fix(rivetkit): keep internal error exposure behavior consistent

[NathanFlurry]

Description

Please include a summary of the changes and the related issue. Please also include relevant motivation and context.

Type of change

• Bug fix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• This change requires a documentation update

How Has This Been Tested?

Please describe the tests that you ran to verify your changes.

Checklist:

• My code follows the style guidelines of this project
• I have performed a self-review of my code
• I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas
• I have made corresponding changes to the documentation
• My changes generate no new warnings
• I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works
• New and existing unit tests pass locally with my changes

[NathanFlurry]

Warning

This pull request is not mergeable via GitHub because a downstack PR is open. Once all requirements are satisfied, merge this PR as a stack on Graphite.
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• fix(pegboard): stabilize actor2 validation and lifecycle #4804 : 2 dependent PRs (#4805 , #4808 )
• fix(pegboard): decode envoy actor eviction keys #4803
• fix(pegboard-envoy): subscribe before registering envoy #4802
• fix(envoy-client): clear processed_command_idx after ack send #4812
• fix(envoy-client): dedupe replayed commands by index #4811
• fix(envoy-client): complete command and request lifecycles #4801
• fix(envoy-protocol): advertise current protocol version #4800
• fix(guard): serialize gateway actor keys correctly #4655
• fix(rivetkit-native): expose full hibernation metadata to JS #4657
• chore(rivetkit): remove inline tests #4668
• fix(api): subscribe before namespace workflow dispatch #4654
• fix(rivetkit): restore hibernatable sockets and hydrate serverless starts #4658
• fix(pegboard): persist and replay hibernating requests #4656
• fix(rivetkit): keep internal error exposure behavior consistent #4661 👈 (View in Graphite)
• test(rivetkit): stabilize actor db driver tests #4664
• fix(test): stabilize lifecycle, sleep, queue, and run edge cases #4660 : 1 other dependent PR (#4665 )
• test(rivetkit): re-enable gateway URL and direct-registry coverage #4659
• fix(rivetkit): add lifecycle error retry and gateway HTTP routing #4666
• fix(rivetkit-core): remove legacy timeouts #4799
• docs: add replay guidance notes #4796
• fix(inspector): stream patched state updates #4795
• fix(rivetkit): refresh stale actor handles #4794
• test(rivetkit-napi): move private tests to crate root #4793
• test(rivetkit-core): move private tests to crate root #4792
• test(runner-configs): assert envoy protocol version #4791
• fix(serverless): split metadata protocol errors #4789 : 1 other dependent PR (#4790 )
• chore(sqlite): add open close lifecycle for envoy actors #4788
• fix(rivetkit): share lifecycle shutdown grace #4810
• fix(pegboard): move sqlite v1 migration into actor workflow #4787 : 1 other dependent PR (#4797 )
• test(rivetkit): cover c.db access from onWake/onSleep/onDestroy #4786
• fix(rivetkit-napi): run onMigrate before createState/onCreate/createVars #4785
• refactor(rivetkit-core): merge ready+started into lifecycle_started, drop redundant napi calls #4784
• fix(rivetkit): drain native sleep side tasks reliably #4782 : 1 other dependent PR (#4783 )
• fix(rivetkit): route raw request fetches to actors #4781
• fix(pegboard): refresh runner config after envoy connect #4778 : 2 other dependent PRs (#4779 , #4798 )
• chore(kitchen-sink): configurable endpoint #4766 : 2 other dependent PRs (#4754 , #4777 )
• refactor(rivetkit-core): rename StopReason to ShutdownKind and kill enum fallthroughs #4765
• chore(envoy-client): log command and event payloads #4751
• fix(rivetkit): minor sleep-cleanup follow-ups #4761
• docs(rivetkit): clean up stale setPreventSleep references in docs and JSDoc #4760
• docs(rivetkit): document keepAwake/waitUntil counter-arm race and surface bridge errors #4759
• test(engine): force overdue branch in alarm-during-sleep test with negative offset #4758
• fix(rivetkit-core): return stopping not starting when sleep/destroy called mid-shutdown #4757
• test(rivetkit): remove sleepWithPreventSleep fixture and tests #4756
• test(engine): add regression test for alarm-during-sleep-transition race #4755
• test(rivetkit-core): cover sleep/destroy guards and prevent_sleep no-op #4750
• docs: add keepAwake vs waitUntil table and internal sleep-sequence invariants #4749
• feat(rivetkit): expose c.keepAwake(promise) through native path #4748
• refactor(rivetkit): deprecate setPreventSleep to no-op in TypeScript #4747
• fix(rivetkit-core): enumerate non-drained counters in grace deadline warn log #4746
• fix(rivetkit-core): abort graceful cleanup task when grace deadline elapses #4745
• fix(rivetkit-core): error on sleep/destroy before startup or already-requested #4743
• fix(rivetkit-core): cap SerializeState shutdown timeout at 15s #4742
• refactor(rivetkit-core): remove prevent_sleep field and deprecate set_prevent_sleep to no-op #4741
• fix(api-public): remove orphan import_export actors module #4764
• main

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[claude]

Code Review: PR #4661 — fix(rivetkit): keep internal error exposure behavior consistent

Summary

This is a focused 1-line change that removes the NODE_ENV=development shortcut from the TypeScript-side getRequestExposeInternalError() function in rivetkit-typescript/packages/rivetkit/src/common/router-request.ts. After the change, only RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1 enables internal error exposure via the TS router.

Alignment with Project Architecture

This change is correct and necessary given the architecture constraint documented in CLAUDE.md:

"The dev-mode toggle that exposes raw messages lives in core (reads env at build_internal), not in the TS bridge."

The Rust-side counterpart already gates internal error exposure solely on RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1 via a process-wide OnceLock. Before this PR, the TS-side getRequestExposeInternalError() checked both RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1 and NODE_ENV=development, while the Rust/core side checked only RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1. This inconsistency meant errors handled by the Hono router (TS path) would expose more than errors handled by rivetkit-core (Rust path) when running in a development environment. The fix makes these two paths consistent.

Documentation Drift

Two documentation files have stale content that references the removed behavior:

1. website/src/content/docs/actors/errors.mdx — Still states:

   • NODE_ENV=development — Automatically enabled in development mode
   • // With NODE_ENV=development or RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1

2. website/src/content/docs/general/production-checklist.mdx — Still states:

   • "It is automatically enabled when NODE_ENV=development."

These doc updates should accompany the behavior change (per the docs-sync convention).

Behavior Impact

This is a breaking developer experience change — users who relied on NODE_ENV=development automatically surfacing internal errors must now explicitly set RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1. The intent (not leaking internals by default even in dev) is sound, but the docs need to reflect this.

Action Items

• Update website/src/content/docs/actors/errors.mdx to remove the NODE_ENV=development trigger from the error exposure documentation.
• Update website/src/content/docs/general/production-checklist.mdx to remove the claim that NODE_ENV=development automatically enables error exposure.
• Consider adding a note that users must explicitly set RIVET_EXPOSE_ERRORS=1 to surface internal errors in any environment.