, app.StackName(), app.Server)
+		secretVals, err := secret.GenerateSecrets(cl, secrets, app.StackName(), app.Server)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -276,7 +274,7 @@ Example:
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
 
-		secretsConfig, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(app.Path, composeFiles, app.Recipe)
+		secrets, err := secret.ReadSecretsConfig(app.Path, composeFiles, app.Recipe)
 		if err != nil {
 			logrus.Fatal(err)
 		}
@@ -311,12 +309,7 @@ Example:
 
 		match := false
 		secretToRm := c.Args().Get(1)
-		for secretName, secretValue := range secretsConfig {
-			val, err := secret.ParseSecretValue(secretValue)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Fatal(err)
-			}
-
+		for secretName, val := range secrets {
 			secretRemoteName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", app.StackName(), secretName, val.Version)
 			if _, ok := remoteSecretNames[secretRemoteName]; ok {
 				if secretToRm != "" {
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index cda0c18f..357d57dc 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ go 1.21
 
 require (
 	coopcloud.tech/tagcmp v0.0.0-20211103052201-885b22f77d52
+	git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/godotenv v1.5.2-0.20231130100106-7462d91acefd
 	github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2 v2.3.7
-	github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv v1.3.1-0.20210731094149-b031ea1211e7
 	github.com/Gurpartap/logrus-stack v0.0.0-20170710170904-89c00d8a28f4
 	github.com/docker/cli v24.0.7+incompatible
 	github.com/docker/distribution v2.8.3+incompatible
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index ac4beb16..92d767ac 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -51,12 +51,12 @@ coopcloud.tech/tagcmp v0.0.0-20211103052201-885b22f77d52/go.mod h1:ESVm0wQKcbcFi
 dario.cat/mergo v1.0.0 h1:AGCNq9Evsj31mOgNPcLyXc+4PNABt905YmuqPYYpBWk=
 dario.cat/mergo v1.0.0/go.mod h1:uNxQE+84aUszobStD9th8a29P2fMDhsBdgRYvZOxGmk=
 dmitri.shuralyov.com/gpu/mtl v0.0.0-20190408044501-666a987793e9/go.mod h1:H6x//7gZCb22OMCxBHrMx7a5I7Hp++hsVxbQ4BYO7hU=
+git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/godotenv v1.5.2-0.20231130100106-7462d91acefd h1:dctCkMhcsgIWMrkB1Br8S0RJF17eG+LKiqcXXVr3mdU=
+git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/godotenv v1.5.2-0.20231130100106-7462d91acefd/go.mod h1:Q8V1zbtPAlzYSr/Dvky3wS6x58IQAl3rot2me1oSO2Q=
 github.com/AdaLogics/go-fuzz-headers v0.0.0-20230106234847-43070de90fa1 h1:EKPd1INOIyr5hWOWhvpmQpY6tKjeG0hT1s3AMC/9fic=
 github.com/AdaLogics/go-fuzz-headers v0.0.0-20230106234847-43070de90fa1/go.mod h1:VzwV+t+dZ9j/H867F1M2ziD+yLHtB46oM35FxxMJ4d0=
 github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2 v2.3.7 h1:6I/u8FvytdGsgonrYsVn2t8t4QiRnh6QSTqkkhIiSjQ=
 github.com/AlecAivazis/survey/v2 v2.3.7/go.mod h1:xUTIdE4KCOIjsBAE1JYsUPoCqYdZ1reCfTwbto0Fduo=
-github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv v1.3.1-0.20210731094149-b031ea1211e7 h1:asQtdXYbxEYWcwAQqJTVYC/RltB4eqoWKvqWg/LFPOg=
-github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv v1.3.1-0.20210731094149-b031ea1211e7/go.mod h1:oZRCMMRS318l07ei4DTqbZoOawfJlJ4yyo8juk2v4Rk=
 github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-go v16.2.1+incompatible/go.mod h1:9XXNKU+eRnpl9moKnB4QOLf1HestfXbmab5FXxiDBjc=
 github.com/Azure/go-ansiterm v0.0.0-20170929234023-d6e3b3328b78/go.mod h1:LmzpDX56iTiv29bbRTIsUNlaFfuhWRQBWjQdVyAevI8=
 github.com/Azure/go-ansiterm v0.0.0-20210617225240-d185dfc1b5a1 h1:UQHMgLO+TxOElx5B5HZ4hJQsoJ/PvUvKRhJHDQXO8P8=
diff --git a/pkg/compose/compose.go b/pkg/compose/compose.go
index 86c4dfb4..3fd98191 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/compose.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/compose.go
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ func UpdateTag(pattern, image, tag, recipeName string) (bool, error) {
 		opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: []string{composeFile}}
 
