diff --git a/apps/web/src/app/api/video/pack/__tests__/route.test.ts b/apps/web/src/app/api/video/pack/__tests__/route.test.ts
index 66da37fc9..aae9e69f5 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/app/api/video/pack/__tests__/route.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/app/api/video/pack/__tests__/route.test.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ afterEach(() => {
   extractVideoPackSpec.mockReset();
   vi.resetModules();
   vi.unstubAllGlobals();
+  vi.unstubAllEnvs();
 });
 
 function postRequest(body: unknown) {
@@ -119,6 +120,24 @@ describe('POST /api/video/pack', () => {
     finish?.(specFor(CANON_B));
   });
 
+  it('does not return 202 in production when Redis durability is unavailable', async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('NODE_ENV', 'production');
+    vi.stubEnv('UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL', '');
+    vi.stubEnv('UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN', '');
+    vi.stubEnv('KV_REST_API_URL', '');
+    vi.stubEnv('KV_REST_API_TOKEN', '');
+
+    const { POST, scheduled } = await loadPackRoute();
+    const res = await POST(postRequest({ url: 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw' }));
+
+    expect(res.status).toBe(503);
+    const body = (await res.json()) as { status?: string; error?: string };
+    expect(body.status).toBe('error');
+    expect(body.error).toMatch(/durable video pack storage is not configured/i);
+    expect(scheduled).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(extractVideoPackSpec).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it('fails closed with a visible error when Gateway extract is unavailable', async () => {
     extractVideoPackSpec.mockRejectedValue(
       new VideoPackExtractError(
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/__tests__/video-pack-store.test.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/__tests__/video-pack-store.test.ts
index d619587ae..3b41667ff 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/__tests__/video-pack-store.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/__tests__/video-pack-store.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { execFileSync, spawn, type ChildProcess } from 'node:child_process';
 import net from 'node:net';
 import { createClient, type RedisClientType } from 'redis';
-import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { afterAll, afterEach, beforeAll, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
 import { GOLDEN_IDENTITY_HASHES, applyExtractedSpec, buildIdentityPack } from '@/lib/video-pack';
 import {
   PROCESSING_STALE_MS,
@@ -117,9 +117,22 @@ function createRedis(initial: unknown = null) {
 
 afterEach(() => {
   resetVideoPackStoreForTests();
+  vi.unstubAllEnvs();
 });
 
 describe('video-pack store', () => {
+  it('fails closed in production when Redis durability is unavailable', async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('NODE_ENV', 'production');
+    vi.stubEnv('UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL', '');
+    vi.stubEnv('UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN', '');
+    vi.stubEnv('KV_REST_API_URL', '');
+    vi.stubEnv('KV_REST_API_TOKEN', '');
+
+    await expect(claimPackProcessing(IDENTITY)).rejects.toThrow(
+      /durable video pack storage is not configured/i,
+    );
+  });
+
   it('returns null for an unknown source_hash', async () => {
     expect(await getPackRecord(HASH)).toBeNull();
   });
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack-store.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack-store.ts
index 8457fc082..f23ab3b15 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack-store.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack-store.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,14 @@ const memoryStore = new Map<string, VideoPackRecord>();
 
 let redisPromise: Promise<VideoPackRedisClient | null> | null = null;
 
+function assertDurableVideoPackStorageConfigured(): void {
+  if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') return;
+  if (resolveUpstashRedisCredentials()) return;
+  throw new Error(
+    'Durable video pack storage is not configured in production. Set UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL + UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN (or KV_REST_API_URL + KV_REST_API_TOKEN).',
+  );
+}
+
 export function packStoreKey(sourceHash: string): string {
   return `${VIDEO_PACK_STORE_PREFIX}${sourceHash}`;
 }
@@ -209,6 +217,7 @@ export async function claimPackProcessing(
   identity: PackProcessingIdentity,
   now: Date = new Date(),
 ): Promise<'claimed' | VideoPackRecord> {
+  assertDurableVideoPackStorageConfigured();
   const processing: Extract<VideoPackRecord, { state: 'processing' }> = {
     state: 'processing',
     video_id: identity.video_id,
@@ -220,6 +229,9 @@ export async function claimPackProcessing(
 
   const key = packStoreKey(identity.source_hash);
   const redis = await getRedis();
+  if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production' && !redis) {
+    throw new Error('Durable video pack storage is unavailable in production.');
+  }
   if (redis) {
     try {
       const result = await redis.eval<unknown>(
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack.ts
index 15447b111..b4dabf9a6 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/video-pack.ts
@@ -356,12 +356,18 @@ export async function handleIdentityPackPost(request: Request): Promise<Response
     // A new POST retries after a visible failure; GET keeps serving the error.
   }
 
-  const claimed = await claimPackProcessing({
-    video_id: identity.video_id,
-    source_url: identity.source_url,
-    source_hash: sourceHash,
-    id: identity.id,
-  });
+  let claimed: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof claimPackProcessing>>;
+  try {
+    claimed = await claimPackProcessing({
+      video_id: identity.video_id,
+      source_url: identity.source_url,
+      source_hash: sourceHash,
+      id: identity.id,
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Video pack claim failed.';
+    return NextResponse.json({ status: 'error', error: message }, { status: 503 });
+  }
   if (claimed !== 'claimed') {
     return recordToResponse(claimed);
   }