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Overview

Annie Mei requires configuration through environment variables for Discord integration, database access, caching, external APIs, and monitoring. This guide covers the essential configuration steps for deploying the bot to production. If you want full self-hosted feature parity, deploy the auth service alongside the bot service. Use Self-hosting architecture and Auth service before you finalize production config.

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Prerequisites

Before configuring Annie Mei, ensure you have:
  • A Discord bot token from the Discord Developer Portal
  • PostgreSQL database
  • Redis cache
  • Spotify API credentials
  • MyAnimeList API credentials
  • Sentry account for error tracking

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Configuration Methods

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Environment Variables

Annie Mei reads all configuration from environment variables. You can set them:
  1. Locally: Using a .env file (not committed to git)
  2. Production: Using your preferred secrets workflow or manager
  3. CI/CD: Using GitHub Actions secrets

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Example: using Doppler

If you already use Doppler, this is one way to inject secrets: 
# Install Doppler CLI
curl -Ls https://cli.doppler.com/install.sh | sh

# Login and setup
doppler login
doppler setup

# Run the bot with Doppler
doppler run -- ./annie-mei

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Required Configuration

See the Environment Variables page for a complete list of all required and optional environment variables.

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Environment-Specific Settings

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Development

ENV=development
SENTRY_TRACES_SAMPLE_RATE=0.0  # Disable tracing in dev
RUST_LOG=debug,serenity=warn   # Verbose logging

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Production

ENV=production
SENTRY_TRACES_SAMPLE_RATE=0.1  # 10% trace sampling
RUST_LOG=info,serenity=warn    # Standard logging

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Discord Configuration

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Creating a Discord Bot

  1. Go to Discord Developer Portal
  2. Click “New Application” and name it “Annie Mei”
  3. Navigate to the “Bot” section
  4. Click “Add Bot”
  5. Under “Token”, click “Reset Token” and copy the value
  6. Set as DISCORD_TOKEN environment variable

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Required Intents

Annie Mei requires these Gateway Intents (configured in the Discord Developer Portal):
  • Guild Messages
  • Direct Messages
  • Guild Presences
  • Guilds

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Inviting the Bot

Generate an invite URL with these scopes and permissions:
  • Scopes: bot, applications.commands
  • Permissions: Send Messages, Embed Links, Use Slash Commands

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API Configuration

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Spotify API

  1. Go to Spotify for Developers
  2. Create a new app
  3. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret
  4. Set SPOTIFY_CLIENT_ID and SPOTIFY_CLIENT_SECRET

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MyAnimeList API

  1. Go to MyAnimeList API
  2. Create a new API client
  3. Copy the Client ID
  4. Set MAL_CLIENT_ID

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Database Setup

See Infrastructure for detailed PostgreSQL setup instructions. Once your database is provisioned, set the DATABASE_URL: 
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@host:5432/database?sslmode=require

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Running Migrations

The bot automatically runs embedded Diesel migrations on startup. You only need Diesel CLI if you want to run or generate migrations manually during development.

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Cache Setup

See Infrastructure for detailed Redis setup instructions. Set the REDIS_URL with your Redis connection string: 
REDIS_URL=redis://default:password@host:port
For Redis with TLS: 
REDIS_URL=rediss://default:password@host:port

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Monitoring & Error Tracking

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Sentry Configuration

  1. Create a project in Sentry
  2. Copy the DSN from project settings
  3. Set SENTRY_DSN environment variable
  4. Configure trace sampling with SENTRY_TRACES_SAMPLE_RATE (0.0 to 1.0)

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Privacy Settings

Annie Mei implements privacy-focused monitoring:
  • User IDs are hashed using USERID_HASH_SALT before sending to Sentry
  • Database credentials in URLs are automatically redacted from error logs
  • See src/main.rs:146 for URL credential redaction logic

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Hash Lookup Utility

To look up a user’s hashed ID in Sentry logs: 
./annie-mei hash <discord_user_id>

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Server Configuration

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HTTP Health Check Server

Annie Mei runs an HTTP health check server on port 8080 by default (configurable via SERVER_PORT): 
SERVER_PORT=8080  # Default port
The server provides a /healthz endpoint that monitors the health of Redis and PostgreSQL connections. It binds to 127.0.0.1, so expose it through your own reverse proxy or local monitoring if you need external checks. Endpoint: GET /healthz Response (healthy): 
{
  "status": "healthy",
  "version": "2.8.1",
  "services": {
    "redis": "up",
    "database": "up"
  }
}
HTTP Status Codes:
  • 200 OK - All services healthy
  • 503 Service Unavailable - One or more services down
This endpoint is useful for:
  • Load balancer health checks
  • Monitoring and alerting systems
  • Verifying deployment success
Defined in: src/server.rs:14-61

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Validation

Before deploying, validate your configuration: 
# Start the bot with your production-style environment
RUST_LOG=debug ./annie-mei

# Check the local health endpoint after startup
curl http://127.0.0.1:8080/healthz

# Verify the hash helper still works
./annie-mei hash 123456789012345678

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Next Steps