 		envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
-		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 		if err != nil {
 			return false, err
 		}
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func UpdateLabel(pattern, serviceName, label, recipeName string) error {
 		opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: []string{composeFile}}
 
 		envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
-		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+		sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/config/app.go b/pkg/config/app.go
index c5426786..996c5357 100644
--- a/pkg/config/app.go
+++ b/pkg/config/app.go
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ import (
 // AppEnv is a map of the values in an apps env config
 type AppEnv = map[string]string
 
+// AppModifiers is a map of modifiers in an apps env config
+type AppModifiers = map[string]map[string]string
+
 // AppName is AppName
 type AppName = string
 
@@ -150,7 +153,7 @@ func (a ByName) Less(i, j int) bool {
 }
 
 func ReadAppEnvFile(appFile AppFile, name AppName) (App, error) {
-	env, err := ReadEnv(appFile.Path, ReadEnvOptions{})
+	env, err := ReadEnv(appFile.Path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return App{}, fmt.Errorf("env file for %s couldn't be read: %s", name, err.Error())
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/config/env.go b/pkg/config/env.go
index 202c29a8..62f6a71d 100644
--- a/pkg/config/env.go
+++ b/pkg/config/env.go
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/Autonomic-Cooperative/godotenv"
+	"git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/godotenv"
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
@@ -55,45 +55,34 @@ func GetServers() ([]string, error) {
 	return servers, nil
 }
 
-// ReadEnvOptions modifies the ReadEnv processing of env vars.
-type ReadEnvOptions struct {
-	IncludeModifiers bool
-}
-
-// ContainsEnvVarModifier determines if an env var contains a modifier.
-func ContainsEnvVarModifier(envVar string) bool {
-	for _, mod := range envVarModifiers {
-		if strings.Contains(envVar, fmt.Sprintf("%s=", mod)) {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
 // ReadEnv loads an app envivornment into a map.
-func ReadEnv(filePath string, opts ReadEnvOptions) (AppEnv, error) {
+func ReadEnv(filePath string) (AppEnv, error) {
 	var envVars AppEnv
 
-	envVars, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
+	envVars, _, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	//	for idx, envVar := range envVars {
-	//		if strings.Contains(envVar, "#") {
-	//			if opts.IncludeModifiers && ContainsEnvVarModifier(envVar) {
-	//				continue
-	//			}
-	//			vals := strings.Split(envVar, "#")
-	//			envVars[idx] = strings.TrimSpace(vals[0])
-	//		}
-	//	}
-
 	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, filePath)
 
 	return envVars, nil
 }
 
+// ReadEnv loads an app envivornment and their modifiers in two different maps.
+func ReadEnvWithModifiers(filePath string) (AppEnv, AppModifiers, error) {
+	var envVars AppEnv
+
+	envVars, mods, err := godotenv.Read(filePath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, mods, err
+	}
+
+	logrus.Debugf("read %s from %s", envVars, filePath)
+
+	return envVars, mods, nil
+}
+
 // ReadServerNames retrieves all server names.
 func ReadServerNames() ([]string, error) {
 	serverNames, err := GetAllFoldersInDirectory(SERVERS_DIR)
@@ -227,7 +216,7 @@ func CheckEnv(app App) ([]EnvVar, error) {
 		return envVars, err
 	}
 
-	envSample, err := ReadEnv(envSamplePath, ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return envVars, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/config/env_test.go b/pkg/config/env_test.go
index 86fc4cb7..f0626e6b 100644
--- a/pkg/config/env_test.go
+++ b/pkg/config/env_test.go
@@ -13,15 +13,21 @@ import (
 	"coopcloud.tech/abra/pkg/recipe"
 )
 
-var TestFolder = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/test_folder")
-var ValidAbraConf = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/valid_abra_config")
+var (
+	TestFolder    = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/test_folder")
+	ValidAbraConf = os.ExpandEnv("$PWD/../../tests/resources/valid_abra_config")
+)
 
