> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skye-bot.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Run it yourself

> Put Skye on a computer you control, start to finish.

Skye is self-hostable. Run it on a machine you own and keep it on; she answers only while it is running. This page is the operator guide, so it is more technical than the rest of these docs.

## What you need

* A machine that stays on, with **Docker** and **Docker Compose**.
* A **Telegram bot token** from [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather).
* A model endpoint that speaks the OpenAI API. Any OpenAI-compatible base URL works, for example OpenAI or OpenRouter.
* Your **Telegram user id** as the owner. A bot such as `@userinfobot` can tell you.

## Install

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create the bot">
    Talk to [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) and copy the token. Do not paste secrets into chat.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the project">
    Clone [skye-next](https://github.com/evvyraine/skye-next) and enter the folder.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure">
    Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill in at least the required values below.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start">
    Run `docker compose up -d`. Follow the logs with `docker compose logs -f`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Update">
    Pull the latest code and run `docker compose up -d --build`.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Required settings

| Variable | What it is |
| - | - |
| `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` | The token from BotFather. |
| `SKYE_OWNER_IDS` | Your Telegram user id. Comma-separated for several owners. The owner is always allowed. |
| `SKYE_PROVIDER_API_KEY` | Key for the model provider. |
| `SKYE_PROVIDER_BASE_URL` | API root, for example `https://openrouter.ai/api/v1`. |
| `OPENAI_API_KEY` | Legacy alias, used only when the values above are unset. |

At least one provider key is required. If you set an OpenRouter key with no explicit base URL, `https://openrouter.ai/api/v1` is used.

## Models

Skye is provider-agnostic. Each role is a model your provider offers.

| Variable | Role | Example |
| - | - | - |
| `SKYE_DEFAULT_MODEL` | Chat and reasoning. | `deepseek/deepseek-v4.1-flash` |
| `SKYE_IMAGE_MODEL` | Image generation and editing. | `microsoft/mai-image-2.6` |
| `SKYE_SPEECH_MODEL` | Voice replies. | `google/gemini-3.1-flash-tts-preview` |
| `SKYE_TRANSCRIPTION_MODEL` | Voice-note transcription. | `nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v3` |
| `SKYE_SPEECH_VOICE` | Voice for spoken replies. | `Aoede` |

<Note>
  If a provider rejects audio or non-PDF file parts, leave `SKYE_NATIVE_MEDIA=false` (the default). Skye then transcribes audio and extracts text locally, which works with text-and-image models such as DeepSeek V4.
</Note>

## Web chat

The browser app is optional and off until configured.

| Variable | What it is |
| - | - |
| `SKYE_WEB_ORIGIN` | Public origin, for example `https://chat.skye-bot.com`. |
| `TELEGRAM_LOGIN_CLIENT_ID` | Login widget client id from BotFather. |
| `TELEGRAM_LOGIN_CLIENT_SECRET` | Login widget secret. |
| `SKYE_WEB_FILES_PATH` | Where uploaded and generated files are stored. |

The container listens on `SKYE_WEB_HOST`:`SKYE_WEB_PORT` (by default `127.0.0.1:8080`). Put a reverse proxy in front for TLS.

## Code workspace

The sandbox that runs shell and Python is off by default.

| Variable | What it does |
| - | - |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_ENABLED` | Turn the workspace on. |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_IMAGE` | Image for command containers (default `python:3.14-slim`). |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_ALLOW_NETWORK` | Let commands reach the internet. |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_TTL_SECONDS` | Delete an idle workspace after this long (default 7 days). |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_SCOPE_BYTES` | Per-workspace size cap (default 1 GiB). |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_TOTAL_BYTES` | Total cap across all workspaces (default 20 GiB). |
| `SKYE_SANDBOX_MAX_CONCURRENT` | Maximum commands running at once. |

The bot container reaches the host Docker socket; the provided `compose.yaml` mounts it. Commands run in throwaway containers as a non-root user with no host access. See [How Skye works](/under-the-hood).

## Access control

Access is deny-by-default for groups.

* Direct chats are open to everyone unless banned.
* The owner is always allowed.
* A group is allowed if it is on the allowlist, or if a group admin has Skye Plus or complimentary access.
* Use `/admin` in a private chat to allow or ban people and groups.

## Where data lives

Settings, memories, skills, agents, automations, and web projects live in a local SQLite database (`SKYE_DATABASE_PATH`). Web files live under `SKYE_WEB_FILES_PATH`. Code workspaces live on the `skye-sandbox-work` Docker volume. Back up the database and those paths together.

## A safe default

Keep `.env` out of version control, expose the web port only through a proxy, and leave the sandbox network off unless a task truly needs it.