V6.1 backups: once more into the breach.

.github/instructions/documentation-sync.instructions.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Keep docs in sync in the same change whenever implementation alters a documented
 
 2. **Configuration contract**
    - `Settings` keys, defaults, required/optional environment values.
-   - **Required doc update:** `.env.example` and any directly related setup docs.
+   - **Required doc update:** `.env.production.example` and any directly related setup docs.
 
 3. **User-visible UI behavior**
    - Page flow, routes, button/action behavior, labels, status wording, empty/error states.

.github/instructions/services.instructions.md

@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ durability is separately enforced by
 - `Source.raw_transcription` is a projection, not authoritative history.
 - Service/UI read paths that touch relationships must be eager-loaded for `lazy="raise"` compatibility.
 - If model fields, enums, constraints, indexes, or relationship-loading semantics change, update `docs/schema.md` in the same change.
-- If `Settings` fields or defaults change in `src/transcription/config.py`, update `.env.example` in the same change so keys/defaults remain synchronized and no stale settings remain documented.
+- If `Settings` fields or defaults change in `src/transcription/config.py`, update `.env.production.example` in the same change so keys/defaults remain synchronized and no stale settings remain documented.
 
 ## Schema Drift and Legacy Compatibility Policy
 

.github/workflows/quality-gate.yml

@@ -27,13 +27,13 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Write placeholder configuration
         # Settings requires openrouter_api_key and 115 tests cannot construct
-        # Settings without it. This is written to a .env file rather than exported
+        # Settings without it. This is written to .env.production rather than exported
         # as an environment variable on purpose: the external tests guard on
         # os.getenv("OPENROUTER_API_KEY"), which reads the process environment and
         # not the file, so writing the file reproduces the local result exactly -
         # the 4 external tests skip instead of running against a fake key and
         # failing. Exporting it instead produces 3 failures.
-        run: echo "OPENROUTER_API_KEY=ci-placeholder-not-a-real-key" > .env
+        run: echo "OPENROUTER_API_KEY=ci-placeholder-not-a-real-key" > .env.production
 
       - name: Lint and type check
         # Runs the hooks defined in .pre-commit-config.yaml instead of repeating