configlibrary.scala

// Thanks to @adam_evans for this.. and cats documentation as well

  // This can be a very simple open source... its far better than just about everything out there!
  def fromCommandLineArguments(args: List[String]) = {
    args.sliding(2, 2).flatMap(t => (
      (t.headOption.flatMap(str => str.startsWith("--").option(str.replace("--", ""))) |@|
        t.lift(1).flatMap(str => (!str.startsWith("--")).option(str))){(_, _)}).toList).toMap


import Types._
import scalaz.syntax.std.option._
import scalaz.ValidationNel
import scalaz.NonEmptyList
import scalaz.Reader
import scalaz.\/
import scalaz.Validation
import scalaz.Monad

final case class ConfigAction[A](run: EnvReader[ValidationNel[ConfigError, A]]) {
  def map[B](f: A ⇒ B): ConfigAction[B] =
    ConfigAction { run.map { _.map(f) } }

  def disjunctioned: EnvReader[NonEmptyList[ConfigError] \/ A] =
    run.map { _.disjunction }

  def flatMap[B](f: A => ConfigAction[B]): ConfigAction[B] =
    ConfigAction(Reader(env => run(env).andThen(a => f(a).run(env))))
}

object ConfigAction extends ConfigActionInstances {
  // Safely parse a environment variable to a given type
  def read[A: Unmarshaller](key: String): ConfigAction[A] =
    fromUnmarshaller(key) { Unmarshaller[A] }

  def readWithDefault[A: Unmarshaller](key: String)(default: A): ConfigAction[A] =
    fromUnmarshaller(key) {
      Unmarshaller[A].recover { case Unmarshaller.Error.MissingEnvValue ⇒ default }
    }

  def fromUnmarshaller[A](key: String)(unmarshaller: Unmarshaller[A]): ConfigAction[A] =
    ConfigAction {
                   Reader { (env: Env) ⇒
                     unmarshaller
                     .read { env.get(key).toMaybe }
                     .leftMap(ConfigError(key, _))
                     .validationNel
                          }
                 }
}

trait ConfigActionInstances {

  implicit val monad: Monad[ConfigAction] = new Monad[ConfigAction] {
    override def point[A](a: => A): ConfigAction[A] =
      ConfigAction(Reader((_: Env) ⇒ Validation.success[NonEmptyList[ConfigError], A](a)))

    override def ap[A, B](c1: ⇒ ConfigAction[A])(c2: ⇒ ConfigAction[(A) ⇒ B]): ConfigAction[B] =
      ConfigAction(c1.run.flatMap(validation ⇒ c2.run.map(validation.ap(_))))

    override def bind[A, B](fa: ConfigAction[A])(f: A => ConfigAction[B]): ConfigAction[B] =
      fa.flatMap(f)
  }
}



import scalaz.Show

final case class ConfigError(key: String, value: Unmarshaller.Error)

object ConfigError {
  implicit val configErrorShow: Show[ConfigError] = Show.show {
    case ConfigError(key, Unmarshaller.Error.MissingEnvValue) ⇒ s"Config error, required environment variable ${key} is missing"
    case ConfigError(key, Unmarshaller.Error.InvalidEnvValue(provided, expected)) ⇒ s"Config error, invalid ${key} environment variable. Expected ${expected}, got ${provided}"
  }
}


import java.net.URI

import Unmarshaller.Error
import scalaz.syntax.either._
import scalaz.syntax.id._
import scalaz.syntax.maybe._
import scalaz.{-\/, Maybe, NonEmptyList, \/, \/-}

import scala.annotation.tailrec

final case class Unmarshaller[A](run: Maybe[String] => Unmarshaller.Error \/ A) {
  def read(s: Maybe[String]): Unmarshaller.Error \/ A =
    run(s)

