OpenMeter Local Dev Setup

<!-- Copyright (c) 2026 Todd Levy. Licensed under MIT. SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->

OpenMeter Local Dev Setup

Run OpenMeter locally with full metering, billing, and webhook support. Covers the gotchas that differ between self-hosted (Docker) and Cloud (staging/​production).

When to Use

• "Set up OpenMeter locally"
• "Configure ngrok for webhooks"
• "Debug catalog sync errors"
• "Why is my webhook 500ing?"
• "Install the Stripe app in OpenMeter"
• "What works locally vs staging?"
• When user mentions OpenMeter + Docker, local dev, or webhook issues

Suite

This skill is part of the tl-openmeter suite:

Resources

• references/​REFERENCE.md — Env vars, Docker services, config files
• references/​apps.md — OpenMeter Apps deep dive (Stripe, Sandbox, Custom)
• references/​webhooks.md — Webhook auth modes, event types, testing
• scripts/​verify-setup.ps1 — Verify local OpenMeter environment health
• assets/​env-openmeter.template — Environment variable template

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Step 0: Discover the User's Situation

Before proceeding, use the AskQuestion tool to determine what applies:

Question 1: Environment

• Local development (Docker) — proceed with this skill
• Staging or Production — redirect to tl-openmeter-api and deployment docs

Question 2: Stripe billing needed?

• Yes → Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (full setup with ngrok)
• No → Steps 1, 4, 5 only (metering and entitlements without billing)

Question 3: Ngrok status (only if Stripe = yes)

• Already set up → skip ngrok install in Step 3
• Need to set it up → full Step 3
• Paid plan with static domain → note in Step 3 about skipping URL updates

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Self-Hosted vs Cloud: Critical Differences

Key insight: Webhooks work locally via config.local.yaml static configuration. Cloud uses the POST /​api/​v1/​notification/​channels API (Svix). The catalog sync script handles this automatically.

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Step 1: Start Docker Services

npm run docker:up

Verify OpenMeter is healthy:

curl http://localhost:8888/api/v1/meters

Portal UI: http://localhost:8889

Or run the verification script:

.\scripts\verify-setup.ps1

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Step 2: Install Stripe App

See references/​apps.md for full details on OpenMeter Apps.

npx tsx scripts/​openmeter/​openmeter-install-stripe-app.ts

This installs Stripe and creates a billing profile.

Requires: STRIPE_SECRET_KEY in .env

Verify: curl http://localhost:8888/api/v1/apps — should show Stripe (Sandbox may also be present and is irrelevant).

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Step 3: Set Up Ngrok

Required for Stripe App callbacks and Stripe webhooks locally.

1. Install: choco install ngrok (Windows) or brew install ngrok (macOS)
2. Auth: ngrok config add-authtoken YOUR_TOKEN
3. Start: .\scripts\start-ngrok.ps1 or ngrok http 3001
4. Get URL: curl http://127.0.0.1:4040/api/tunnels

Then configure (or use the helper script):

npx tsx scripts/​openmeter/​set-openmeter-webhook-url.ts

Manual config requires updating three places — see references/​REFERENCE.md for the full list.

After config changes: docker compose restart openmeter

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Step 4: Run Catalog Sync

npx tsx scripts/​openmeter/​openmeter-catalog-sync.ts

Expected local output includes ⊘ Skipping webhook channel (not supported on self-hosted OpenMeter) — this is normal.

See references/​REFERENCE.md for common errors and fixes.

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Step 5: Start API Server

npm run dev

For ngrok HTTP forwarding, set API_HTTP_FOR_NGROK=true in .env.

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Step 6: Configure Stripe Webhooks

In Stripe Dashboard:

1. Add endpoint: https://YOUR-NGROK-URL/webhooks/stripe
2. Events: checkout.session.completed, customer.subscription.updated, customer.subscription.deleted
3. Copy signing secret to .env as STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET_DEV=whsec_...

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Webhook Authentication

See references/​webhooks.md for full details.

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Verification

Run the verification script to check all layers:

.\scripts\verify-setup.ps1

Or manually:

# OpenMeter running
curl http://localhost:8888/api/v1/meters

# Stripe App installed
curl http://localhost:8888/api/v1/apps

# Webhook endpoint responding
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:3001/webhooks/openmeter \
  -H "Content-Type: application/​json" \
  -d '{"type":"entitlements.balance.threshold","payload":{"customerId":"test"}}'

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Troubleshooting

See references/​REFERENCE.md for the full troubleshooting matrix.

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References

First-Party Documentation

• OpenMeter Docker Setup — Official Docker guide
• OpenMeter Self-Hosted — Self-hosting guide
• Stripe App Setup — Stripe integration

Development Tools

• ngrok — Secure tunnels for webhook testing
• Stripe CLI — Local Stripe development
• Docker Compose — Multi-container orchestration

Related Skills

• tl-openmeter-api — REST API reference
• tl-openmeter-api-mcp-server — MCP server for Cursor