Database settings override .env values inconsistently

[GitHappens2Me]

Since commit 1471884, settings in the database take precedence over .env values. Only if the DB stores empty values (None, "", []) does .env get used.

Commit a8b7554 changed it so that 0 and False are now also treated as "empty" and ignored.

The code in question is:

merged_dict: dict[str, Any] = dict(env_resolved.dict())
merged_dict.update(
       {k: v for k, v in db_json.items() if v not in (None, "", []) and v}
)

This results in inconsistent behaviour for the operator:
If the DB contains "fixed_pricing": true changing .env to: FIXED_PRICING=False does not actually change the setting. There is also no indication that FIXED_PRICING is still active. The same applies for numerical settings, for example FIXED_PER_1K_INPUT_TOKENS.

Also, to my knowledge there is no UI to change most of the settings yet (including FIXED_PRICING), which makes changing settings with non-empty values in the database impossible without modyfing the database directly.

Is this behaviour intentional? If so, what is the intention behind it and what is the intended way to change the settings stored in the database?

[shroominic]

Thanks for pointing this out! Definitly unintentional - commit a8b7554 was meant to fix mint list env vars but incorrectly affected other settings.

Intended behavior: On first startup, env vars configure your node and are stored in the database. After that, the database always takes precedence over .env files, so you must use the dashboard/API to change settings. This prepares the software for dashboard-only environments.

The bug: False and 0 were incorrectly treated as "empty" values, so the database couldn't override env vars with these legitimate values. For example, setting FIXED_PRICING=False in .env would stick even if the DB had true.
Fixed in: 94e7b2b on coming branch v0.2.0b - Removed the faulty and v check. Now only truly empty values (None, "", [], {}) fall back to env vars, while False and 0 from the database are properly respected.

[GitHappens2Me]

Thanks for clarifying the intended behaviour!
Also, is there a platform or channel to discuss Routstr developement? I heard something about a Chorus group, but couldn't find anything concrete.

[shroominic]

@GitHappens2Me yes
telegram https://t.me/+v3WIWwTDUWAxMDlk
discord https://discord.gg/PB8gDeT89B
chorus is not really active but this is the official group:
https://chorus.community/group/34550%3A8bf629b3d519a0f8a8390137a445c0eb2f5f2b4a8ed71151de898051e8006f13%3Aroutstr-mfv9msuh