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This guide covers the complete installation process for self-hosting Nectr, including all required services, environment variables, and deployment configurations.
Nectr is open-source and designed to be self-hosted. You maintain full control over your data, API keys, and infrastructure.

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Architecture Overview

Before we begin, here’s how Nectr components connect: 
┌──────────┐     OAuth      ┌───────────────────────────────────┐
│Developer │ ─────────────► │   FRONTEND (Vercel)               │
│  Browser │ ◄───────────── │   Next.js 15 + React 19           │
└──────────┘   JWT Cookie   └──────────────┬────────────────────┘
                                           │ REST API
                                           ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    BACKEND (Railway)                           │
│                    FastAPI + Uvicorn                           │
│                                                                │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐        │
│  │  pr_review_  │  │  context_    │  │  ai_service  │        │
│  │  service.py  │  │  service.py  │  │  (Claude)    │        │
│  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘  └──────────────┘        │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │           │             │              │
         ▼           ▼             ▼              ▼
    ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐  ┌──────────┐
    │PostgreSQL│ │  Neo4j  │ │  Mem0    │  │Anthropic │
    │(Railway) │ │  Graph  │ │ Memory   │  │  Claude  │
    └──────────┘ └─────────┘ └──────────┘  └──────────┘

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Prerequisites

1

GitHub Account

You need a GitHub account with:
  • Admin access to repositories you want to review
  • Ability to create OAuth apps
  • Ability to create personal access tokens
2

Hosting Accounts

Create accounts on:
3

Required Services

Sign up for API access:

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Part 1: Service Setup

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1.1 PostgreSQL Database (Supabase)

1

Create Project

  1. Go to supabase.com and create an account
  2. Click New Project
  3. Enter:
    • Name: nectr-db
    • Database Password: Generate a strong password
    • Region: Choose closest to your users
  4. Click Create new project (takes ~2 minutes)
2

Get Connection String

  1. Go to Project Settings → Database
  2. Scroll to Connection Pooling
  3. Select Session Mode (port 5432)
  4. Copy the connection string
  5. Convert to async format:
postgresql://postgres.<project-id>:<password>@aws-0-<region>.pooler.supabase.com:5432/postgres
Use Session Mode connection pooling, not Transaction Mode. Nectr uses SQLAlchemy with async sessions that require Session Mode.

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1.2 Neo4j Knowledge Graph

1

Create Instance

  1. Go to neo4j.com/cloud/aura
  2. Click Start Free
  3. Create an account or sign in
  4. Click Create Free Instance
  5. Select:
    • Instance Type: AuraDB Free
    • Region: Choose closest to your backend
  6. Click Create
2

Save Credentials

IMPORTANT: A popup will show your credentials. Save them immediately:
NEO4J_URI=neo4j+s://xxxxx.databases.neo4j.io
NEO4J_USERNAME=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=xxxxxxxxxx
The password is only shown once. If you lose it, you’ll need to reset it in the instance settings.
3

Verify Connection

  1. Click Open on your instance
  2. Use the credentials to connect via Neo4j Browser
  3. Run a test query: MATCH (n) RETURN count(n)

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1.3 Mem0 Semantic Memory

1

Create Account

  1. Go to mem0.ai
  2. Sign up for an account
  3. Verify your email
2

Generate API Key

  1. Navigate to API Keys in the dashboard
  2. Click Create New Key
  3. Copy the key (starts with m0-)
MEM0_API_KEY=m0-xxxxxxxxxx

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1.4 Anthropic Claude

1

Get API Key

  1. Go to console.anthropic.com
  2. Create an account or sign in
  3. Navigate to API Keys
  4. Click Create Key
  5. Copy the key (starts with sk-ant-)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-xxxxxxxxxx
2

Set Usage Limits (Optional)

  1. Go to Settings → Billing
  2. Set a monthly budget to avoid unexpected charges
  3. Enable email alerts
Nectr uses Claude Sonnet 4.6. A typical PR review costs 0.03−0.03-0.15 depending on PR size.

