diff --git a/apps/api/.env.example b/apps/api/.env.example
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+# Required
+DATABASE_URL="postgresql://USER:PASSWORD@localhost:5432/your_database_name?schema=public"
+JWT_SECRET="replace-with-a-strong-random-secret"
+
+# Optional (good defaults shown)
+PORT=8080
+CORS_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000
+NODE_ENV=development
+
+# Optional GitHub integration
+# To enable GitHub queries, set GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN in your local .env file
+# Generate a classic token with "public_repo" access at https://github.com/settings/tokens
+# GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN should NEVER be committed to version control