diff --git a/.github/workflows/python-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/python-tests.yml
index cef4d99..2e7a597 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/python-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/python-tests.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          pip install pytest pytest-cov
+          pip install pytest pytest-cov pytest-env
           if [ -f requirements.txt ]; then pip install -r requirements.txt; fi
       - name: Test with pytest
         run: |
diff --git a/configHandler.py b/configHandler.py
index 0b59d3a..d17ecc8 100644
--- a/configHandler.py
+++ b/configHandler.py
@@ -1,26 +1,24 @@
 import json
 import os
 
-if ('RUNNING_TESTS' in os.environ):
-    config= {"config":{"link_cache":"ram","database":"","table":"","color":"","appname": "vxTwitter","repo": "https://github.com/dylanpdx/BetterTwitFix","url": "https://vxtwitter.com","combination_method": "local","gifConvertAPI":""}}
-elif ('RUNNING_SERVERLESS' in os.environ and os.environ['RUNNING_SERVERLESS'] == '1'): # pragma: no cover
+if ('RUNNING_SERVERLESS' in os.environ and os.environ['RUNNING_SERVERLESS'] == '1'): # pragma: no cover
     config = {
             "config":{
-                "link_cache":os.environ["VXTWITTER_LINK_CACHE"],
-                "database":os.environ["VXTWITTER_DATABASE"],
-                "table":os.environ["VXTWITTER_CACHE_TABLE"],
-                "color":os.environ["VXTWITTER_COLOR"], 
-                "appname": os.environ["VXTWITTER_APP_NAME"], 
-                "repo": os.environ["VXTWITTER_REPO"], 
-                "url": os.environ["VXTWITTER_URL"],
-                "combination_method": os.environ["VXTWITTER_COMBINATION_METHOD"], # can either be 'local' or a URL to a server handling requests in the same format
-                "gifConvertAPI":os.environ["VXTWITTER_GIF_CONVERT_API"],
-                "workaroundTokens":os.environ["VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_TOKENS"],
+                "link_cache":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_LINK_CACHE","none"),
+                "database":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_DATABASE",""),
+                "table":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_CACHE_TABLE",""),
+                "color":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_COLOR",""), 
+                "appname": os.getenv("VXTWITTER_APP_NAME","vxTwitter"), 
+                "repo": os.getenv("VXTWITTER_REPO","https://github.com/dylanpdx/BetterTwitFix"), 
+                "url": os.getenv("VXTWITTER_URL","https://vxtwitter.com"),
+                "combination_method": os.getenv("VXTWITTER_COMBINATION_METHOD","local"), # can either be 'local' or a URL to a server handling requests in the same format
+                "gifConvertAPI":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_GIF_CONVERT_API",""),
+                "workaroundTokens":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_TOKENS",None),
                 "workaroundKeys":{
-                    "consumerKey":os.environ["VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_CONSUMER_KEY"],
-                    "consumerSecret":os.environ["VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_CONSUMER_SECRET"],
-                    "accessToken":os.environ["VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_TOKEN"],
-                    "accessTokenSecret":os.environ["VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_TOKEN_SECRET"]
+                    "consumerKey":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_CONSUMER_KEY"),
+                    "consumerSecret":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_CONSUMER_SECRET"),
+                    "accessToken":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_TOKEN"),
+                    "accessTokenSecret":os.getenv("VXTWITTER_WORKAROUND_TOKEN_SECRET")
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/pytest.ini b/pytest.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b0d7204
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pytest.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+[pytest]
+env =
+    VXTWITTER_LINK_CACHE=ram
+    VXTWITTER_APP_NAME=vxTwitter
+    VXTWITTER_REPO=https://github.com/dylanpdx/BetterTwitFix
+    VXTWITTER_URL=https://vxtwitter.com
+    VXTWITTER_COMBINATION_METHOD=local
+    RUNNING_SERVERLESS=1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test_vx.py b/test_vx.py
index aeeb124..0d24a45 100644
--- a/test_vx.py
+++ b/test_vx.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import os
-os.environ["RUNNING_TESTS"]="1"
 
 import twitfix,twExtract
 import cache
diff --git a/twExtract/__init__.py b/twExtract/__init__.py
index 441ff5e..b675d9a 100644
--- a/twExtract/__init__.py
+++ b/twExtract/__init__.py
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ def extractStatus_fallback(url):
         if m is None:
             raise twExtractError.TwExtractError(400, "Extract error")
         twid = m.group(2)
+        if config["config"]["workaroundTokens"] == None:
+            raise twExtractError.TwExtractError(400, "Extract error (no tokens defined)")
         # get tweet
         tokens = config["config"]["workaroundTokens"].split(",")
         for authToken in tokens: