> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.lerian.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SPI operations PII startup configuration

> SPI requires a valid AES-256 operations PII key and a blind-index pepper of at least 32 characters in every environment.

<Badge stroke icon="calendar-days" iconType="regular">August 10, 2026</Badge> <Badge stroke icon="file-code" iconType="regular">Documentation correction</Badge> <Badge color="red" size="lg" stroke icon="triangle-exclamation" iconType="regular">Action required</Badge>

## Affects

***

Teams deploying or operating the **SPI** service for Pix operations in any environment, including development and production.

## What changed

***

The documentation now correctly states that two values protecting operations PII are mandatory in every environment:

* `SPI_OPERATIONS_PII_ENCRYPTION_KEY` must be a valid AES-256 key.
* `SPI_OPERATIONS_BLIND_INDEX_PEPPER` must contain at least 32 characters.

The SPI service refuses to start when either value is missing, malformed, or too short. This is a documentation correction; runtime behavior did not change.

## Impact

***

**Classification: Action required.** The prior wording did not make the startup requirement explicit. A deployment that omits either value, or supplies an invalid value, cannot start the SPI service.

## What you need to do

***

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Before the next SPI start or redeployment, provide both values through your secret manager in every environment.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Verify that the encryption key is a valid AES-256 key and that the blind-index pepper contains at least 32 characters.
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Do not commit or log either value. Plan a re-index or re-encryption before rotating a pepper or key.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Deadline

No product-imposed deadline. Complete this validation before your next SPI start or redeployment.

## Resources

***

* [SPI environment variables](/en/rails/native/spi/spi-environment-variables)
* [What is Lerian SPI?](/en/rails/native/spi/what-is-lerian-spi)