diff --git a/api/auth.py b/api/auth.py
index 2a716e2d..bef3c6ae 100644
--- a/api/auth.py
+++ b/api/auth.py
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@ import os
 from fastapi.security.api_key import APIKeyHeader
 from fastapi import Security, HTTPException
 from starlette.status import HTTP_403_FORBIDDEN
+from dotenv import load_dotenv
+
+load_dotenv()
 
 apikey=os.getenv('RASPAP_API_KEY')
 #if env not set, set the api key to "insecure"
@@ -17,4 +20,5 @@ async def get_api_key(api_key_header: str = Security(api_key_header)):
     else:
         raise HTTPException(
             status_code=HTTP_403_FORBIDDEN, detail="403: Unauthorized"
-        )
\ No newline at end of file
+        )
+