Update core/config.py

core/config.py

@@ -5,8 +5,11 @@
 # PROJECT:      CognitiveEDA v5.0 - The QuantumLeap Intelligence Platform
 #
 # DESCRIPTION:  Centralized, environment-aware configuration management using
-#               Pydantic for robust validation and type safety.
+#               Pydantic for robust validation and type safety. This version is
+#               updated to allow the application to start even if the optional
+#               API key is missing.
 
+from typing import Optional
 from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, SettingsConfigDict
 
 class AppConfig(BaseSettings):
@@ -16,7 +19,14 @@ class AppConfig(BaseSettings):
     APP_TITLE: str = "🚀 CognitiveEDA v5.0: The QuantumLeap Intelligence Platform"
     GEMINI_MODEL: str = 'gemini-1.5-flash-latest'
     MAX_UI_ROWS: int = 50_000
-    GOOGLE_API_KEY: str
+
+    # --- ARCHITECTURAL IMPROVEMENT ---
+    # The GOOGLE_API_KEY is now optional. By setting the type to Optional[str]
+    # and the default to None, Pydantic will no longer raise a validation
+    # error if the key is not found in the environment. This allows the
+    # application to start successfully. The check for its existence will
+    # be performed at runtime in the callback logic.
+    GOOGLE_API_KEY: Optional[str] = None
 
     # Pydantic settings configuration
     model_config = SettingsConfigDict(env_file='.env', env_file_encoding='utf-8', extra='ignore')