diff --git a/.github/pull_request_template.md b/.github/pull_request_template.md
index 780a41b..852dd68 100644
--- a/.github/pull_request_template.md
+++ b/.github/pull_request_template.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 Describe what this PR changes.
 
 ## Linked Issue
-Closes #
+N/A (replace with `Closes #<issue-number>` when this PR resolves a tracked issue)
 
 ## Type of Change
 - [ ] Bug fix
diff --git a/.github/workflows/require-issue-link.yml b/.github/workflows/require-issue-link.yml
index bc599bd..9eb32bd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/require-issue-link.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/require-issue-link.yml
@@ -9,13 +9,24 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Check PR body for issue reference
+        env:
+          PR_BODY: ${{ github.event.pull_request.body || '' }}
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          BODY="${{ github.event.pull_request.body }}"
-          if echo "$BODY" | grep -Eiq '(closes|fixes|resolves)\s+#[0-9]+'; then
+          if printf '%s\n' "$PR_BODY" | grep -Eiq '(closes|fixes|resolves)\s+#[0-9]+'; then
             echo "Issue reference found."
             exit 0
           fi
 
-          echo "PR description must include: Closes #<issue-number> (or Fixes/Resolves)."
+          if printf '%s\n' "$PR_BODY" | grep -Eiq '(^|[^[:alpha:]])(n/?a|none|no issue)([^[:alpha:]]|$)'; then
+            echo "No linked issue declared."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          if printf '%s\n' "$PR_BODY" | grep -Eq '^Closes #\s*$'; then
+            echo "Legacy linked-issue placeholder found."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          echo "PR description must include either a linked issue reference (for example, Closes #123) or an explicit no-issue marker such as N/A."
           exit 1
diff --git a/Readme.md b/Readme.md
index 017a0eb..3f8d7ef 100644
--- a/Readme.md
+++ b/Readme.md
@@ -90,17 +90,17 @@ cd Ecommerce-Frontend
 # 3. Install dependencies
 npm install
 
-# 4. Create a .env file with the required environment variables
+# 4. Create a .env.development file with the required environment variables
 # 5. Start the development server
 npm run dev
 ```
 
 ### Environment Variables
 
-Create a `.env` file in the project root:
+For local development, create a `.env.development` file in the project root (or copy the existing template):
 
 ```env
-VITE_BACK_END_URL=http://localhost:5000
+VITE_API_BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000
 VITE_BACK_END_API_PREFIX=/api
 VITE_API_AUTH_BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/auth
 VITE_API_PUBLIC_BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/public
@@ -109,6 +109,10 @@ VITE_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=your_stripe_publishable_key
 VITE_SKIP_BACKEND_IMAGES=false
 ```
 
+`vite.config.js` requires `VITE_API_BASE_URL` for both development and production modes. Define it in `.env.development` and `.env.production` as appropriate; `VITE_BACK_END_URL` alone is not sufficient. For machine-specific or local-only values, use `.env.development.local`, which is ignored by Git and must not be committed.
+
+Every variable prefixed with `VITE_` is exposed to client-side code and must be treated as public. Never put server-only secrets, private API keys, or database credentials in these files; keep those values in the backend environment instead. The Stripe publishable key is safe to expose by design, but secret Stripe keys are not.
+
 ## Docker
 
 To build and run the application in a container: