diff --git a/electron.vite.config.ts b/electron.vite.config.ts
index bd45020f..d90ddbd8 100644
--- a/electron.vite.config.ts
+++ b/electron.vite.config.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { dirname, resolve } from "node:path";
 import { defineConfig, externalizeDepsPlugin } from "electron-vite";
@@ -6,27 +5,9 @@ import react from "@vitejs/plugin-react";
 
 const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 
-/**
- * The Composio integration key is compiled into the main-process bundle so
- * no credential file ever ships with the app. It lives in cred.txt at the
- * repository root (first line "Composio apikey: ak_..."), committed on
- * purpose — private repo, and every checkout must build a configured app.
- * A checkout without the file builds an app whose connector features report
- * the integration as unconfigured. Rotation = update cred.txt, rebuild.
- */
-function composioApiKeyForBuild(): string {
-  const credPath = resolve(__dirname, "cred.txt");
-  if (!existsSync(credPath)) return "";
-  const firstLine = readFileSync(credPath, "utf8").split("\n")[0] ?? "";
-  return firstLine.split(":").slice(1).join(":").trim();
-}
-
 export default defineConfig({
   main: {
     plugins: [externalizeDepsPlugin()],
-    define: {
-      __COMPOSIO_API_KEY__: JSON.stringify(composioApiKeyForBuild()),
-    },
     resolve: {
       alias: {
         "@shared": resolve(__dirname, "src/shared"),
diff --git a/src/main/env.d.ts b/src/main/env.d.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index f4ff5f5e..00000000
--- a/src/main/env.d.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Build-time constants injected by electron.vite.config.ts (`define`).
- * Vitest runs without the bundler, so the identifier may not exist at
- * runtime — always read it through a `typeof` guard.
- */
-declare const __COMPOSIO_API_KEY__: string | undefined;
diff --git a/src/main/services/composio/composio-credentials.ts b/src/main/services/composio/composio-credentials.ts
index 3d1b8466..4b3004e9 100644
--- a/src/main/services/composio/composio-credentials.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/composio/composio-credentials.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,12 @@
 /**
- * The Composio integration key ships inside the compiled main-process
- * bundle: electron.vite.config.ts reads cred.txt at the repository root
- * during build and injects the key as __COMPOSIO_API_KEY__.
- * No credential file is packaged, nothing is persisted to the database, and
- * the key is never user-visible or configurable. Rotating the key means
- * updating cred.txt and rebuilding.
+ * The Composio integration key is hardcoded on purpose: the repo is private
+ * and every checkout must build a configured app, with no credential file or
+ * build-time injection involved. Rotating the key = editing this constant.
  */
+const COMPOSIO_API_KEY = "***REMOVED***";
+
 export function composioApiKey(): string | null {
-  return normalizeComposioApiKey(typeof __COMPOSIO_API_KEY__ === "string" ? __COMPOSIO_API_KEY__ : "");
+  return normalizeComposioApiKey(COMPOSIO_API_KEY);
 }
 
 /** Null for blank input so callers surface "not configured" explicitly. */
diff --git a/tests/unit/composio-credentials.test.ts b/tests/unit/composio-credentials.test.ts
index 143011d7..11644c18 100644
--- a/tests/unit/composio-credentials.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/composio-credentials.test.ts
@@ -11,9 +11,7 @@ describe("composio credential resolution", () => {
     expect(normalizeComposioApiKey("   ")).toBeNull();
   });
 
-  test("without the build-time injection the key is null", () => {
-    // Vitest runs without the electron-vite define — the same shape as a
-    // build from a checkout that has no cred.txt.
-    expect(composioApiKey()).toBeNull();
+  test("the hardcoded key resolves in every build", () => {
+    expect(composioApiKey()).toBe("***REMOVED***");
   });
 });