Why does changing SEARXNG_API_URL not change my existing setup?

The current manager only seeds it when the persisted search field is empty. Review the stored URL in settings before recreating or deleting anything.

Does removing an API key environment variable delete the saved provider?

Not necessarily. Providers are persisted, and environment initialization does not serve as a full reconciliation or deletion mechanism.

Is there an OLLAMA_API_URL variable in this version?

The registered native Ollama provider uses OLLAMA_BASE_URL. Check the source for your exact deployed version rather than copying a similarly named variable.

Vane environment variables: the current configuration map

Version and coverage

This reference follows Vane 1.12.2, commit 348feca3e378fb4157b217724ed508dc707f853f. It covers application configuration variables in the configuration manager and all eight registered provider definitions, plus runtime paths and the Docker search default. It is not a list of every variable inherited by Node, Docker or third-party libraries.

Provider environment variables

A field marked required is required for that provider, not for the entire application. Configuring Ollama does not require an OpenAI key. Empty required fields prevent environment initialization of that provider.

Variable	Required for provider	Value / behavior
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	Yes	OpenAI key; a custom endpoint must accept the configured credential
`OPENAI_BASE_URL`	Yes, default supplied	Defaults to `https://api.openai.com/v1`; use the base URL expected by an OpenAI-compatible backend
`OLLAMA_BASE_URL`	Yes	Reachable Ollama server, e.g. `http://host.docker.internal:11434`; do not add `/v1` for the native Ollama provider
`GEMINI_API_KEY`	Yes	Gemini provider key
`GROQ_API_KEY`	Yes	Groq provider key
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	Yes	Anthropic provider key; configure embeddings through another compatible provider
`LEMONADE_BASE_URL`	Yes	Your Lemonade server base URL
`LEMONADE_API_KEY`	No	Optional key for the configured Lemonade server
`LM_STUDIO_BASE_URL`	Yes	Your reachable LM Studio server base URL

The registered Transformers provider exposes no provider environment fields in this version. Its embedding models can be selected through the UI and may require an initial download.

Search and storage

Variable	Default / context	What to know
`SEARXNG_API_URL`	Standard Docker image: `http://localhost:8080`	Seeds the search URL when the stored search setting is empty. Use a reachable custom URL for the slim image.
`DATA_DIR`	Falls back to process working directory	Configuration is stored under the resulting `data/config.json` path. Preserve the standard volume mount unless you deliberately redesign persistence.

PORT and HOSTNAME are Next.js standalone runtime settings, not model-provider configuration. This guide keeps the image’s container ports and changes only host-side port mappings. Do not substitute old frontend/backend port variables into current recipes.

What belongs in the setup screen

Choose provider connections, chat models and embedding models in the setup/settings interface. Themes, personal instructions and media preferences are separate UI settings; they do not become environment variables just because they appear in a form.

Persistence and precedence: why your edit may not apply

The configuration manager loads persisted JSON first, then initializes environment providers. Provider configurations are hashed: a matching configuration is not added twice; a changed configuration can add a new provider rather than overwrite an existing one. Removing an environment variable does not necessarily remove a provider already saved in the UI.

The search URL has different behavior: SEARXNG_API_URL is used only if the stored search setting is empty. Recreating a container with a different value can therefore leave an existing persisted URL unchanged. Inspect the UI first; do not delete the data volume to fix one setting.

Applying a Compose environment change

Add only the variables you need to the Vane service:

environment:
  OLLAMA_BASE_URL: http://host.docker.internal:11434

docker compose config --quiet
docker compose up -d --force-recreate vane

A plain container restart does not rebuild its environment from an edited Compose file. Avoid sharing fully expanded docker compose config output when it includes secrets; --quiet validates without printing them.

Legacy Perplexica examples

Old TOML-based settings, split frontend/backend installations and older image tags are version-specific. Do not treat old config.toml keys as current environment variables. Keep an old deployment backed up, then use the migration checklist to test the current setup separately.

Before reporting a configuration bug

Check the exact image digest and version, inspect saved provider entries, verify the endpoint from the container network, and note whether the failure is chat, embedding or search. Redact all keys before sharing logs. A provider key stored in a mounted configuration file needs the same protection as an environment secret.