Environment Variables

Chvor is configured primarily through environment variables. Set them in a .env file at the project root, pass them to Docker with -e or env_file, or export them in your shell.

---

LLM Provider Keys

At least one provider key is required for Chvor to function.

Variable	Required	Description	Default
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	One of three	API key for Anthropic (Claude models). Starts with sk-ant-.	—
OPENAI_API_KEY	One of three	API key for OpenAI (GPT models). Starts with sk-.	—
GOOGLE_API_KEY	One of three	API key for Google AI (Gemini models). Starts with AI.	—

You can set multiple provider keys simultaneously. Skills can specify which provider to use via the model.provider field. If a skill does not specify a provider, Chvor uses the first available key in this order: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google.

---

Server Configuration

Variable	Required	Description	Default
CHVOR_TOKEN	No	Access token that protects the web UI and API. When set, all requests must include this token in the Authorization header (Bearer <token>).	— (no auth)
NODE_ENV	No	Set to production for production builds. Disables dev-mode features like hot reload and verbose logging.	development
PORT	No	Port the Chvor server listens on.	3001
CHVOR_DATA_DIR	No	Directory where Chvor stores its database, skills, config, and uploads.	~/.chvor
LOG_LEVEL	No	Logging verbosity. One of: debug, info, warn, error.	info

Example: Custom data directory

CHVOR_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/chvor

This is useful when running as a system service where the home directory may not be writable.

---

Channel Tokens

Each channel is activated by setting its corresponding token. If a token is not set, that channel is not started.

Variable	Required	Description	Default
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN	No	Telegram bot token from @BotFather. Format: 1234567890:AAH....	— (channel disabled)
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN	No	Discord bot token from the Developer Portal. Format: MTIz....	— (channel disabled)
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN	No	Slack Bot User OAuth Token. Starts with xoxb-.	— (channel disabled)
SLACK_APP_TOKEN	No	Slack App-Level Token for Socket Mode. Starts with xapp-. Required alongside SLACK_BOT_TOKEN.	— (channel disabled)

Note: Slack requires both SLACK_BOT_TOKEN and SLACK_APP_TOKEN to be set. If only one is provided, the Slack channel will not start and the server logs an error.

---

All Variables at a Glance

# === LLM Providers (at least one required) ===
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
GOOGLE_API_KEY=AI...

# === Server ===
CHVOR_TOKEN=your-secret-token
NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3001
CHVOR_DATA_DIR=~/.chvor
LOG_LEVEL=info

# === Channels (all optional) ===
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=1234567890:AAH...
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=MTIz...
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-...
SLACK_APP_TOKEN=xapp-...

---

Setting Variables

.env file (development)

Create a .env file in the project root:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
CHVOR_TOKEN=my-dev-token

Chvor loads this file automatically on startup. The .env file is listed in .gitignore — it should never be committed to version control.

Shell export

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
export CHVOR_TOKEN=my-dev-token
pnpm dev

Docker

Inline:

docker run -e ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-... ghcr.io/luka-zivkovic/chvor:latest

From a file:

docker run --env-file .env ghcr.io/luka-zivkovic/chvor:latest

systemd

Reference an environment file in your service unit:

[Service]
EnvironmentFile=/home/chvor/chvor/.env

---

Security Considerations

• Never commit API keys to version control. The .env file should be in .gitignore.

• Use CHVOR_TOKEN in production. Without it, anyone who can reach your server can use your LLM API keys.

• Restrict file permissions on your .env file:

  chmod 600 .env

• Rotate keys regularly. If a key is compromised, revoke it immediately in the provider’s dashboard and generate a new one.

• Docker secrets are not yet supported natively but you can mount secrets files as volumes and source them in a custom entrypoint.

---

Next Steps

• Channel Setup — configure Telegram, Discord, and Slack channels.
• Deployment & Self-Hosting — production deployment with systemd.
• Docker — Docker-specific environment variable handling.