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Part 2: GitHub Configuration

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2.1 Create GitHub OAuth App

1

Register Application

  1. Go to github.com/settings/developers
  2. Click OAuth Apps → New OAuth App
  3. Fill in:
    • Application name: Nectr AI PR Review
    • Homepage URL: https://your-app.vercel.app (temporary, update later)
    • Application description: AI-powered PR review agent
    • Authorization callback URL: https://your-app.up.railway.app/auth/github/callback (temporary, update later)
  4. Click Register application
2

Save Credentials

  1. Copy the Client ID:
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=Iv1.xxxxxxxxxx
  1. Click Generate a new client secret
  2. Copy the secret immediately:
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=xxxxxxxxxx
The client secret is only shown once. Save it immediately or you’ll need to regenerate it.

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2.2 Create GitHub Personal Access Token

1

Generate Token

  1. Go to github.com/settings/tokens
  2. Click Generate new token → Generate new token (classic)
  3. Configure:
    • Note: Nectr PR Review Bot
    • Expiration: No expiration (or set a reminder to rotate)
    • Scopes: Select repo (full control of private repositories)
  4. Click Generate token
2

Save Token

Copy the token immediately (starts with ghp_):
GITHUB_PAT=ghp_xxxxxxxxxx
This token is used by Nectr to post PR review comments on your behalf. It’s not stored in GitHub - only in your Railway environment.

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Part 3: Backend Deployment (Railway)

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3.1 Deploy from GitHub

1

Fork Repository

  1. Go to the Nectr repository on GitHub
  2. Click Fork in the top-right
  3. Select your account
2

Create Railway Project

  1. Go to railway.app
  2. Click New Project
  3. Select Deploy from GitHub repo
  4. Authenticate with GitHub
  5. Select your forked Nectr repository
  6. Click Deploy Now

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3.2 Configure Environment Variables

In Railway, go to your project → Variables and add the following: 
# ── AI ────────────────────────────────────────
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929

# ── Database ──────────────────────────────────
DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://postgres.<project>:<pass>@aws-0-<region>.pooler.supabase.com:5432/postgres

# ── GitHub OAuth ──────────────────────────────
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=Iv1.xxxxxxxxxx
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=xxxxxxxxxx
GITHUB_PAT=ghp_xxxxxxxxxx

# ── Auth ──────────────────────────────────────
# Generate with: python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"
SECRET_KEY=your-64-character-hex-secret
ALGORITHM=HS256
ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRE_MINUTES=1440

# ── Neo4j ─────────────────────────────────────
NEO4J_URI=neo4j+s://xxxxx.databases.neo4j.io
NEO4J_USERNAME=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=xxxxxxxxxx

# ── Mem0 ──────────────────────────────────────
MEM0_API_KEY=m0-xxxxxxxxxx

# ── URLs (update after first deploy) ─────────
BACKEND_URL=https://nectr-production.up.railway.app
FRONTEND_URL=https://nectr.vercel.app

# ── App Config ────────────────────────────────
APP_NAME=Nectr
APP_ENV=production
DEBUG=False
LOG_LEVEL=INFO
HOST=0.0.0.0
PORT=8000

# ── Linear Integration ───────────────────────
# Pulls linked issues and task descriptions into PR reviews
LINEAR_MCP_URL=https://your-linear-mcp-server.com
LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_xxxxxxxxxx

# ── Sentry Integration ───────────────────────
# Pulls production errors for files changed in the PR
SENTRY_MCP_URL=https://your-sentry-mcp-server.com
SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN=xxxxxxxxxx

# ── Slack Integration ────────────────────────
# Pulls relevant channel messages as review context
SLACK_MCP_URL=https://your-slack-mcp-server.com

# ── Slack Bot (separate from MCP above) ──────
# For direct Slack notifications
SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-xxxxxxxxxx
SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET=xxxxxxxxxx

# ── Feature Flags ────────────────────────────
# Run 3 specialized agents in parallel (uses more tokens)
PARALLEL_REVIEW_AGENTS=false

# ── Webhook Secret (global fallback) ─────────
# Per-repo secrets are auto-generated and stored in DB
GITHUB_WEBHOOK_SECRET=xxxxxxxxxx
Leave optional MCP variables blank to skip those integrations. Nectr will run fine without them.