 // make sure these are in alphabetical order
-var TFolders = []string{"folder1", "folder2"}
-var TFiles = []string{"bar.env", "foo.env"}
+var (
+	TFolders = []string{"folder1", "folder2"}
+	TFiles   = []string{"bar.env", "foo.env"}
+)
 
-var AppName = "ecloud"
-var ServerName = "evil.corp"
+var (
+	AppName    = "ecloud"
+	ServerName = "evil.corp"
+)
 
 var ExpectedAppEnv = config.AppEnv{
 	"DOMAIN": "ecloud.evil.corp",
@@ -71,7 +77,7 @@ func TestGetAllFilesInDirectory(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestReadEnv(t *testing.T) {
-	env, err := config.ReadEnv(ExpectedAppFile.Path, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	env, err := config.ReadEnv(ExpectedAppFile.Path)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -149,7 +155,7 @@ func TestCheckEnv(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -183,7 +189,7 @@ func TestCheckEnvError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -211,19 +217,7 @@ func TestCheckEnvError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestContainsEnvVarModifier(t *testing.T) {
-	if ok := config.ContainsEnvVarModifier("FOO=bar # bing"); ok {
-		t.Fatal("FOO contains no env var modifier")
-	}
-
-	if ok := config.ContainsEnvVarModifier("FOO=bar # length=3"); !ok {
-		t.Fatal("FOO contains an env var modifier (length)")
-	}
-}
-
 func TestEnvVarCommentsRemoved(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Skip("https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud/organising/issues/535")
-
 	offline := true
 	r, err := recipe.Get("abra-test-recipe", offline)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -231,7 +225,7 @@ func TestEnvVarCommentsRemoved(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -263,12 +257,19 @@ func TestEnvVarModifiersIncluded(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	envSample, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{IncludeModifiers: true})
+	envSample, modifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	if !strings.Contains(envSample["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"], "length") {
-		t.Fatal("comment from env var SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION should not be removed")
+	if !strings.Contains(envSample["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"], "v1") {
+		t.Errorf("value should be 'v1', got: '%s'", envSample["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"])
+	}
+	if modifiers == nil || modifiers["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"] == nil {
+		t.Errorf("no modifiers included")
+	} else {
+		if modifiers["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"]["length"] != "10" {
+			t.Errorf("length modifier should be '10', got: '%s'", modifiers["SECRET_TEST_PASS_TWO_VERSION"]["length"])
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/lint/recipe.go b/pkg/lint/recipe.go
index e9214104..cae797f3 100644
--- a/pkg/lint/recipe.go
+++ b/pkg/lint/recipe.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func LintAppService(recipe recipe.Recipe) (bool, error) {
 // therefore no matching traefik deploy label will be present.
 func LintTraefikEnabledSkipCondition(recipe recipe.Recipe) (bool, error) {
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipe.Name, ".env.sample")
-	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return false, fmt.Errorf("Unable to discover .env.sample for %s", recipe.Name)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/recipe/recipe.go b/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
index 6e47e029..dbd4a520 100644
--- a/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
+++ b/pkg/recipe/recipe.go
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ func Get(recipeName string, offline bool) (Recipe, error) {
 	}
 
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, recipeName, ".env.sample")
-	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return Recipe{}, err
 	}
@@ -255,9 +255,9 @@ func Get(recipeName string, offline bool) (Recipe, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
-func (r Recipe) SampleEnv(opts config.ReadEnvOptions) (map[string]string, error) {
+func (r Recipe) SampleEnv() (map[string]string, error) {
 	envSamplePath := path.Join(config.RECIPES_DIR, r.Name, ".env.sample")
-	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath, opts)
+	sampleEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(envSamplePath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return sampleEnv, fmt.Errorf("unable to discover .env.sample for %s", r.Name)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/secret/secret.go b/pkg/secret/secret.go
index aa5262d2..947808e7 100644
--- a/pkg/secret/secret.go
+++ b/pkg/secret/secret.go
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
-// secretValue represents a parsed `SECRET_FOO=v1 # length=bar` env var config
+// SecretValue represents a parsed `SECRET_FOO=v1 # length=bar` env var config
 // secret definition.
-type secretValue struct {
+type SecretValue struct {
 	Version string
 	Length  int
 }
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ func GeneratePasswords(count, length uint) ([]string, error) {
 		length,
 		passgen.AlphabetDefault,
 	)
-
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -54,7 +53,6 @@ func GeneratePassphrases(count uint) ([]string, error) {
 		passgen.PassphraseCasingDefault,
 		passgen.WordListDefault,
 	)
-
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -69,18 +67,20 @@ func GeneratePassphrases(count uint) ([]string, error) {
 // and some times you don't (as the caller). We need to be able to handle the
 // "app new" case where we pass in the .env.sample and the "secret generate"
 // case where the app is created.
-func ReadSecretsConfig(appEnvPath string, composeFiles []string, recipeName string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	secretConfigs := make(map[string]string)
-
-	appEnv, err := config.ReadEnv(appEnvPath, config.ReadEnvOptions{IncludeModifiers: true})
+func ReadSecretsConfig(appEnvPath string, composeFiles []string, recipeName string) (map[string]SecretValue, error) {
+	appEnv, appModifiers, err := config.ReadEnvWithModifiers(appEnvPath)
 	if err != nil {
-		return secretConfigs, err
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	opts := stack.Deploy{Composefiles: composeFiles}
 	config, err := loader.LoadComposefile(opts, appEnv)
 	if err != nil {
-		return secretConfigs, err
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	configWithoutEnv, err := loader.LoadComposefile(opts, map[string]string{}, loader.SkipInterpolation)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
 	}
 
