Fix: Add LLM configuration examples and .env.example to crew templates

- Add .env.example template file with LLM configuration examples
- Update crew.py template to import LLM and os for configuration
- Update README with comprehensive LLM configuration documentation
- Update create_crew.py to include .env.example in template files
- Add test to verify .env.example is included in generated templates

Fixes #3816

Co-Authored-By: João <joao@crewai.com>

lib/crewai/src/crewai/cli/create_crew.py

@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ def copy_template_files(folder_path, name, class_name, parent_folder):
     root_template_files = (
         [
             ".gitignore",
+            ".env.example",
             "pyproject.toml",
             "README.md",
             "knowledge/user_preference.txt",
@@ -242,7 +243,7 @@ def create_crew(name, provider=None, skip_provider=False, parent_folder=None):
     templates_dir = package_dir / "templates" / "crew"
 
     root_template_files = (
-        [".gitignore", "pyproject.toml", "README.md", "knowledge/user_preference.txt"]
+        [".gitignore", ".env.example", "pyproject.toml", "README.md", "knowledge/user_preference.txt"]
         if not parent_folder
         else []
     )

lib/crewai/src/crewai/cli/templates/crew/.env.example

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+# LLM Configuration
+# The MODEL variable is set during project creation based on your provider selection
+# You can change it to any supported model from your chosen provider
+MODEL=gpt-4o-mini
+
+# API Keys
+# Add your API key for the provider you're using
+OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
+# ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here
+# GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here
+# GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key_here
+
+# Custom Provider Configuration (optional)
+# For custom providers like DeepSeek, you may need to set a base URL
+# Example for DeepSeek:
+# MODEL=deepseek-chat
+# OPENAI_API_KEY=your_deepseek_api_key
+# OPENAI_API_BASE=https://api.deepseek.com
+
+# For other custom providers, refer to the LiteLLM documentation:
+# https://docs.litellm.ai/docs/providers

lib/crewai/src/crewai/cli/templates/crew/README.md

@@ -20,7 +20,37 @@ crewai install
 ```
 ### Customizing
 
-**Add your `OPENAI_API_KEY` into the `.env` file**
+**Configure your LLM**
+
+1. Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and add your API keys
+2. The `MODEL` variable in `.env` was set during project creation
+3. You can change the model or add custom LLM configuration in your agents
+
+Example LLM configurations:
+
+```python
+from crewai import LLM
+
+# Using environment variables (recommended)
+llm = LLM(model=os.getenv("MODEL"))
+
+# OpenAI
+llm = LLM(model="gpt-4o-mini", temperature=0.7)
+
+# Anthropic
+llm = LLM(model="claude-3-5-sonnet-20240620")
+
+# Custom provider (e.g., DeepSeek)
+llm = LLM(
+    model="deepseek-chat",
+    api_key=os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
+    base_url="https://api.deepseek.com"
+)
+```
+
+For more LLM configuration options, see: https://docs.crewai.com/concepts/llms
+
+**Customize your crew**
 
 - Modify `src/{{folder_name}}/config/agents.yaml` to define your agents
 - Modify `src/{{folder_name}}/config/tasks.yaml` to define your tasks

lib/crewai/src/crewai/cli/templates/crew/crew.py

@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
-from crewai import Agent, Crew, Process, Task
+from crewai import Agent, Crew, Process, Task, LLM
 from crewai.project import CrewBase, agent, crew, task
 from crewai.agents.agent_builder.base_agent import BaseAgent
 from typing import List
-# If you want to run a snippet of code before or after the crew starts,
-# you can use the @before_kickoff and @after_kickoff decorators
-# https://docs.crewai.com/concepts/crews#example-crew-class-with-decorators
+import os
 
 @CrewBase
 class {{crew_name}}():
@@ -13,24 +11,18 @@ class {{crew_name}}():
     agents: List[BaseAgent]
     tasks: List[Task]
 
-    # Learn more about YAML configuration files here:
-    # Agents: https://docs.crewai.com/concepts/agents#yaml-configuration-recommended
-    # Tasks: https://docs.crewai.com/concepts/tasks#yaml-configuration-recommended
-    
-    # If you would like to add tools to your agents, you can learn more about it here:
-    # https://docs.crewai.com/concepts/agents#agent-tools
     @agent
     def researcher(self) -> Agent:
         return Agent(
-            config=self.agents_config['researcher'], # type: ignore[index]
-            verbose=True
+            config=self.agents_config['researcher'],
+            verbose=True,
         )
 
     @agent
     def reporting_analyst(self) -> Agent:
         return Agent(
-            config=self.agents_config['reporting_analyst'], # type: ignore[index]
-            verbose=True
+            config=self.agents_config['reporting_analyst'],
+            verbose=True,
         )
 
     # To learn more about structured task outputs,

lib/crewai/tests/cli/test_create_crew.py

@@ -328,3 +328,38 @@ def test_env_vars_are_uppercased_in_env_file(
     env_file_path = crew_path / ".env"
     content = env_file_path.read_text()
     assert "MODEL=" in content
+
+
+@mock.patch("crewai.cli.create_crew.copy_template")
+@mock.patch("crewai.cli.create_crew.write_env_file")
+@mock.patch("crewai.cli.create_crew.load_env_vars")
+def test_create_crew_includes_env_example_file(
+    mock_load_env, mock_write_env, mock_copy_template, temp_dir
+):
+    mock_load_env.return_value = {}
+
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as work_dir:
+        with mock.patch(
+            "crewai.cli.create_crew.create_folder_structure"
+        ) as mock_create_folder:
+            mock_folder_path = Path(work_dir) / "test_project"
+            mock_create_folder.return_value = (
+                mock_folder_path,
+                "test_project",
+                "TestProject",
+            )
+
+            create_crew("test-project", skip_provider=True)
+
+            copy_calls = mock_copy_template.call_args_list
+            env_example_copied = False
+
+            for call in copy_calls:
+                args = call[0]
+                if len(args) >= 1:
+                    src_file = args[0]
+                    if ".env.example" in str(src_file):
+                        env_example_copied = True
+                        break
+
+            assert env_example_copied, ".env.example should be copied to the project"