  def map[B](f: A => B): Unmarshaller[B] =
    Unmarshaller { run(_).map(f) }

  def mapError[B](f: A => Unmarshaller.Error \/ B): Unmarshaller[B] =
    Unmarshaller { run(_).flatMap(f) }

  def flatMap[B](f: A => Unmarshaller[B]): Unmarshaller[B] =
    Unmarshaller { str => run(str).flatMap { f(_).run(str) }}

  def recover(err: PartialFunction[Unmarshaller.Error, A]): Unmarshaller[A] =
    Unmarshaller { run(_).recover(err) }
}

object Unmarshaller extends UnmarshallerInstances {

  sealed trait Error
  object Error {
    case object MissingEnvValue extends Error
    final case class InvalidEnvValue(provided: String, expected: String) extends Error
  }

  @SuppressWarnings(Array("org.wartremover.warts.Overloading"))
  def apply[A: Unmarshaller]: Unmarshaller[A] =
    implicitly[Unmarshaller[A]]
}

trait UnmarshallerInstances {
  implicit val stringValueUnmarshaller: Unmarshaller[String] =
    Unmarshaller { _ \/> Error.MissingEnvValue }


  implicit val boolValueUnmarshaller: Unmarshaller[Boolean] =
    Unmarshaller[String].mapError { value ⇒ \/.fromTryCatchNonFatal(value.toBoolean).leftMap(_ => Error.InvalidEnvValue(value, "boolean"))}

  implicit val intValueUnmarshaller: Unmarshaller[Int] =
    Unmarshaller[String].mapError { value ⇒ \/.fromTryCatchNonFatal(value.toInt).leftMap(_ => Error.InvalidEnvValue(value, "integer")) }

  implicit val longValueUnmarshaller: Unmarshaller[Long] =
    Unmarshaller[String].mapError { value ⇒ \/.fromTryCatchNonFatal(value.toLong).leftMap(_ => Error.InvalidEnvValue(value, "long"))}
  
  implicit def maybeValueUnmarshaller[A: Unmarshaller]: Unmarshaller[Maybe[A]] =
    Unmarshaller {
                   Unmarshaller[A].read(_) match {
                     case -\/(Error.MissingEnvValue) ⇒ \/.right[Unmarshaller.Error, Maybe[A]](Maybe.empty)
                     case other                      ⇒ other.map(Maybe.just)
                   }
                 }

  implicit def nonEmptyListValueUnmarshaller[A: Unmarshaller]: Unmarshaller[NonEmptyList[A]] =
    Unmarshaller { value ⇒
      val list = value.getOrElse("").split(",").map(_.trim).filter(_.nonEmpty).toList

      list match {
        case x :: xs ⇒
          NonEmptyList(x, xs: _*).traverse1[Unmarshaller.Error \/ ?, A](_.just |> Unmarshaller[A].read)
        case Nil ⇒
          Unmarshaller.Error.InvalidEnvValue(value.getOrElse(""), "nonemptylist").left[NonEmptyList[A]]
      }
                 }

  implicit def listValueUnmarshaller[A: Unmarshaller]: Unmarshaller[List[A]] =
    Unmarshaller { value =>
      @tailrec
      def loop(items: List[String], accum: List[A]): Unmarshaller.Error \/ List[A] =
        items match {
          case x :: xs =>
            Unmarshaller[A].read(x.just) match {
              case \/-(a) =>
                loop(xs, a +: accum)
              case -\/(_) =>
                Unmarshaller.Error.InvalidEnvValue(value.getOrElse(""), "list").left[List[A]]
            }
          case Nil =>
            accum.right[Unmarshaller.Error]
        }

      val list = value.getOrElse("").split(",").map(_.trim).filter(_.nonEmpty).toList
      loop(list, List.empty[A])
                 }
}

Added the library https://github.com/ajevans85/scala-simple-env-config as a reference point.
I will be very happy to push on with the idealogies kept in the library. As far as I can say, if HOCON can be flattened this will be the best one existing.