init

The init command runs an interactive wizard to configure NextDNS Blocker for the first time.

Usage

nextdns-blocker init [OPTIONS]

Options

Option	Description
`--config-dir PATH`	Config directory (default: XDG config dir)
`--non-interactive`	Use environment variables instead of prompts

Interactive Mode

By default, init runs an interactive wizard that guides you through the configuration process.

What it does

Prompts for your NextDNS API key
Prompts for your NextDNS Profile ID
Validates credentials by testing API connectivity
Creates the configuration files

Example Session

$ nextdns-blocker init

NextDNS Blocker Setup
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Enter your NextDNS API key: ********
Enter your NextDNS Profile ID: abc123

Validating credentials...
  ✓ API connection successful

Creating configuration files...
  ✓ Created ~/.config/nextdns-blocker/.env
  ✓ Created ~/.config/nextdns-blocker/config.json

Setup complete!

Next steps:
  1. Edit your blocklist: nextdns-blocker config edit
  2. Install the scheduler: nextdns-blocker watchdog install
  3. Check status: nextdns-blocker status

Non-Interactive Mode

For CI/CD pipelines or automated deployments, use --non-interactive mode with environment variables.

Required Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`NEXTDNS_API_KEY`	Your NextDNS API key
`NEXTDNS_PROFILE_ID`	Your NextDNS Profile ID

Example

export NEXTDNS_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export NEXTDNS_PROFILE_ID="abc123"
nextdns-blocker init --non-interactive

Docker Example

ENV NEXTDNS_API_KEY=your-api-key
ENV NEXTDNS_PROFILE_ID=abc123
RUN nextdns-blocker init --non-interactive

Custom Config Directory

You can specify a custom configuration directory:

nextdns-blocker init --config-dir /path/to/config

This is useful for:

Testing configurations
Running multiple instances
Non-standard deployments

Files Created

The init command creates the following files:

File	Description
`.env`	API credentials (secured with 600 permissions)
`config.json`	Domain blocklist and settings

File Locations

Platform	Default Path
macOS/Linux	`~/.config/nextdns-blocker/`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\nextdns-blocker\`

Re-running Init

If you run init when configuration already exists:

$ nextdns-blocker init

Configuration already exists at ~/.config/nextdns-blocker

Overwrite existing configuration? [y/N]: n
Cancelled.

To force reconfiguration:

$ nextdns-blocker init

Overwrite existing configuration? [y/N]: y
# Proceeds with setup wizard...

Getting Your API Key

Go to my.nextdns.io
Navigate to Account → API
Click Create API key
Copy the key (it’s only shown once)

Getting Your Profile ID

Go to my.nextdns.io
Select your configuration profile
The Profile ID is shown in the URL: my.nextdns.io/abc123/...
It’s also displayed in the Setup tab

Troubleshooting

”Invalid API key”

Ensure your API key is correct and hasn’t been revoked. Create a new API key at my.nextdns.io.

”Invalid Profile ID”

The Profile ID should be a short alphanumeric string (e.g., abc123). Check your NextDNS dashboard.

”Permission denied”

The config directory might have incorrect permissions:

chmod 700 ~/.config/nextdns-blocker

“Connection failed”

Check your internet connection and ensure you can reach api.nextdns.io.

What’s Next

After running init:

Edit your blocklist:
Terminal window
```
nextdns-blocker config edit
```
Install the scheduler:
Terminal window
```
nextdns-blocker watchdog install
```

Verify everything works:

nextdns-blocker status
nextdns-blocker health

Configuration Reference - Full config.json documentation
Environment Variables - .env file reference
Watchdog - Automatic synchronization