Happier Docs
Advanced (optional)

Notifications

Push notifications (Expo + FCM/APNs) for CLI events and self-hosting.

Happier uses Expo Push Notifications as a delivery mechanism. In the current architecture:

  • The mobile app registers an Expo push token and saves it to the server.
  • The server stores push tokens per account (it does not send push payloads).
  • The CLI fetches the user’s saved tokens from the server and sends notifications via Expo’s push API (for example: “It’s ready!” or Permission Request).

What you need to configure

1) Server (any deployment)

Your server must expose the push token routes:

  • POST /v1/push-tokens
  • GET /v1/push-tokens
  • DELETE /v1/push-tokens/:token

If you’re self-hosting the server, see: Deployment → Docker / Environment variables.

2) Mobile app (iOS + Android)

For self-hosting, the recommended flow is:

  1. Self-host the server, then
  2. Use the Happier app and set its Server URL to your instance.

In this setup, you do not need to configure APNs/FCM yourself. The app already includes the required push notification credentials; your server just stores the user’s Expo push tokens.

3) CLI (sender)

The CLI sends notifications by:

  1. Calling your server to fetch saved Expo push tokens for the authenticated user.
  2. Sending push payloads via Expo’s push API to those tokens.

If a user runs their own server + CLI, they must:

  • Point both app and CLI at the same server URL.
  • Ensure the server stores push tokens (routes above).

Self-hosting checklists

  1. Deploy the server.
  2. In the Happier app, set Server URL to your server.
  3. Run the CLI against that same server URL.

Once the app has registered a push token to your server, the CLI can send notifications (including permission notifications) via Expo.

API key restrictions (Android / Firebase)

For Firebase Android configs, the API key embedded in google-services.json is client-side. Security comes from restrictions, not secrecy:

In Google Cloud Console, restrict the API key to:

  • Android apps
  • Your app’s package name(s)
  • Your signing certificate SHA-1 fingerprint(s)

Finding the SHA-1 fingerprints you should add

You typically need more than one SHA-1 during development and release:

  • Debug / dev builds (your dev keystore)
  • Release builds (your release/upload keystore)
  • Play Store installs (the Play App Signing key, once enabled)

Common places to find them:

  • EAS: view Android credentials and copy the keystore SHA-1 (upload/release key).
  • Play Console (after enabling Play App Signing): App integrity → App signing certificate → SHA-1.
  • Firebase Console: Project settings → Your apps → Android app → add SHA-1 fingerprints (so Firebase recognizes the signing cert).

Note: the “fingerprint” shown in EAS build lists is not the same thing as the Android signing certificate SHA-1.

If you use Firebase Cloud Messaging only, Google’s own allowlist guidance for Firebase keys is:

  • Firebase Management API (firebase.googleapis.com)
  • Cloud Logging API (logging.googleapis.com)
  • Firebase Installations API (firebaseinstallations.googleapis.com)
  • FCM Registration API (fcmregistrations.googleapis.com)

If you enable additional Firebase products (Firestore/Storage/Auth/etc), expand the allowlist accordingly.

Development builds (optional)

By default, Happier avoids registering push tokens in __DEV__ to prevent accidental token churn during local dev.

To enable push token registration in dev builds, set:

  • EXPO_PUBLIC_ENABLE_DEV_PUSH_TOKEN_REGISTRATION=1

Custom mobile build (optional)

Build and install your own Happier app build for a self-hosted server (without publishing to app stores).

Updates

Update channels and update behavior for app, desktop, and CLI components.

On this page

What you need to configure1) Server (any deployment)2) Mobile app (iOS + Android)3) CLI (sender)Self-hosting checklistsRecommended (server-only)API key restrictions (Android / Firebase)Application restriction (recommended)Finding the SHA-1 fingerprints you should addAPI restriction (recommended minimal allowlist for Cloud Messaging)Development builds (optional)