diff --git a/src/utils/__init__.py b/src/utils/__init__.py
index f5faed3f..1159014f 100644
--- a/src/utils/__init__.py
+++ b/src/utils/__init__.py
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ def get_version() -> str:
 
 def generate_api_key():
     """Generate a secure API key of the specified length."""
-    API_KEY = os.getenv("API_KEY")
+    API_KEY = os.getenv("API_KEY", "")
     if len(API_KEY) != 32:
         logger.warning("env.API_KEY is not 32 characters long, generating a new one...")
         characters = string.ascii_letters + string.digits