Use configuration helper utilities

Always use centralized helper functions for configuration management instead of direct environment variable access or hardcoded values. This ensures consistency, maintainability, and proper error handling across the codebase.

Key practices:

• Use get_secret_str() utility for sensitive configuration values instead of os.environ.get()
• Use str_to_bool() for boolean environment variables instead of manual string comparison
• Create helper functions in common utilities (e.g., llms/gemini/common_utils.py) for provider-specific configuration logic
• Move hardcoded constants to constants.py and control them through environment variables

Example of proper configuration handling:

# Bad - direct environment access and hardcoded values
api_key = os.environ.get("GEMINI_API_KEY")
MAX_STRING_LENGTH = 1000
if os.getenv("NO_REDOC", "False") == "True":

# Good - using helper utilities
api_key = get_secret_str("GEMINI_API_KEY") or get_secret_str("GOOGLE_API_KEY")
MAX_STRING_LENGTH = get_secret_str("MAX_STRING_LENGTH_PROMPT_IN_DB", "1000")
if str_to_bool(os.getenv("NO_REDOC", "False")):

This approach prevents configuration drift, reduces code duplication, and makes configuration behavior predictable across different parts of the system.