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3.3 Get Backend URL

1

Wait for Deployment

Railway will automatically deploy your backend. Wait for the build to complete (~2-3 minutes).
2

Copy URL

  1. Go to your Railway project → Settings
  2. Scroll to Domains
  3. Click Generate Domain
  4. Copy the URL (e.g., nectr-production.up.railway.app)
3

Update Environment Variables

  1. Go back to Variables
  2. Update BACKEND_URL to your Railway URL:
BACKEND_URL=https://nectr-production.up.railway.app
  1. Railway will auto-redeploy

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3.4 Update GitHub OAuth Callback

1

Update Callback URL

  1. Go to github.com/settings/developers
  2. Click on your Nectr AI PR Review OAuth app
  3. Update Authorization callback URL to:
https://nectr-production.up.railway.app/auth/github/callback
  1. Click Update application

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Part 4: Frontend Deployment (Vercel)

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4.1 Deploy from GitHub

1

Import Project

  1. Go to vercel.com
  2. Click Add New → Project
  3. Import your forked Nectr repository
2

Configure Build Settings

  1. Framework Preset: Next.js
  2. Root Directory: nectr-web
  3. Build Command: npm run build (auto-detected)
  4. Output Directory: .next (auto-detected)
3

Add Environment Variable

In Environment Variables, add:
NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://nectr-production.up.railway.app
Replace with your actual Railway backend URL from Part 3.
4

Deploy

Click Deploy. Vercel will build and deploy your frontend (~2 minutes).

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4.2 Get Frontend URL

1

Copy Vercel URL

After deployment completes, copy your Vercel URL (e.g., nectr.vercel.app)
2

Update Backend Environment

  1. Go back to Railway → Variables
  2. Update FRONTEND_URL:
FRONTEND_URL=https://nectr.vercel.app
  1. Railway will auto-redeploy
3

Update GitHub OAuth Homepage

  1. Go to github.com/settings/developers
  2. Click on your Nectr AI PR Review OAuth app
  3. Update Homepage URL to your Vercel URL
  4. Click Update application

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Part 5: Verification

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5.1 Test Backend Health

1

Check Health Endpoint

Visit https://your-backend.up.railway.app/healthYou should see:
{
  "status": "healthy",
  "database": "connected",
  "neo4j": "connected",
  "uptime": 123.45
}
2

Check Logs

In Railway:
  1. Go to your project → Deployments
  2. Click the latest deployment
  3. Check logs for errors
Look for:
INFO:     Application startup complete.
INFO:     Uvicorn running on http://0.0.0.0:8000

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5.2 Test Frontend

1

Open Dashboard

  1. Navigate to your Vercel URL
  2. You should see the Nectr landing page
2

Test OAuth Login

  1. Click Sign in with GitHub
  2. Authorize the OAuth app
  3. You should be redirected to /dashboard

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5.3 Connect First Repository

1

Navigate to Repos

  1. Click Repos in the sidebar
  2. You should see a list of your GitHub repositories
2

Install Webhook

  1. Find a test repository
  2. Click Connect or Install
  3. Wait for the installation to complete
Behind the scenes, Nectr:
  • Installs a webhook on the repo
  • Scans all files and creates Neo4j nodes
  • Indexes contributors and file ownership
3

Test PR Review

  1. Create a test branch in your connected repo
  2. Make a small change (add a comment, fix typo)
  3. Open a pull request
  4. Within 30 seconds, check the PR for a review comment from your GitHub account

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Part 6: Configuration

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6.1 Database Migrations

Railway automatically runs database migrations on startup via alembic. If you need to run migrations manually: 
railway run alembic upgrade head

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6.2 Neo4j Schema Initialization

Nectr automatically creates Neo4j constraints and indexes on first startup. To verify:
1

Open Neo4j Browser

  1. Go to your Neo4j instance in the Aura console
  2. Click Open → Neo4j Browser
  3. Enter your credentials
2

Check Constraints

Run:
SHOW CONSTRAINTS
You should see unique constraints on:
  • Repository.full_name
  • File.path
  • Developer.github_id
  • PullRequest.pr_number
  • Issue.number
3

Check Indexes

Run:
SHOW INDEXES
You should see indexes on node labels and relationships.

