diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index eb00fd1..367f9a0 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@fastify/cors": "^8.2.0",
+    "@fastify/env": "^5.0.1",
     "@fastify/static": "^7.0.4",
     "@fastify/swagger": "^8.3.1",
     "@fastify/swagger-ui": "^1.5.0",
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@
     "@tabler/icons-react": "^3.19.0",
     "dotenv": "^16.4.6",
     "fastify": "4.23.2",
+    "fastify-env": "^2.1.1",
     "next": "^14.2.15",
     "nodemon": "^2.0.20",
     "openai": "^4.74.0",
diff --git a/src/api.ts b/src/api.ts
index 2980985..bcc6380 100644
--- a/src/api.ts
+++ b/src/api.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@ import { TypeBoxTypeProvider } from '@fastify/type-provider-typebox';
 import { Static, Type } from '@sinclair/typebox';
 import { FastifyPluginCallback } from 'fastify';
 import apiService from './api_service';
-import dotnev from 'dotenv';
-dotnev.config();
 
+const openAiApiKey = process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY as string;
 const HelloWorld = Type.String({
   description: 'The magical words!'
 });
@@ -67,16 +66,10 @@ export default (opts: ApiOptions) => {
 
   api.register(healthcheck, { prefix: '/api', title: opts.title });
   // register other API routes here
-  console.log('process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY', process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY);
 
-  if (!process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY) {
-    throw new Error(
-      'The OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable is missing or empty; either provide it, or instantiate the OpenAI client with an apiKey option, like new OpenAI({ apiKey: "My API Key" }).'
-    );
-  }
   api.register(apiService, {
     prefix: '/api/v1',
-    openAiApiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY
+    openAiApiKey: openAiApiKey as string
   });
 
   return api;
diff --git a/src/api_service.ts b/src/api_service.ts
index a65f88f..37b13b0 100644
--- a/src/api_service.ts
+++ b/src/api_service.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ const apiService: FastifyPluginCallback<ApiServiceOptions> = (
   next
 ) => {
   fastify.post('/message', async (request, reply) => {
-    console.log('request.body', request.body);
     const userMessage = request.body as string;
     await chat(reply, userMessage);
   });
@@ -21,6 +20,9 @@ const apiService: FastifyPluginCallback<ApiServiceOptions> = (
 
   async function chat(reply: FastifyReply, userMessage: string) {
     const openai = opts.openAiApiKey;
+    if (!openai) {
+      throw new Error('OpenAI API key is required');
+    }
 
     const client = new OpenAI({ apiKey: openai });
     reply.raw.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/event-stream');
diff --git a/src/app/page.tsx b/src/app/page.tsx
index 08ccc68..bd3221b 100644
--- a/src/app/page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/page.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ export default function Page() {
         method: 'POST',
         body: JSON.stringify({ userMessage: input })
       });
-      console.log('response', response);
       if (response.ok) {
         setResponse(await response.text());
       }