Cal.com API v2 Not Starting Self-Hosted
Workaround available Self-hosted (Cal.diy) Updated November 13, 2026Based on 2 user reportsHow we research
Quick answer
The calcom-api service needs REDIS_URL, JWT_SECRET, NEXTAUTH_SECRET, CALENDSO_ENCRYPTION_KEY and Stripe variables in the root .env. Add them and recreate the containers.
Most likely fix: Add required variables
How to fix it
Try these in order — the most common fix is first.
1. Add required variables
- Add REDIS_URL, JWT_SECRET, NEXTAUTH_SECRET, CALENDSO_ENCRYPTION_KEY, STRIPE_API_KEY, STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET
- Generate secrets with openssl rand -base64 32
- Use a placeholder such as sk_test_placeholder for STRIPE_API_KEY if you do not use Stripe in the API
Did this fix it?2. Restart and read logs
- Run docker compose down && docker compose up -d
- Check docker compose logs calcom-api for the next missing value
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
calcom-api exits at startup with a Missing environment variable error.
Why it happens
- Required variables absent from root .env
- Secrets not generated
This guide also covers
- cal.com api v2 not starting
- cal.com self hosted api v2
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