diff --git a/lib/jekyll-github-metadata.rb b/lib/jekyll-github-metadata.rb
index 4ca729b..e6810a2 100644
--- a/lib/jekyll-github-metadata.rb
+++ b/lib/jekyll-github-metadata.rb
@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
 require 'octokit'
+if defined?(Jekyll) && Jekyll.respond_to?(:env) && Jekyll.env == 'development'
+  begin
+    require 'dotenv'
+    Dotenv.load
+  rescue LoadError
+  end
+end
 
 module Jekyll
   unless const_defined? :Errors