Configuration reference

Copy .env.example to .env for local development. Variable names are documented here; values belong only in the approved secret store or local ignored file.

Group	Variables	Local requirement	Purpose
Core runtime	DATABASE_URL, SESSION_SECRET, NODE_ENV, HOST, PORT, APP_URL	DATABASE_URL required; use a non-production database	Database, session signing, listener, and public URL
Object storage	R2_ENDPOINT, R2_ACCESS_KEY_ID, R2_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY, R2_BUCKET_NAME	Required only for upload/download paths	Object-store client and bucket
Email	RESEND_API_KEY, EMAIL_ENABLED, EMAIL_FROM_ADDRESS, EMAIL_DEBUG_TO, EMAIL_MAX_RPS, SUPPORT_EMAIL, INQUIRY_NOTIFY_EMAILS, HR_NOTIFY_EMAILS, EMAIL_NOTIFY_ON_NEW_DOCUMENT	Email is disabled unless explicitly enabled	Outbound notification controls
Public anti-bot	VITE_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY, RECAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY, DEBUG_RECAPTCHA, DISABLE_RECAPTCHA	Required only for protected public forms	Browser/server anti-bot verification
Observability	SENTRY_DSN, SENTRY_ENVIRONMENT, SENTRY_RELEASE, SENTRY_TRACES_SAMPLE_RATE, SENTRY_TEST_ENDPOINT_ENABLED	Optional; no provider is configured by this documentation	Error-tracking integration when an approved DSN is bound
AI integration	AI_INTEGRATIONS_OPENAI_API_KEY, AI_INTEGRATIONS_OPENAI_BASE_URL	Optional	Approved AI integration configuration
Paperclip feedback routing	PAPERCLIP_API_URL, PAPERCLIP_API_TOKEN, PAPERCLIP_COMPANY_ID	Optional	Feedback-to-Paperclip routing
Platform metadata	RAILWAY_GIT_COMMIT_SHA	Platform-provided	Release/observability metadata
Audit and screenshot tools	AUDIT_CLEANUP_MARKER, AUDIT_VERIFY_BASE_URL, SCREENSHOT_BASE_URL, SCREENSHOT_ADMIN_EMAIL, SCREENSHOT_ADMIN_PASSWORD, SCREENSHOT_STAFF_EMAIL, SCREENSHOT_STAFF_PASSWORD, SCREENSHOT_CLIENT_EMAIL, SCREENSHOT_CLIENT_PASSWORD, SCREENSHOT_IDS_JSON, SCREENSHOT_OUT	Test-only	Explicit audit/visual-test input; never commit values

HOME is read only by legacy local scripts and is not application configuration.

Guardrails

• Production values, credentials, and provider configuration are never copied into documentation, test output, issues, or commits.
• NODE_ENV=production requires SESSION_SECRET; the app exits at startup without it.
• Do not set EMAIL_ENABLED=true or SENTRY_TEST_ENDPOINT_ENABLED=true during an unapproved verification run.
• New variables require a matching .env.example and this page in the same PR.