diff --git a/packages/stack-shared/src/schema-fields.ts b/packages/stack-shared/src/schema-fields.ts
index a34ddf308..0087fe84e 100644
--- a/packages/stack-shared/src/schema-fields.ts
+++ b/packages/stack-shared/src/schema-fields.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { KnownErrors } from "./known-errors";
 import { isBase64 } from "./utils/bytes";
 import { SUPPORTED_CURRENCIES, type Currency, type MoneyAmount } from "./utils/currency-constants";
 import type { DayInterval, Interval } from "./utils/dates";
+import { getProcessEnv } from "./utils/env";
 import { StackAssertionError } from "./utils/errors";
 import { decodeBasicAuthorizationHeader } from "./utils/http";
 import { allProviders } from "./utils/oauth";
@@ -881,7 +882,7 @@ export const neonAuthorizationHeaderSchema = basicAuthorizationHeaderSchema.test
   const decoded = decodeBasicAuthorizationHeader(value);
   if (decoded === null) return true;
   const [clientId, clientSecret] = decoded;
-  for (const neonClientConfig of JSON.parse(process.env.STACK_INTEGRATION_CLIENTS_CONFIG || '[]')) {
+  for (const neonClientConfig of JSON.parse(getProcessEnv("STACK_INTEGRATION_CLIENTS_CONFIG") || '[]')) {
     if (clientId === neonClientConfig.client_id && clientSecret === neonClientConfig.client_secret) return true;
   }
   return false;
diff --git a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/env.tsx b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/env.tsx
index 0d6b0e9d5..d92f53bc7 100644
--- a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/env.tsx
+++ b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/env.tsx
@@ -76,3 +76,22 @@ export function getNextRuntime() {
 export function getNodeEnvironment() {
   return getEnvVariable("NODE_ENV", "");
 }
+
+/**
+ * Browser-safe access to `process.env` for server-only or genuinely dynamic
+ * env-var lookups. Returns `undefined` when `process` is not defined (e.g. in
+ * a Vite browser bundle without a `process` shim).
+ *
+ * Note: uses `process.env[name]` (bracket form), which is NOT recognized by
+ * Next.js / webpack DefinePlugin for compile-time inlining. If you need
+ * build-time inlining for a `NEXT_PUBLIC_*` var, use the literal dot-form at
+ * the call site, guarded with `typeof process`:
+ *
+ *   const value = (typeof process !== "undefined" ? process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_FOO : undefined);
+ */
+export function getProcessEnv(name: string): string | undefined {
+  if (typeof process === "undefined" || typeof process.env === "undefined") {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  return process.env[name];
+}
diff --git a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/errors.tsx b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/errors.tsx
index e14e7e800..13fdbce7a 100644
--- a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/errors.tsx
+++ b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/errors.tsx
@@ -78,7 +78,9 @@ export class StackAssertionError extends Error {
       enumerable: false,
     });
 
-    if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STACK_DEBUGGER_ON_ASSERTION_ERROR === "true") {
+    // Use literal dot-form (guarded with `typeof process`) so Next.js / webpack
+    // DefinePlugin can inline the value at build time. See getProcessEnv in ./env.
+    if ((typeof process !== "undefined" ? process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_STACK_DEBUGGER_ON_ASSERTION_ERROR : undefined) === "true") {
       debugger;
     }
   }
diff --git a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/esbuild.tsx b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/esbuild.tsx
index dff9c14c5..fee3925cb 100644
--- a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/esbuild.tsx
+++ b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/esbuild.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import * as esbuild from 'esbuild-wasm/lib/browser.js';
 import { join } from 'path';
-import { isBrowserLike } from './env';
+import { getProcessEnv, isBrowserLike } from './env';
 import { captureError, StackAssertionError, throwErr } from "./errors";
 import { createGlobalAsync } from './globals';
 import { ignoreUnhandledRejection, runAsynchronously } from './promises';
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import { traceSpan, withTraceSpan } from './telemetry';
 
 let esbuildInitializePromise: Promise<void> | null = null;
 
-if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' && typeof process !== "undefined" && typeof process.exit === "function") {
+if (typeof process !== "undefined" && typeof process.exit === "function" && getProcessEnv("NODE_ENV") === 'development') {
   // On development Node.js servers, initialize ESBuild as soon as the module is imported so we have to wait less on the first request
   runAsynchronously(async () => {
     try {
diff --git a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/promises.tsx b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/promises.tsx
index 4cfe07cf4..bd056fbc5 100644
--- a/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/promises.tsx
+++ b/packages/stack-shared/src/utils/promises.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { KnownError } from "..";
+import { getProcessEnv } from "./env";
 import { StackAssertionError, captureError, concatStacktraces, errorToNiceString } from "./errors";
 import { DependenciesMap } from "./maps";
 import { Result } from "./results";
@@ -318,10 +319,11 @@ export function runAsynchronouslyWithAlert(...args: Parameters<typeof runAsynchr
     {
       ...args[1],
       onError: error => {
-        if (KnownError.isKnownError(error) && typeof process !== "undefined" && (process.env.NODE_ENV as any)?.includes("production")) {
+        const nodeEnv = getProcessEnv("NODE_ENV");
+        if (KnownError.isKnownError(error) && nodeEnv?.includes("production")) {
           alert(error.message);
         } else {
-          alert(`An unhandled error occurred. Please ${process.env.NODE_ENV === "development" ? `check the browser console for the full error.` : "report this to the developer."}\n\n${error}`);
+          alert(`An unhandled error occurred. Please ${nodeEnv === "development" ? `check the browser console for the full error.` : "report this to the developer."}\n\n${error}`);
         }
         args[1]?.onError?.(error);
       },