diff --git a/src/config/env.ts b/src/config/env.ts
index 7aba5ac9..3e58ca59 100644
--- a/src/config/env.ts
+++ b/src/config/env.ts
@@ -262,8 +262,9 @@ function parseConfig(): EnvConfig {
       '',
     ].join('\n');
 
-    // In test environment, throw instead of exiting to allow test frameworks to catch
-    if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test') {
+    // In test/staging environment, throw instead of exiting to allow test frameworks to catch
+    // and to provide better visibility into config errors during staging deployments
+    if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' || process.env.NODE_ENV === 'staging') {
       throw new Error(errorMessage);
     }
 
@@ -323,6 +324,19 @@ export const isDevelopment = config.server.nodeEnv === 'development';
  */
 export const isStaging = config.server.nodeEnv === 'staging';
 
+/**
+ * Returns true if running in a test-like environment (test or staging).
+ * Use this for behaviors that should be shared between unit/integration tests
+ * and the staging deployment server, such as:
+ * - Using mock AI services (no GEMINI_API_KEY required)
+ * - Verbose error logging
+ * - Fallback URL handling
+ *
+ * Do NOT use this for security bypasses (auth, rate limiting) - those should
+ * only be active in NODE_ENV=test, not staging.
+ */
+export const isTestLikeEnvironment = isTest || isStaging;
+
 /**
  * Returns true if SMTP is configured (all required fields present).
  */
diff --git a/src/middleware/errorHandler.ts b/src/middleware/errorHandler.ts
index 550dfd1f..a977062a 100644
--- a/src/middleware/errorHandler.ts
+++ b/src/middleware/errorHandler.ts
@@ -161,9 +161,12 @@ export const errorHandler = (err: Error, req: Request, res: Response, next: Next
     `Unhandled API Error (ID: ${errorId})`,
   );
 
-  // Also log to console in test environment for visibility in test runners
-  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test') {
-    console.error(`--- [TEST] UNHANDLED ERROR (ID: ${errorId}) ---`, err);
+  // Also log to console in test/staging environments for visibility in test runners
+  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' || process.env.NODE_ENV === 'staging') {
+    console.error(
+      `--- [${process.env.NODE_ENV?.toUpperCase()}] UNHANDLED ERROR (ID: ${errorId}) ---`,
+      err,
+    );
   }
 
   // In production, send a generic message to avoid leaking implementation details.
diff --git a/src/routes/ai.routes.ts b/src/routes/ai.routes.ts
index 485432a0..c5e1114a 100644
--- a/src/routes/ai.routes.ts
+++ b/src/routes/ai.routes.ts
@@ -239,10 +239,13 @@ router.post(
         'Handling /upload-and-process',
       );
 
-      // Fix: Explicitly clear userProfile if no auth header is present in test env
+      // Fix: Explicitly clear userProfile if no auth header is present in test/staging env
       // This prevents mockAuth from injecting a non-existent user ID for anonymous requests.
       let userProfile = req.user as UserProfile | undefined;
-      if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' && !req.headers['authorization']) {
+      if (
+        (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' || process.env.NODE_ENV === 'staging') &&
+        !req.headers['authorization']
+      ) {
         userProfile = undefined;
       }
 
diff --git a/src/services/aiService.server.ts b/src/services/aiService.server.ts
index b2a8e52c..0fedad64 100644
--- a/src/services/aiService.server.ts
+++ b/src/services/aiService.server.ts
@@ -160,7 +160,11 @@ export class AIService {
     this.logger = logger;
     this.logger.info('---------------- [AIService] Constructor Start ----------------');
 
-    const isTestEnvironment = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' || !!process.env.VITEST_POOL_ID;
+    // Use mock AI in test and staging environments (no real API calls, no GEMINI_API_KEY needed)
+    const isTestEnvironment =
+      process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' ||
+      process.env.NODE_ENV === 'staging' ||
+      !!process.env.VITEST_POOL_ID;
 
     if (aiClient) {
       this.logger.info(
diff --git a/src/utils/serverUtils.ts b/src/utils/serverUtils.ts
index 4b362650..ac2ed60c 100644
--- a/src/utils/serverUtils.ts
+++ b/src/utils/serverUtils.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ export function getBaseUrl(logger: Logger): string {
   let baseUrl = (process.env.FRONTEND_URL || process.env.BASE_URL || '').trim();
   if (!baseUrl || !baseUrl.startsWith('http')) {
     const port = process.env.PORT || 3000;
-    // In test/development, use http://localhost. In production, this should never be reached.
+    // In test/staging/development, use http://localhost. In production, this should never be reached.
     const fallbackUrl =
-      process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test'
+      process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' || process.env.NODE_ENV === 'staging'
         ? `http://localhost:${port}`
         : `http://example.com:${port}`;
     if (baseUrl) {
@@ -39,4 +39,4 @@ export function getBaseUrl(logger: Logger): string {
   }
 
   return finalUrl;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}