diff --git a/api/src/app.ts b/api/src/app.ts
index da563112c..6bd2c2246 100644
--- a/api/src/app.ts
+++ b/api/src/app.ts
@@ -31,12 +31,11 @@ import dashboardRoutes from './routes/dashboard.js';
 import { setupSwagger } from './swagger.js';
 import { initializeCAIA } from './services/caia.js';
 
-// Validate SESSION_SECRET in production
-if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && !process.env.SESSION_SECRET) {
-  throw new Error('SESSION_SECRET environment variable is required in production');
+// Validate SESSION_SECRET is set (required in all environments)
+if (!process.env.SESSION_SECRET) {
+  throw new Error('SESSION_SECRET environment variable is required. Set it in your .env.local file.');
 }
-
-const sessionSecret = process.env.SESSION_SECRET || 'dev-only-secret-do-not-use-in-production';
+const sessionSecret: string = process.env.SESSION_SECRET;
 
 // CSRF protection setup
 const { csrfSynchronisedProtection, generateToken } = csrfSync({
diff --git a/api/src/db/seed.ts b/api/src/db/seed.ts
index 49c316d9b..c1b2844bf 100644
--- a/api/src/db/seed.ts
+++ b/api/src/db/seed.ts
@@ -76,7 +76,8 @@ async function seed() {
       { email: 'jack.brown@ship.local', name: 'Jack Brown' },
     ];
 
-    const passwordHash = await bcrypt.hash('admin123', 10);
+    const seedPassword = process.env.SEED_USER_PASSWORD || 'admin123';
+    const passwordHash = await bcrypt.hash(seedPassword, 10);
     let usersCreated = 0;
 
     for (const member of teamMembers) {
diff --git a/e2e/fixtures/isolated-env.ts b/e2e/fixtures/isolated-env.ts
index 66e77270c..eef89b140 100644
--- a/e2e/fixtures/isolated-env.ts
+++ b/e2e/fixtures/isolated-env.ts
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ export const test = base.extend<
           ...process.env,
           PORT: String(port),
           DATABASE_URL: dbUrl,
+          SESSION_SECRET: process.env.SESSION_SECRET || 'test-session-secret',
           CORS_ORIGIN: '*', // Allow any origin during tests
           NODE_ENV: 'test',
           // Prevent dotenv from overriding our DATABASE_URL
@@ -309,8 +310,9 @@ async function runMigrations(dbUrl: string): Promise<void> {
  * - Issues with various states
  */
 async function seedMinimalTestData(pool: Pool): Promise<void> {
-  // Hash the test password
-  const passwordHash = await bcrypt.hash('admin123', 10);
+  // Hash the test password (uses env var with test default)
+  const testPassword = process.env.TEST_USER_PASSWORD || 'admin123';
+  const passwordHash = await bcrypt.hash(testPassword, 10);
 
   // Create workspace with sprint_start_date 3 months ago (matches full seed)
   const threeMonthsAgo = new Date();
diff --git a/web/src/hooks/useAuth.tsx b/web/src/hooks/useAuth.tsx
index 2d8f79d14..a20600462 100644
--- a/web/src/hooks/useAuth.tsx
+++ b/web/src/hooks/useAuth.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import { api, UserInfo, Workspace } from '@/lib/api';
 import { useWorkspace, WorkspaceWithRole } from '@/contexts/WorkspaceContext';
 
 // Cache key for offline auth
-const AUTH_CACHE_KEY = 'ship:auth-cache';
+const AUTH_CACHE_KEY = import.meta.env.VITE_AUTH_CACHE_KEY || 'ship:auth-cache';
 
 interface CachedAuth {
   user: UserInfo;