diff --git a/generic_rag/app.py b/generic_rag/app.py
index 4291630..d9d8bce 100644
--- a/generic_rag/app.py
+++ b/generic_rag/app.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 import argparse
+import json
 import logging
+import os
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import chainlit as cl
@@ -62,15 +64,11 @@ def generate(state: State):
 
 @cl.on_chat_start
 async def on_chat_start():
-    await cl.Message(author="System", content="Starting up application").send()
-
     embedding = get_embedding_model(args.back_end)
     vector_store = InMemoryVectorStore(embedding)
 
-    await cl.Message(author="System", content="Processing PDF files.").send()
     pdf_splits = await cl.make_async(process_local_files)(args.pdf_data, args.pdf_chunk_size,
                                                           args.pdf_chunk_overlap, args.pdf_add_start_index)
-    await cl.Message(author="System", content="Processing web sites.").send()
     web_splits = await cl.make_async(process_web_sites)(args.web_data, args.web_chunk_size)
 
     _ = vector_store.add_documents(documents=pdf_splits + web_splits)
@@ -86,31 +84,31 @@ async def on_chat_start():
 
     cl.user_session.set("graph", graph)
 
-    await cl.Message(content="Ready for chatting!").send()
-
-
 @cl.on_message
 async def on_message(message: cl.Message):
     graph = cl.user_session.get("graph")
     response = graph.invoke({"question": message.content})
-    # Send the final answer.
     await cl.Message(content=response).send()
 
 
 @cl.set_starters
 async def set_starters():
-    return [cl.Starter(label="Morning routine ideation",
-                       message="Can you help me create a personalized morning routine that would help increase my "
-                               "productivity throughout the day? Start by asking me about my current habits and what "
-                               "activities energize me in the morning.", ),
-            cl.Starter(label="Explain superconductors",
-                       message="Explain superconductors like I'm five years old.", ),
-            cl.Starter(label="Python script for daily email reports",
-                       message="Write a script to automate sending daily email reports in Python, and walk me through "
-                               "how I would set it up.", ),
-            cl.Starter(label="Text inviting friend to wedding",
-                       message="Write a text asking a friend to be my plus-one at a wedding next month. I want to keep "
-                               "it super short and casual, and offer an out.", )]
+    chainlit_starters = os.environ["CHAINLIT_STARTERS"]
+
+    if chainlit_starters is None:
+        return
+
+    dict_list = json.loads(chainlit_starters)
+
+    starters = []
+    for starter in dict_list:
+        try:
+            starters.append(cl.Starter(label=starter["label"], message=starter["message"]))
+        except KeyError:
+            logging.warning("CHAINLIT_STARTERS environment is not a list with "
+                            "dictionaries containing 'label' and 'message' keys.")
+
+    return starters
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":