I need assistance with what Vercel’s support assistant has identified as a potential platform-level environment-variable injection failure.
Project
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Project:
student-ally-beta -
Project ID:
prj_DdkCn72gwnrYw0Po4oTIpHFwTZXo -
Production domain: https://mygatherit.app
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Framework: TanStack Start with Vite/Nitro
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Runtime: Node.js Vercel Function
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Plan: Hobby
Expected behavior
The following variables are configured as standard encrypted variables scoped to Production:
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OPENAI_API_KEY -
MYGATHERIT_OPENAI_API_KEY
They should be available to the Vercel build and/or Production Node.js Function runtime according to their Production scope.
Actual behavior
Neither variable is present during a fresh Git build or in the deployed Function runtime.
Fresh Git deployment:
-
Deployment ID:
dpl_12zgUwikersHeCPrLsf4h58zoHsP -
Git commit:
603ce81f4a0819ef977f17138d8d4f412b086fd4 -
Branch:
main -
Source: Git
-
Status: READY
The post-build Node diagnostic reported:
OpenAI encrypted credential build visibility: absent
The diagnostic reads the live Node build environment and reports only whether either variable exists. It never logs a credential value.
The deployed application’s live readiness endpoint then returned HTTP 503 with:
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production-ai-provider -
Status:
Missing -
Summary:
The server-only Production AI provider is not configured.
A subsequent Git deployment produced the same result:
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Deployment ID:
dpl_AEbJBc9yvEEuURynYKZb9TnAxgrV -
Git commit:
6e1e6104baca5bde0037626152c4c854e6c0f399 -
Status: READY
-
Build diagnostic:
OpenAI encrypted credential build visibility: absent -
Live readiness: HTTP 503, provider Missing
Public readiness endpoint:
https://mygatherit.app/api/readiness
Troubleshooting completed
We have tested and ruled out:
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Sensitive-variable handling.
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Standard encrypted-variable handling.
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Incorrect Production scoping.
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Old deployment environment snapshots.
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Dashboard redeployments.
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Fresh Git-triggered deployments created after both variables existed.
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Static
process.env.OPENAI_API_KEYaccess. -
Bracket access using
process.env["OPENAI_API_KEY"]. -
Computed property access.
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Reflective access through
globalThis,Reflect.get(globalThis, "process"), and the live Node environment. -
Vite client exposure—the variables do not use a
VITE_prefix and are not intended for the browser. -
Build or Function crashes—the deployments are READY and the server responds normally.
Vercel’s support assistant independently checked the project and confirmed that both variables are configured as standard encrypted variables scoped to Production. It stated that the evidence indicates a potential platform-level variable-injection issue requiring direct investigation.
The assistant attempted to generate a support case, but the form repeatedly remained incorrectly categorized as Compute → CRON Jobs. Because the account is on the Hobby plan, that incorrect form cannot be submitted and redirects here.
Assistance requested
Could a Vercel platform engineer please inspect why these two project-level, Production-scoped encrypted variables are not being supplied to either:
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The Vercel build environment; or
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The generated Production Node.js Function runtime?
Please do not redirect this to another JavaScript environment-access syntax change. The standalone post-build Node diagnostic itself receives neither variable, and direct, bracket, computed, and reflective runtime access have already been tested.