Vercel Environment Variables Setup

🚨 Required for Deployment

The following environment variables must be configured in Vercel to resolve build errors:

1. Database Configuration (CRITICAL)

Variable: DATABASE_URL Value: Your PostgreSQL database connection string Environment: Production, Preview, Development Error if missing: Error: Environment variable not found: DATABASE_URL

Get your DATABASE_URL from:

Vercel Postgres: Create database in Vercel dashboard → Copy connection string

Supabase: Project Settings → Database → Connection String → URI

Railway: PostgreSQL service → Connect tab → Postgres Connection URL

Neon: Project created → Copy connection string

Format: postgresql://username:password@host:port/database?sslmode=require

Detailed setup guide: See DATABASE_SETUP.md

2. Authentication (CRITICAL)

Variables:

NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY

CLERK_SECRET_KEY

Value: Your Clerk API keys from Clerk Dashboard Environment: Production, Preview, Development Error if missing: Build succeeds but authentication fails at runtime

How to get: 1. Sign up at clerk.com 2. Create an application 3. Go to API Keys section 4. Copy both keys 5. Use production keys (pk_live_... and sk_live_...) for production deployment

3. Stripe Configuration (REQUIRED for payments)

Variable: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY Value: Your actual Stripe secret key from Stripe Dashboard Environment: Production, Preview, Development Error if missing: Neither apiKey nor config.authenticator provided

🔧 How to Add Environment Variables in Vercel

Method 1: Vercel Dashboard

1. Go to your project in Vercel Dashboard 2. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables 3. Click Add New 4. Enter:

Name: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY

Value: sk_live_... (your actual key)

Environments: Check all (Production, Preview, Development)

5. Click Save

Method 2: Vercel CLI

bash

# Add environment variable
vercel env add STRIPE_SECRET_KEY

# List current environment variables
vercel env ls

# Pull environment variables to local .env.local
vercel env pull .env.local

Method 3: vercel.json Configuration

json

{
  "env": {
    "STRIPE_SECRET_KEY": "@stripe-secret-key"
  }
}

🔍 Common Build/Deployment Errors

Error 1: Missing DATABASE_URL

Error Message:

code

Error: Prisma schema validation - (get-config wasm)
Error code: P1012
error: Environment variable not found: DATABASE_URL.
  -->  prisma/schema.prisma:7

Root Cause: Missing DATABASE_URL environment variable Files Affected: All database operations, build process Severity: 🚨 BLOCKS DEPLOYMENT - Build will fail completely

Solution: 1. Set up a database (see DATABASE_SETUP.md) 2. Add DATABASE_URL to Vercel environment variables 3. Redeploy

Error 2: Missing Stripe Keys

Error Message: Neither apiKey nor config.authenticator provided Files Affected:

/api/book/[bookId]/route.ts

/api/book/payment-intent/route.ts

Root Cause: Missing STRIPE_SECRET_KEY environment variable Severity: ⚠️ Blocks payment functionality, but build succeeds

Solution: 1. Get API key from Stripe Dashboard 2. Add STRIPE_SECRET_KEY to Vercel 3. Redeploy

Error 3: Authentication Issues

Error Message: Various Clerk-related errors at runtime Root Cause: Missing or invalid Clerk API keys Severity: ⚠️ Build succeeds but login/signup fails

Solution: 1. Get keys from Clerk Dashboard 2. Add both NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY and CLERK_SECRET_KEY 3. Ensure using production keys for production environment 4. Redeploy

✅ Verification Steps

After adding the environment variable:

1. Trigger New Deployment:

bash

git push origin main

2. Check Build Status:

Monitor deployment in Vercel Dashboard

Check GitHub Actions TypeCheck workflow

Verify no "apiKey" errors in build logs

3. Test Payment Routes:

Verify /api/book/payment-intent responds without errors

Check book claiming functionality

🔒 Security Notes

Never commit actual Stripe keys to git

Use test keys (sk_test_) for development/preview

Use live keys (sk_live_) only for production

Rotate keys regularly as security best practice

📋 Environment Variables Checklist

Critical (Required for Build)

[ ] DATABASE_URL - MUST BE SET or deployment fails

[ ] NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY - Required for auth

[ ] CLERK_SECRET_KEY - Required for auth

Required for Functionality

[ ] STRIPE_SECRET_KEY - Required for payments

Optional

[ ] SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL - For problem worksheet Slack notifications

[ ] SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL_CHAT - For chat messages and book claim notifications

[ ] ~~SLACK_TOKEN~~ - DEPRECATED (replaced by webhooks)

[ ] GOOGLE_SHEETS_ID - For Google Sheets integration

[ ] GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_EMAIL - For Google API auth

[ ] FOUNDER_USER_ID - Admin user identification

[ ] GITHUB_PRIVATE_REPO - Private repo access

Post-Setup

[ ] Redeploy after adding variables

[ ] Verify build success (check logs)

[ ] Test authentication (login/signup)

[ ] Test payment functionality (if using Stripe)

[ ] Test database connectivity (check pages load)

🎯 Expected Results

After configuration:

✅ Vercel deployments will succeed

✅ Build errors will be resolved

✅ Database migrations will apply automatically

✅ Authentication will work (login/signup)

✅ TypeCheck workflow will show clean status

✅ Book payment system will be functional

📚 Additional Resources

DATABASE_SETUP.md - Comprehensive database setup guide

DEPLOYMENT.md - Complete deployment walkthrough

.env.example - All environment variables with examples

Vercel Docs - Official Vercel documentation