 	var enabledSecrets []string
@@ -92,12 +92,13 @@ func ReadSecretsConfig(appEnvPath string, composeFiles []string, recipeName stri
 
 	if len(enabledSecrets) == 0 {
 		logrus.Debugf("not generating app secrets, none enabled in recipe config")
-		return secretConfigs, nil
+		return nil, nil
 	}
 
+	secretValues := map[string]SecretValue{}
 	for secretId, secretConfig := range config.Secrets {
 		if string(secretConfig.Name[len(secretConfig.Name)-1]) == "_" {
-			return secretConfigs, fmt.Errorf("missing version for secret? (%s)", secretId)
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("missing version for secret? (%s)", secretId)
 		}
 
 		if !(slices.Contains(enabledSecrets, secretId)) {
@@ -107,60 +108,47 @@ func ReadSecretsConfig(appEnvPath string, composeFiles []string, recipeName stri
 
 		lastIdx := strings.LastIndex(secretConfig.Name, "_")
 		secretVersion := secretConfig.Name[lastIdx+1:]
-		secretConfigs[secretId] = secretVersion
+		value := SecretValue{Version: secretVersion}
+
+		// Check if the length modifier is set for this secret.
+		for k, v := range appModifiers {
+			// configWithoutEnv contains the raw name as defined in the compose.yaml
+			if !strings.Contains(configWithoutEnv.Secrets[secretId].Name, k) {
+				continue
+			}
+			lengthRaw, ok := v["length"]
+			if ok {
+				length, err := strconv.Atoi(lengthRaw)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, err
+				}
+				value.Length = length
+			}
+			break
+		}
+		secretValues[secretId] = value
 	}
 
-	return secretConfigs, nil
-}
-
-func ParseSecretValue(secret string) (secretValue, error) {
-	values := strings.Split(secret, "#")
-	if len(values) == 0 {
-		return secretValue{}, fmt.Errorf("unable to parse %s", secret)
-	}
-
-	if len(values) == 1 {
-		return secretValue{Version: values[0], Length: 0}, nil
-	}
-
-	split := strings.Split(values[1], "=")
-	parsed := split[len(split)-1]
-	stripped := strings.ReplaceAll(parsed, " ", "")
-	length, err := strconv.Atoi(stripped)
-	if err != nil {
-		return secretValue{}, err
-	}
-	version := strings.ReplaceAll(values[0], " ", "")
-
-	logrus.Debugf("parsed version %s and length '%v' from %s", version, length, secret)
-
-	return secretValue{Version: version, Length: length}, nil
+	return secretValues, nil
 }
 
 // GenerateSecrets generates secrets locally and sends them to a remote server for storage.
-func GenerateSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsFromConfig map[string]string, appName, server string) (map[string]string, error) {
-	secrets := make(map[string]string)
-
+func GenerateSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secrets map[string]SecretValue, appName, server string) (map[string]string, error) {
+	secretsGenerated := map[string]string{}
 	var mutex sync.Mutex
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-	ch := make(chan error, len(secretsFromConfig))
-	for n, v := range secretsFromConfig {
+	ch := make(chan error, len(secrets))
+	for n, v := range secrets {
 		wg.Add(1)
 
