diff --git a/src/lib/__tests__/rateLimit.test.ts b/src/lib/__tests__/rateLimit.test.ts
index 864a312..966ded2 100644
--- a/src/lib/__tests__/rateLimit.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/__tests__/rateLimit.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,14 @@ describe("RateLimiter", () => {
     });
 
     describe("In-memory Fallback", () => {
+        it("throws in production when fallback is triggered", async () => {
+            const limiter = new RateLimiter(2, 1000);
+            const key = "test-key-prod";
+            vi.stubEnv('NODE_ENV', 'production');
+            await expect(limiter.check(key)).rejects.toThrow("Redis must be configured in production for secure rate limiting.");
+            vi.stubEnv('NODE_ENV', 'test');
+        });
+
         it("allows requests below the limit", async () => {
             const limiter = new RateLimiter(2, 1000);
             const key = "test-key";
diff --git a/src/lib/rateLimit.ts b/src/lib/rateLimit.ts
index 4ea5c6e..5183169 100644
--- a/src/lib/rateLimit.ts
+++ b/src/lib/rateLimit.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ export class RateLimiter {
             return { success, reset };
         }
 
+        if (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production") {
+            throw new Error("Redis must be configured in production for secure rate limiting.");
+        }
+
         // Fallback to in-memory caching
         const now = Date.now();
         this.cleanup(now); // Lazy cleanup