diff --git a/bot/main.py b/bot/main.py
index 292832e..be23d7d 100644
--- a/bot/main.py
+++ b/bot/main.py
@@ -22,6 +22,11 @@
     filters,
 )
 
+import os
+DATABASE_URL = os.getenv('DATABASE_URL')
+if not DATABASE_URL:
+    raise ValueError('DATABASE_URL environment variable is missing')
+
 from config.settings import settings
 from database.db import init_db
 from data.cache import cache