Staging runs in production mode

Severity: Critical

Check automatically:

1. Check staging workflow for NODE_ENV / environment mode:

   grep -A 20 -i "staging" .github/workflows/*.yml | grep -i "NODE_ENV\|RAILS_ENV\|APP_ENV\|ENVIRONMENT"
   

2. Check for build flags in staging deploy:

   grep -A 20 -i "staging" .github/workflows/*.yml | grep -i "build\|--prod\|--production"
   

3. Check IaC/platform configs for staging environment variables:

   grep -r "NODE_ENV\|RAILS_ENV\|APP_ENV" terraform/ pulumi/ 2>/dev/null | grep -i stag
   

Ask user:

• Is staging explicitly set to production mode?
• Any intentional differences from prod mode?

Pass criteria:

• Staging runs with production mode enabled (NODE_ENV=production or equivalent)
• Same build process as production

Fail criteria:

• Staging runs in development mode
• Different build flags than production (e.g., unminified, debug enabled)

Evidence to capture:

• Environment mode setting (NODE_ENV=production, etc.)
• Where this is configured (workflow, platform, IaC)
• Any intentional deviations documented

Cross-reference with:

• ENV-002 (staging exists)
• ENV-005 (contrast with dev mode)
• ENV-006 (staging env vars match prod)

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