Set up environment variables for your AI provider and server settings.
Create Your Config File
cp .env.example .env
cp .env.example .env
Open .env in your editor and fill in the required values:
# AI Provider (choose one)ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key-here# OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here# ServerPORT=4000DATABASE_PATH=./data/mission-control.db# Security (you'll set this properly in step 10)BEARER_TOKEN=change-me-before-going-public
The .env file is mounted into the container at runtime. After changing it, restart the container with docker compose restart to pick up new values.
The .env file is never committed to Git — it stays private on your machine. It tells Mission Control which AI provider to use and where to store its database. You only need one API key to get started.