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Troubleshooting

Common causes:
  1. Missing environment variables: Check that all required variables are set
  2. Python version mismatch: Nectr requires Python 3.14+. Check runtime.txt or Railway settings
  3. Dependency conflicts: Check Railway logs for pip errors
Fix:
# Check Railway logs
railway logs

# Redeploy
railway up --detach
Common causes:
  1. Wrong root directory: Must be set to nectr-web
  2. Missing NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL: Required environment variable
  3. Node version mismatch: Requires Node 20+
Fix:
  1. Go to Vercel project → Settings → General
  2. Set Root Directory to nectr-web
  3. Go to Environment Variables
  4. Add NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=https://your-backend.up.railway.app
  5. Redeploy from Deployments tab
Symptoms:
sqlalchemy.exc.OperationalError: could not connect to server
Fix:
  1. Verify DATABASE_URL uses postgresql+asyncpg:// prefix
  2. Check Supabase connection pooling is enabled (Session Mode)
  3. Test connection:
railway run python -c "from app.core.database import engine; import asyncio; asyncio.run(engine.connect())"
Symptoms:
neo4j.exceptions.ServiceUnavailable: Unable to retrieve routing information
Fix:
  1. Verify NEO4J_URI starts with neo4j+s:// (not bolt://)
  2. Check credentials in Neo4j Aura console
  3. Test connection:
railway run python -c "from app.core.neo4j_client import neo4j_client; import asyncio; asyncio.run(neo4j_client.verify())"
Symptoms:
  • PR opened but no review posted
  • No webhook events in Railway logs
Fix:
  1. Check webhook is installed:
    • Go to GitHub repo → Settings → Webhooks
    • Verify webhook URL matches {BACKEND_URL}/api/v1/webhooks/github
  2. Test webhook delivery:
    • Click on the webhook → Recent Deliveries
    • Click Redeliver on a recent event
  3. Check Railway logs for incoming requests:
railway logs --filter "POST /api/v1/webhooks/github"
Symptoms:
  • Redirects to GitHub but never returns
  • “Invalid client” error
Fix:
  1. Verify GitHub OAuth app callback URL:
https://your-backend.up.railway.app/auth/github/callback
  1. Check GITHUB_CLIENT_ID and GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET in Railway
  2. Verify FRONTEND_URL matches your Vercel domain
  3. Check CORS configuration in app/main.py:
app.add_middleware(
    CORSMiddleware,
    allow_origins=[settings.FRONTEND_URL],
    allow_credentials=True,
)
Symptoms:
  • Review comment appears but has no content
  • Review is cut off mid-sentence
Fix:
  1. Check ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is valid
  2. Verify API key has sufficient credits
  3. Check Railway logs for Anthropic API errors:
railway logs --filter "anthropic"
  1. Increase timeout if reviews are large:
# app/services/ai_service.py
client = anthropic.AsyncAnthropic(
    api_key=settings.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY,
    timeout=120.0  # Increase from default 60s
)

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Next Steps

Quickstart Guide

Get your first PR reviewed in under 10 minutes

MCP Integrations

Connect Linear, Sentry, and Slack for richer context

Memory Configuration

Customize project patterns and coding rules

API Reference

Explore all backend endpoints and webhooks

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Local Development

To run Nectr locally for development:
1

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/your-username/nectr.git
cd nectr
2

Set Up Backend

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and fill in required values

# Run migrations
alembic upgrade head

# Start server
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --port 8000
3

Set Up Frontend

cd nectr-web

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env.local
# Edit .env.local and set NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:8000

# Start dev server
npm run dev
Frontend runs on http://localhost:3001 (configured in package.json).
4

Configure Tunnels (Optional)

To test webhooks locally, use ngrok:
# Install ngrok
brew install ngrok

# Start tunnel
ngrok http 8000

# Copy HTTPS URL and use as BACKEND_URL in .env
# Update GitHub webhook URL to point to ngrok URL

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Production Checklist

Before going to production, verify:
  • All environment variables are set in Railway and Vercel
  • SECRET_KEY is a cryptographically secure random value (not the default)
  • BACKEND_URL and FRONTEND_URL match your actual domains
  • GitHub OAuth callback URL points to Railway backend
  • DATABASE_URL uses connection pooling (Session Mode)
  • Neo4j instance is running and accessible
  • Mem0 API key is valid and has quota
  • Anthropic API key has sufficient credits
  • GITHUB_PAT has repo scope and doesn’t expire soon
  • Railway auto-deploys from main branch
  • Vercel auto-deploys from main branch
  • Health endpoint returns {"status": "healthy"}
  • Test PR review completes successfully
  • MCP integrations are configured (or intentionally disabled)
  • Logging level is set to INFO or WARNING (not DEBUG)
  • CORS origins are restricted to your frontend domain
Set up monitoring with Railway’s built-in metrics and Vercel Analytics to track performance and errors.

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