Prerequisites
Node.js 22+
pnpm 9+
PostgreSQL database (local for dev, or a Neon project)
OpenAI API key
Slack workspace (for bot features)
1. Clone and Install git clone git@github.com:ibgoldbergs/whilst-slack-bot.git cd whilst-slack-bot pnpm install
Copy the example env file and fill in your values:
cp .env.example apps/web-app/.env.local
The minimum required variables:
# WorkOS (Authentication) WORKOS_API_KEY = sk_test_your_key_here WORKOS_CLIENT_ID = client_your_id_here WORKOS_REDIRECT_URI = http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/auth/workos/callback # Session SESSION_SECRET = your-super-secret-random-string-min-32-chars # Database (local Postgres or Neon connection string) POSTGRES_URL = postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/whilst # Application NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL = http://127.0.0.1:3000 # OpenAI (for AI features) OPENAI_API_KEY = sk-your-key-here
Use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost in redirect URIs. WorkOS requires this for local development.
3. Set Up Database # Create the database createdb whilst # Run migrations pnpm db:migrate
4. Build and Run # Build all packages pnpm build # Start the web app dev server pnpm --filter @whilst/web-app dev
The app is now running at http://127.0.0.1:3000.
5. Test the Setup
Visit the signup page
Go to http://127.0.0.1:3000/auth/signup and create a workspace.
Complete WorkOS verification
Follow the email verification flow through WorkOS.
Explore the dashboard
After verification, you’ll land on the workspace dashboard where you can create and manage documents.
Common Issues
Invalid redirect URI error
Go to WorkOS Dashboard → Applications → Your App → Redirect URIs and add http://127.0.0.1:3000/api/auth/workos/callback. Make sure to use 127.0.0.1, not localhost.
Database connection error
Verify PostgreSQL is running with pg_isready, then test the connection: psql $POSTGRES_URL -c "SELECT 1"
Organization creation failed
In the WorkOS Dashboard, go to Organizations and enable “Allow organization creation via API”.
Next Steps 
