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Environment Variables

ThinkEx is configured through environment variables in the .env file. Copy from .env.example and customize for your setup.

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Application Settings

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Core Application

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NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL
string
default:"http://localhost:3000"
The public URL where your ThinkEx instance is accessible. Used for OAuth redirects and absolute URLs.Production example: https://thinkex.yourdomain.com
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NODE_ENV
string
default:"development"
Node.js environment mode.Options: development, production, test

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Authentication

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Better Auth Configuration

ThinkEx uses Better Auth for authentication.
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BETTER_AUTH_SECRET
string
required
Secret key for encrypting session tokens and cookies. Must be kept secure.Generate with:
openssl rand -base64 32
Never commit this value to version control. The setup script generates this automatically.
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BETTER_AUTH_URL
string
default:"http://localhost:3000"
Base URL for Better Auth callbacks. Should match NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL.

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Google OAuth (Optional)

Enable Google OAuth login by configuring these variables.
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GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID
string
OAuth 2.0 Client ID from Google Cloud Console.Setup:
  1. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials in Google Cloud Console
  2. Add authorized redirect URI: {NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL}/api/auth/callback/google
  3. Copy the Client ID
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GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET
string
OAuth 2.0 Client Secret from Google Cloud Console.
Keep this secret secure. Never expose in client-side code.

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Database Configuration

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PostgreSQL Connection

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DATABASE_URL
string
required
PostgreSQL connection string in the format:
postgresql://[user]:[password]@[host]:[port]/[database]
Examples:
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://thinkex:thinkex_password_change_me@localhost:5432/thinkex
The setup script automatically configures this based on your PostgreSQL choice (Docker or local).

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PostgreSQL Docker Configuration

These variables are used by docker-compose.yml when running PostgreSQL in Docker.
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POSTGRES_USER
string
default:"thinkex"
PostgreSQL username for the Docker container.
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POSTGRES_PASSWORD
string
default:"thinkex_password_change_me"
PostgreSQL password for the Docker container.
Change this in production! Default value is insecure.
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POSTGRES_DB
string
default:"thinkex"
Database name to create in the PostgreSQL container.
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POSTGRES_PORT
string
default:"5432"
Port to expose PostgreSQL on the host machine.Note: Change if port 5432 is already in use.

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AI Configuration

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Google AI (Required)

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GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY
string
required
API key for Google’s Generative AI models (Gemini).Get your key: Google AI StudioUsage: Powers AI conversations and content analysis in ThinkEx.
This is required for ThinkEx to function. The application will not work without a valid Google AI API key.

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Assistant UI (Required)

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NEXT_PUBLIC_ASSISTANT_BASE_URL
string
required
Base URL for the Assistant UI service from Assistant Cloud.Example: https://api.assistant-ui.com
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ASSISTANT_API_KEY
string
required
API key for Assistant UI authentication.Get credentials: Assistant Cloud

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Storage Configuration

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Storage Type Selection

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STORAGE_TYPE
string
default:"local"
Choose the file storage backend for uploads (PDFs, images, etc.).Options:
  • local: Store files in ./uploads/ directory (recommended for self-hosting)
  • supabase: Store files in Supabase cloud storage
The setup script automatically sets this to local for local development.
See the Storage guide for detailed configuration.

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Supabase Storage (Optional)

Required only if STORAGE_TYPE=supabase.
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NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL
string
Your Supabase project URL.Format: https://your-project.supabase.coFind it: Supabase Dashboard → Project Settings → API
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NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_OR_ANON_KEY
string
Supabase anonymous/publishable API key for client-side requests.Find it: Supabase Dashboard → Project Settings → API → anon public key
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SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY
string
Supabase service role key for server-side operations.Find it: Supabase Dashboard → Project Settings → API → service_role secret key
Highly sensitive: This key has full database access. Never expose in client code.

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Optional Features

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Web Scraping

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FIRECRAWL_API_KEY
string
API key for Firecrawl web scraping service.Get your key: firecrawl.devUsage: Enhanced web content extraction for adding web pages to workspaces.
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SCRAPING_MODE
string
default:"hybrid"
Strategy for web content scraping.Options:
  • hybrid (default): Try Google Context → Fallback to Firecrawl (if key exists) → Fallback to Direct
  • firecrawl-only: Force Firecrawl for all scraping
  • google-only: Force Google Context only
  • direct-only: Force direct fetch only
hybrid mode provides the best reliability by falling back through multiple methods.

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Azure Document AI (OCR)

Optional OCR service for PDF processing using Mistral Document AI.
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AZURE_DOCUMENT_AI_API_KEY
string
API key from your Azure Mistral OCR deployment.Usage: PDF upload OCR and scripts/ocr-pdf-from-url.sh
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AZURE_DOCUMENT_AI_ENDPOINT
string
Endpoint URL for your Azure Document AI deployment.Required if AZURE_DOCUMENT_AI_API_KEY is set.
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AZURE_DOCUMENT_AI_MODEL
string
default:"mistral-document-ai-2512"
Model identifier for Azure Document AI.
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OCR_INCLUDE_IMAGES
boolean
default:"true"
Whether to extract images during OCR processing.Options:
  • true: Extract images (larger OCR results, enables pdfImageRefs)
  • false: Skip images (smaller OCR results)

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Configuration Examples

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Minimal Local Setup

.env
# Application
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Auth (generated by setup.sh)
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=abc123...generated...xyz789
BETTER_AUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000

# Database (Docker default)
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://thinkex:thinkex_password_change_me@localhost:5432/thinkex

# Storage (local)
STORAGE_TYPE=local

# AI (required)
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY=AIza...your-key...
NEXT_PUBLIC_ASSISTANT_BASE_URL=https://api.assistant-ui.com
ASSISTANT_API_KEY=your-assistant-key

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Full Production Setup

.env
# Application
NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL=https://thinkex.yourdomain.com

# Auth
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=secure-generated-secret-32-chars
BETTER_AUTH_URL=https://thinkex.yourdomain.com

# OAuth
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=123456789-abc.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=GOCSPX-your-secret

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://thinkex:[email protected]:5432/thinkex

# Storage (Supabase)
STORAGE_TYPE=supabase
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=https://yourproject.supabase.co
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_OR_ANON_KEY=eyJ...anon-key...
SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=eyJ...service-role-key...

# AI
GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY=AIza...your-key...
NEXT_PUBLIC_ASSISTANT_BASE_URL=https://api.assistant-ui.com
ASSISTANT_API_KEY=your-assistant-key

# Optional Features
FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=fc_...your-key...
SCRAPING_MODE=hybrid

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Updating Configuration

After modifying .env:
  1. Development: Restart the dev server 
    # Stop with Ctrl+C, then:
pnpm dev
  2. Production: Rebuild and restart 
    pnpm build
# Then restart your process manager (PM2, systemd, etc.)
Security Best Practices:
  • Never commit .env to version control
  • Use strong, unique secrets for production
  • Rotate BETTER_AUTH_SECRET and database passwords periodically
  • Restrict database user permissions to minimum required
  • Use HTTPS in production (https:// URLs)

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Next Steps

Storage Setup

Configure file storage options

Installation

Back to installation guide

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