-		go func(secretName, secretValue string) {
+		go func(secretName string, secret SecretValue) {
 			defer wg.Done()
 
-			parsedSecretValue, err := ParseSecretValue(secretValue)
-			if err != nil {
-				ch <- err
-				return
-			}
-
-			secretRemoteName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", appName, secretName, parsedSecretValue.Version)
+			secretRemoteName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", appName, secretName, secret.Version)
 			logrus.Debugf("attempting to generate and store %s on %s", secretRemoteName, server)
 
-			if parsedSecretValue.Length > 0 {
-				passwords, err := GeneratePasswords(1, uint(parsedSecretValue.Length))
+			if secret.Length > 0 {
+				passwords, err := GeneratePasswords(1, uint(secret.Length))
 				if err != nil {
 					ch <- err
 					return
@@ -178,7 +166,7 @@ func GenerateSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsFromConfig map[string]strin
 
 				mutex.Lock()
 				defer mutex.Unlock()
-				secrets[secretName] = passwords[0]
+				secretsGenerated[secretName] = passwords[0]
 			} else {
 				passphrases, err := GeneratePassphrases(1)
 				if err != nil {
@@ -198,7 +186,7 @@ func GenerateSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsFromConfig map[string]strin
 
 				mutex.Lock()
 				defer mutex.Unlock()
-				secrets[secretName] = passphrases[0]
+				secretsGenerated[secretName] = passphrases[0]
 			}
 			ch <- nil
 		}(n, v)
@@ -206,16 +194,16 @@ func GenerateSecrets(cl *dockerClient.Client, secretsFromConfig map[string]strin
 
 	wg.Wait()
 
-	for range secretsFromConfig {
+	for range secrets {
 		err := <-ch
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 	}
 
-	logrus.Debugf("generated and stored %s on %s", secrets, server)
+	logrus.Debugf("generated and stored %v on %s", secrets, server)
 
-	return secrets, nil
+	return secretsGenerated, nil
 }
 
 type secretStatus struct {
@@ -257,14 +245,9 @@ func PollSecretsStatus(cl *dockerClient.Client, app config.App) (secretStatuses,
 		remoteSecretNames[cont.Spec.Annotations.Name] = true
 	}
 
-	for secretName, secretValue := range secretsConfig {
+	for secretName, val := range secretsConfig {
 		createdRemote := false
 
-		val, err := ParseSecretValue(secretValue)
-		if err != nil {
-			return secStats, err
-		}
-
 		secretRemoteName := fmt.Sprintf("%s_%s_%s", app.StackName(), secretName, val.Version)
 		if _, ok := remoteSecretNames[secretRemoteName]; ok {
 			createdRemote = true
diff --git a/pkg/secret/secret_test.go b/pkg/secret/secret_test.go
index a4b0fc0c..bb462a8a 100644
--- a/pkg/secret/secret_test.go
+++ b/pkg/secret/secret_test.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ func TestReadSecretsConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv(config.ReadEnvOptions{})
+	sampleEnv, err := recipe.SampleEnv()
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/upstream/stack/loader.go b/pkg/upstream/stack/loader.go
index 51b678b0..9790903f 100644
--- a/pkg/upstream/stack/loader.go
+++ b/pkg/upstream/stack/loader.go
@@ -18,15 +18,24 @@ func DontSkipValidation(opts *loader.Options) {
 	opts.SkipValidation = false
 }
 
+// SkipInterpolation skip interpolating environment variables.
+func SkipInterpolation(opts *loader.Options) {
+	opts.SkipInterpolation = true
+}
+
 // LoadComposefile parse the composefile specified in the cli and returns its Config and version.
-func LoadComposefile(opts Deploy, appEnv map[string]string) (*composetypes.Config, error) {
+func LoadComposefile(opts Deploy, appEnv map[string]string, options ...func(*loader.Options)) (*composetypes.Config, error) {
 	configDetails, err := getConfigDetails(opts.Composefiles, appEnv)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	if options == nil {
+		options = []func(*loader.Options){DontSkipValidation}
+	}
+
 	dicts := getDictsFrom(configDetails.ConfigFiles)
-	config, err := loader.Load(configDetails, DontSkipValidation)
+	config, err := loader.Load(configDetails, options...)
 	if err != nil {
 		if fpe, ok := err.(*loader.ForbiddenPropertiesError); ok {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("compose file contains unsupported options: %s",