diff --git a/start_server.sh b/start_server.sh
index efbea368..51f2edd6 100755
--- a/start_server.sh
+++ b/start_server.sh
@@ -25,10 +25,12 @@ source .venv/bin/activate
 echo "📦 Updating Python dependencies..."
 pip install -q -r backend/requirements.txt
 
-# 4. Get Local IP and set CORS origins
+# 4. Get Local IP and set environment variables
 LOCAL_IP=$(ipconfig getifaddr en0 || ipconfig getifaddr en1 || echo "localhost")
 export ALLOWED_ORIGINS="http://localhost:$FRONTEND_PORT,http://localhost:$BACKEND_PORT,https://localhost:$FRONTEND_SSL_PORT,https://localhost:$BACKEND_SSL_PORT,https://$LOCAL_IP:$FRONTEND_SSL_PORT,https://$LOCAL_IP:$BACKEND_SSL_PORT"
 export JWT_SECRET_KEY="${JWT_SECRET_KEY:-ephemeral-dev-key-$(date +%s)}"
+export DATA_DIR="./data"
+export LOGS_DIR="./logs"
 
 echo "🔥 Starting Backend on port $BACKEND_PORT..."
 echo "   CORS origins: $ALLOWED_ORIGINS"