diff --git a/.env.deploy.example b/.env.deploy.example
index 4bcad55..d545c79 100644
--- a/.env.deploy.example
+++ b/.env.deploy.example
@@ -27,17 +27,14 @@ POSTGRES_DB=modcomms
 # Examples: /var/www/modcomms-prod, /var/www/modcomms-dev
 FRONTEND_DEPLOY_DIR=/var/www/html/modcomms
 
-# Backend URLs (used during frontend build)
-# These should match your domain/vhost configuration
-VITE_BACKEND_WS_URL=wss://your-domain.com/ws/analyze
-VITE_BACKEND_URL=https://your-domain.com
-
 # CORS origins (should match your frontend domain)
 # Multiple origins can be comma-separated
 CORS_ORIGINS=https://your-domain.com
 
-# Azure AD MSAL Configuration (for Microsoft SSO)
-# Get these from your Azure AD app registration
-VITE_AZURE_CLIENT_ID=your_azure_client_id
-VITE_AZURE_TENANT_ID=your_azure_tenant_id
-VITE_AZURE_REDIRECT_URI=https://your-domain.com
+# NOTE: Frontend environment variables (VITE_*) are NOT configured here.
+# Create frontend/.env.local manually with:
+#   VITE_BACKEND_WS_URL=wss://your-domain.com/ws/analyze
+#   VITE_BACKEND_URL=https://your-domain.com
+#   VITE_AZURE_CLIENT_ID=your_azure_client_id
+#   VITE_AZURE_TENANT_ID=your_azure_tenant_id
+#   VITE_AZURE_REDIRECT_URI=https://your-domain.com
diff --git a/deploy.sh b/deploy.sh
index 624fab1..28c6c7d 100755
--- a/deploy.sh
+++ b/deploy.sh
@@ -102,18 +102,23 @@ cd frontend
 # Install dependencies (npm install is idempotent)
 npm install
 
-# Create/update .env.local with production URLs and Azure AD config
-cat > .env.local << EOF
-# Backend URLs
-VITE_BACKEND_WS_URL=${VITE_BACKEND_WS_URL:-ws://localhost:8000/ws/analyze}
-VITE_BACKEND_URL=${VITE_BACKEND_URL:-http://localhost:8000}
-
-# Azure AD MSAL Configuration
-VITE_AZURE_CLIENT_ID=${VITE_AZURE_CLIENT_ID:-}
-VITE_AZURE_TENANT_ID=${VITE_AZURE_TENANT_ID:-}
-VITE_AZURE_REDIRECT_URI=${VITE_AZURE_REDIRECT_URI:-}
-EOF
-echo "  Frontend environment configured"
+# Check that .env.local exists (must be created manually with credentials)
+if [ ! -f .env.local ]; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "Error: frontend/.env.local not found"
+    echo "Create it manually with your environment-specific values:"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  cat > frontend/.env.local << 'EOF'"
+    echo "  VITE_BACKEND_WS_URL=wss://your-domain.com/ws/analyze"
+    echo "  VITE_BACKEND_URL=https://your-domain.com"
+    echo "  VITE_AZURE_CLIENT_ID=your_azure_client_id"
+    echo "  VITE_AZURE_TENANT_ID=your_azure_tenant_id"
+    echo "  VITE_AZURE_REDIRECT_URI=https://your-domain.com"
+    echo "  EOF"
+    echo ""
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo "  ✓ .env.local exists"
 
 npm run build
 cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"