diff --git a/backend/config.py b/backend/config.py
index 1bc07fb..590a20a 100644
--- a/backend/config.py
+++ b/backend/config.py
@@ -32,15 +32,26 @@ class Settings(BaseSettings):
     debug: bool = os.getenv("DEBUG", "true").lower() == "true"
     
     # Data Storage (paths relative to project root)
-    raw_news_dir: str = os.getenv("RAW_NEWS_DIR", "../data/raw_news")
-    processed_news_dir: str = os.getenv("PROCESSED_NEWS_DIR", "../data/processed_news")
-    vector_index_path: str = os.getenv("VECTOR_INDEX_PATH", "../data/news_vectors.faiss")
+    @property
+    def raw_news_dir(self) -> str:
+        base_path = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+        return os.getenv("RAW_NEWS_DIR", os.path.join(base_path, "data", "raw_news"))
+
+    @property
+    def processed_news_dir(self) -> str:
+        base_path = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+        return os.getenv("PROCESSED_NEWS_DIR", os.path.join(base_path, "data", "processed_news"))
+
+    @property
+    def vector_index_path(self) -> str:
+        base_path = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+        return os.getenv("VECTOR_INDEX_PATH", os.path.join(base_path, "data", "news_vectors.faiss"))
     
     # Embedding Model (Local)
     embedding_model: str = "./models/all-MiniLM-L6-v2"
     
     # News Processing
     max_articles_per_feed: int = 50
-    similarity_threshold: float = 0.7
+    similarity_threshold: float = 0.1  # Very low threshold for maximum recall
 
 settings = Settings()