How can I dynamically configure VUE_APP_URL_BASE_API for a Home Assistant addon with ingress?

Below is a summary of the options you have for working around the fact that asset paths in the pre-built image are baked with the default base ("/"), making dynamic post-build configuration of VUE_APP_URL_BASE_API difficult:

1. Build a Custom UI Image
   The official documentation explains that adjusting the front end’s asset base URL requires setting VUE_APP_URL_BASE_API at build time. This means the only foolproof method is to rebuild the n8n-editor-ui package with your desired relative path (for example, setting VUE_APP_URL_BASE_API to "/some-weird-addon-subdirectory/blahblah/"). Although this duplicates some work compared to using the pre-built image, it lets you correctly configure the paths so that the HTML references update as needed.

2. Reverse Proxy Path Rewriting
   An alternative is to keep using the pre-built Docker image and front the container with a reverse proxy (like NGINX or Traefik) that rewrites URLs. With a reverse proxy, you can intercept requests coming to your unique relative URL and rewrite paths like “/some-weird-addon-subdirectory/blahblah/assets” to “/assets” internally. This approach avoids rebuilding the UI but does require careful configuration. For example, an NGINX snippet might look like:

   NGINXCopied
   location /some-weird-addon-subdirectory/blahblah/ {
       proxy_pass http://localhost:5678/;
       # Rewrite asset paths so that /assets is correctly mapped.
       sub_filter '/assets' '/some-weird-addon-subdirectory/blahblah/assets';
       sub_filter_once off;
   }

   This tells NGINX to modify the served HTML/JS by replacing asset references dynamically. Note, however, that such rewrites can be brittle if the static assets change or if multiple endpoints need rewriting.

3. Hybrid Approaches
   In some cases you might combine techniques—for example, modifying the container’s startup to perform a templating step that replaces the asset base paths in the built files. This often means writing a small entrypoint script that runs a search-and-replace over the served HTML/JavaScript files to inject the correct relative URL. While possible, this isn’t an officially supported method and may be more complex than using a dedicated reverse proxy.

Security Considerations for Home Assistant Addon
Regardless of your choice, if you’re using Home Assistant’s ingress to secure your addon, make sure your final configuration prevents direct public exposure of the n8n admin panel. Using ingress properly (for example, by ensuring the pre-authentication provided by Home Assistant is honored) is crucial to mitigate security risks.

In summary, to dynamically configure VUE_APP_URL_BASE_API when using the pre-built n8n image, consider either fronting your instance with a reverse proxy that rewrites requests or switching to a custom-built UI image that bakes in the correct asset base path.

Below is an overview of how you can approach using the API to pull the profile information needed for your reports. Note that depending on which fields you require (for example, basic location details vs. aggregated insights), you may need to work with two different endpoints:

---

1. Retrieving Location Profile Data

The primary endpoint for obtaining basic profile information (such as business name, phone number, website, address, etc.) is the “locations” endpoint. A typical GET request using cURL looks like this:

BASHCopied
curl -X GET \
  'https://mybusiness.googleapis.com/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/locations/LOCATION_ID?readMask=locationName,primaryPhone,website,storeCode,address' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'

Notes:

• Replace ACCOUNT_ID and LOCATION_ID with your account and location identifiers.
• The readMask query parameter lets you specify which fields to include in the response. Be sure to list only the fields you require.
• You must obtain an OAuth 2.0 access token with the appropriate scopes and include it in the Authorization header.

---

2. Retrieving Aggregated Insights (for Reports)

If your report requires aggregated data such as customer actions or other metrics, you may need to use the reporting or insights endpoint. One such endpoint (available in the Business Profile API) follows this pattern:

BASHCopied
curl -X GET \
  'https://mybusiness.googleapis.com/v4/accounts/ACCOUNT_ID/locations/LOCATION_ID:reportInsights?metricRequests.metric=VIEWS&metricRequests.metric=SEARCHES' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN'

Notes:

• The URL uses the :reportInsights suffix to trigger the insights report action.
• Replace the sample metric names (VIEWS and SEARCHES) as needed with the specific metrics you want.
• Additional optional query parameters (such as date ranges or segments) may also be supported; check the official endpoint documentation for details.

---

3. Finding the Official Documentation

While the Google Business Profile API documentation might appear scattered, you can always refer to the Google My Business (Business Profile) API Reference for up-to-date details about available endpoints, required parameters, and response formats. Keep in mind that many endpoints require specifying the exact fields of interest via the readMask or similar query parameters, so review the reference for the list of supported fields.

---

4. General Tips

• Authorization: Always ensure that you have the proper OAuth credentials with the necessary scopes.
• Testing: Tools like Postman can help verify that your endpoint URLs, query parameters, and tokens are correct before integrating them into your reporting tool.
• Error Handling: Check for common errors (such as 401 Unauthorized or invalid field requests) which can help pinpoint issues with your token or query parameters.

By following these guidelines and customizing the cURL commands to suit your reporting needs, you should be able to both retrieve and aggregate the profile information necessary for your reports.

Let me know if you need additional details on any part of the process!