diff --git a/source/agent/_allservicesstatus.sh b/source/agent/_allservicesstatus.sh
index 4a2b694..99bdc1b 100755
--- a/source/agent/_allservicesstatus.sh
+++ b/source/agent/_allservicesstatus.sh
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 # Get all services on the server
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(dirname "$0")"
 
+    # //------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     # // remote paths
     # // DROPSHELL_DIR
     # //   |-- backups
@@ -19,17 +20,19 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$(dirname "$0")"
     # //   |-- services
     # //       |-- service name
     # //           |-- config
-    # //               |-- service.env
+    # //               |-- service.env (actual service config)
+    # //               |-- .template_info.env
     # //           |-- template
+    # //               |-- _default.env
     # //               |-- (script files)
     # //               |-- config
-    # //                   |-- service.env
+    # //                   |-- service.env (default service config)
+    # //                   |-- .template_info.env
     # //                   |-- (other config files for specific server&service)
 
 # Get all services on the server
 SERVICES_PATH=$(realpath "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../services/")
 
-
 CURRENT_OUTPUT=""
 CURRENT_EXIT_CODE=0
 
@@ -40,6 +43,15 @@ load_dotenv(){
     fi
 }
 
+_check_required_env_vars_allservicesstatus() {
+    local required_vars=("$@")
+    for var in "${required_vars[@]}"; do
+        if [ -z "${!var}" ]; then
+            _die "Required environment variable $var is not set"
+        fi
+    done
+}
+
 function run_command() {
     local service_path=$1
     local command=$2
@@ -55,13 +67,23 @@ function run_command() {
         set -a
         load_dotenv "${service_path}/template/_default.env"
         load_dotenv "${service_path}/config/service.env"
+        load_dotenv "${service_path}/config/.template_info.env"
         set +a
 
+        # all_env_vars["CONFIG_PATH"] = remotepath::service_config(server_name,service_name);
+        # all_env_vars["SERVER"] = server_name;
+        # all_env_vars["SERVICE"] = service_name;
+        # all_env_vars["AGENT_PATH"] = remotepath::agent(server_name);
+        # all_env_vars["HOST_NAME"] = server_info.ssh_host;
         # update the main variables.
         export CONFIG_PATH="${service_path}/config"
-        # SERVER is correct
+        # SERVER is already set
         export SERVICE="${SERVICE_NAME}"
-        
+        export AGENT_PATH="${SCRIPT_DIR}"
+        # HOST_NAME is already set
+
+        _check_required_env_vars_allservicesstatus "CONFIG_PATH" "SERVER" "SERVICE" "AGENT_PATH" "HOST_NAME" "TEMPLATE"
+
         if [ "$capture_output" = "true" ]; then
             # Capture and return output
             bash "${service_path}/template/${command}.sh" 2>&1
diff --git a/source/src/service_runner.cpp b/source/src/service_runner.cpp
index 478ba0e..2cdbf7d 100644
--- a/source/src/service_runner.cpp
+++ b/source/src/service_runner.cpp
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ std::map<std::string, ServiceStatus> service_runner::get_all_services_status(std
     }
 
     std::string output;
-    if (!execute_ssh_command(env.get_SSH_INFO(), sCommand(remotepath::agent(server_name), "./_allservicesstatus.sh", {}), cMode::CaptureOutput, &output))
+    if (!execute_ssh_command(env.get_SSH_INFO(), sCommand(remotepath::agent(server_name), "./_allservicesstatus.sh", {{"HOST_NAME", server_name}}), cMode::CaptureOutput, &output))
         return status;
 
     std::stringstream ss(output);
diff --git a/source/src/services.cpp b/source/src/services.cpp
index 3c7eecd..1e4277b 100644
--- a/source/src/services.cpp
+++ b/source/src/services.cpp
@@ -225,15 +225,17 @@ bool get_all_service_env_vars(const std::string &server_name, const std::string
         return false;
     }
 
+    ServerInfo server_info = get_server_info(server_name);
+    if (server_info.ssh_host.empty()) 
+        std::cerr << "Error: Server " << server_name << " not found - ssh_host empty, so HOST_NAME not set" << std::endl;
+
+
     // add in some handy variables.
+    // if we change these, we also need to update agent/_allservicesstatus.sh
     all_env_vars["CONFIG_PATH"] = remotepath::service_config(server_name,service_name);
     all_env_vars["SERVER"] = server_name;
     all_env_vars["SERVICE"] = service_name;
     all_env_vars["AGENT_PATH"] = remotepath::agent(server_name);
-
-    ServerInfo server_info = get_server_info(server_name);
-    if (server_info.ssh_host.empty()) 
-        std::cerr << "Error: Server " << server_name << " not found - ssh_host empty, so HOST_NAME not set" << std::endl;
     all_env_vars["HOST_NAME"] = server_info.ssh_host;
 
     // Lambda function to load environment variables from a file
diff --git a/source/src/utils/directories.cpp b/source/src/utils/directories.cpp
index 18b4695..d3016cb 100644
--- a/source/src/utils/directories.cpp
+++ b/source/src/utils/directories.cpp
@@ -83,23 +83,27 @@ namespace localpath {
         }
 } // namespace localpath
 
-// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+    //------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     // remote paths
     // DROPSHELL_DIR
     //   |-- backups
     //   |-- temp_files
     //   |-- agent
+    //   |   |-- bb64
+    //   |   |-- (other agent files, including _allservicesstatus.sh)
     //   |-- services
     //       |-- service name
     //           |-- config
-    //               |-- service.env
+    //               |-- service.env (actual service config)
     //           |-- template
+    //               |-- _default.env
     //               |-- (script files)
     //               |-- config
-    //                   |-- service.env
+    //                   |-- service.env (default service config)
     //                   |-- (other config files for specific server&service)
 
 
+
 namespace remotefile {
 
     std::string service_env(const std::string &server_name, const std::string &service_name)
diff --git a/source/src/utils/directories.hpp b/source/src/utils/directories.hpp
index 758ebe8..93b47f3 100644
--- a/source/src/utils/directories.hpp
+++ b/source/src/utils/directories.hpp
@@ -76,11 +76,14 @@ namespace dropshell {
     //   |-- services
     //       |-- service name
     //           |-- config
-    //               |-- service.env
+    //               |-- service.env (actual service config)
+    //               |-- .template_info.env
     //           |-- template
+    //               |-- _default.env
     //               |-- (script files)
     //               |-- config
-    //                   |-- service.env
+    //                   |-- service.env (default service config)
+    //                   |-- .template_info.env
     //                   |-- (other config files for specific server&service)
 
     namespace remotefile {