Configuration

An install keeps its settings in two files next to the compose file, plus the keys the API generates for itself.

File	Holds	Written by
nautelle/.env	The address, the exposure mode, the image version and the database and Redis passwords	install.sh; edit it by hand to change a setting
nautelle/api.env	Anything else the API reads: the Telegram bot, email (SMTP), DeepL, speech to text, retention, limits	You; optional, one KEY=value per line
secrets.json in the data volume	APP_ENCRYPTION_KEY, AUDIT_HMAC_KEY, LLM_SECRETS_KEY	The API, on its first start

After a change, apply it:

cd nautelle
docker compose up -d

Compose recreates only the services whose settings changed.

Environment variables lists every variable with its default; it is generated from the .env.example files in the repository, so it always matches the release.

The address

NAUTELLE_URL is the one setting that matters: the address people open, without a trailing slash. The others derive from it, and each can be set in .env to override it:

Variable	Derived value	Used for
API_URL	NAUTELLE_URL/api	the address runners pair with
WEB_URL	NAUTELLE_URL	CORS and the WebSocket origin check
APP_URL	NAUTELLE_URL	links in Telegram messages and emails, and the Telegram Mini App
PUBLIC_URL	NAUTELLE_URL/api	the GitHub App webhook; empty turns it off

To move an install to another address, run install.sh --url <new address> again (or change NAUTELLE_URL and apply), then pair the runners again with the new /api address.

The generated keys

The API seals stored secrets — two-factor sign-in, the Telegram bot token, AI provider keys, GitHub App and webhook secrets — and signs the audit log with keys it generates on its first start into secrets.json. A key set in api.env wins over the generated one. Never change or drop a key once data is sealed with it, and back it up with the database: the database cannot be read without it.

Most asked-for settings

• The Telegram bot: set up under Admin › Integrations › Telegram; it needs the encryption key, which every install has.
• Slack: an incoming webhook URL under Admin › Integrations › Slack for every project, or in a project’s Settings › Slack for that project only. It is sealed with the same key.
• Email notifications: SMTP_URL (and optionally SMTP_FROM) in api.env, for example SMTP_URL=smtps://user:password@smtp.example.com:465 — percent-encode an @ or : in the user or password. Restart the API, then send a test email from Admin › Integrations › Email. Each person picks the kinds they get by email — at once or in one daily digest at their own time — under Account › Notifications; the creator of a card is emailed when its worker waits for them. The credentials are never shown or logged. With APP_URL set too, the sign-in page offers Forgot password, which emails a one-time reset link.
• Translation with DeepL: DEEPL_API_KEY in api.env.
• Voice input in Telegram: SPEECH_TO_TEXT_URL, SPEECH_TO_TEXT_API_KEY.
• AI providers for the assistant features: Admin › AI providers.
• A headless first admin: install.sh --admin-email … --admin-password … (First run).