Environment Variables

Reference for SlackHive configuration variables and AI backend credentials.

SlackHive stores configuration in a .env file in the install directory. slackhive init generates this file with safe defaults. Most secrets can also be managed in the dashboard under Settings → AI Backend or Settings → Env Vars.

.env contains encryption keys and admin credentials. Never commit it.

AI backend credentials

SlackHive supports multiple agent runtimes. The active runtime is selected in Settings → AI Backend and persisted in the database, while credentials can come from login files, CLI-detected auth, or API keys.

OpenAI Codex / ChatGPT

Use one of these paths:

Method	Variable / file	Notes
ChatGPT login	~/.codex/auth.json or CODEX_AUTH_JSON	Preferred for subscription auth. The Settings page can start device auth and persist the resulting file.
API key	OPENAI_API_KEY	Best for server deployments and predictable billing.
Custom binary	CODEX_PATH	Optional. Points SlackHive at a specific codex binary.

Example:

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
# CODEX_PATH=/usr/local/bin/codex

Claude Code / Anthropic

Use one of these paths:

Method	Variable / file	Notes
Claude login	~/.claude/.credentials.json or CLAUDE_CREDENTIALS_JSON	Preferred for Claude Pro/Max subscription auth.
API key	ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	Best for teams and server deployments.
Custom binary	CLAUDE_BIN	Optional. Points SlackHive at a specific claude binary.

Example:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...
# CLAUDE_BIN=/usr/local/bin/claude

If both a provider API key and subscription login are available, the explicit API key path is treated as deliberate server auth for that provider.

Backend status and detection

The dashboard header shows the active backend status:

Status	Meaning
Connected	SlackHive can use the active backend now.
Expired	A login token exists but must be refreshed. Run the provider login command or paste fresh auth in Settings.
Disconnected	No usable credentials were found for the active backend.

Use Settings → AI Backend → Detect after running codex login or claude login on the host.

Dashboard authentication

slackhive init sets these from the prompts:

Variable	Purpose
ADMIN_USERNAME	Superadmin login
ADMIN_PASSWORD	Superadmin password
AUTH_SECRET	Signs session cookies. Rotating logs everyone out.
ENV_SECRET_KEY	Encrypts stored secrets. Rotating breaks existing stored secrets.

Generate replacement secrets with:

openssl rand -hex 32

Do not rotate ENV_SECRET_KEY after initial setup without a migration plan. Stored AI backend credentials, Slack tokens, and MCP env vars become unreadable.

For disaster recovery, export a password-protected recovery key from Settings -> Backups. That file lets you recover encrypted secrets from a database backup without storing the plaintext ENV_SECRET_KEY beside the backup.

Platform

Variable	Default	Purpose
NODE_ENV	production	Runtime mode
PORT	auto	Web server port, usually 3001
RUNNER_INTERNAL_PORT	auto	Runner control port, usually 3002
AGENTS_TMP_DIR	~/.slackhive/agents	Per-agent workspaces and session directories
DATABASE_TYPE	sqlite	SQLite for CLI installs
ACTIVITY_DASHBOARD	unset	Legacy flag for activity collection. Current installs normally keep tracing enabled through the app defaults.

Where data lives

Path	Contents
~/.slackhive/data.db	SQLite database: agents, memories, skills, activities, traces, settings
~/.slackhive/backups/	SQLite backups and pre-restore safety snapshots
~/.slackhive/agents/<slug>/	Agent workspace, sessions, instructions, skills, assigned wiki copies
~/.slackhive/knowledge/<folderId>/wiki/	Compiled wiki for one Knowledge Library folder
~/.slackhive/logs/runner.log	Runner log stream
~/.slackhive/runner.lock	Singleton runner lock
~/.slackhive/slackhive.pid	Web server PID file

Use Backup & Recovery for database backups and recovery-key export. Snapshot ~/.slackhive/ separately when you also need generated workspaces, compiled wiki files, and logs.

Complete .env.example

# --- OpenAI Codex / ChatGPT ---
# OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
# CODEX_PATH=/usr/local/bin/codex

# --- Claude Code / Anthropic ---
# ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...
# CLAUDE_BIN=/usr/local/bin/claude

# --- Dashboard ---
ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=change-me
AUTH_SECRET=generate-with-openssl-rand-hex-32
ENV_SECRET_KEY=generate-with-openssl-rand-hex-32

# --- Platform ---
NODE_ENV=production
DATABASE_TYPE=sqlite

Next steps

AI Backends

Configure Codex/OpenAI or Claude/Anthropic.

MCP Servers

Use the encrypted env store to pass secrets to MCP tools.