diff --git a/tests/helpers.mjs b/tests/helpers.mjs
index ecf4297..30a0b12 100644
--- a/tests/helpers.mjs
+++ b/tests/helpers.mjs
@@ -9,6 +9,14 @@ export const CLI = join(ROOT, 'src', 'cli.mjs');
 
 const created = [];
 
+/**
+ * `lh doctor`/`lh init` treat CONTEXT7_API_KEY as a required, env-only value
+ * (never persisted, never inferred). Tests must not depend on whatever the
+ * developer's shell happens to export — inject an obviously-fake fixture so
+ * behaviour is identical locally and in CI, without ever touching a real key.
+ */
+export const TEST_ENV = { ...process.env, CONTEXT7_API_KEY: process.env.CONTEXT7_API_KEY ?? 'fixture-not-a-real-key' };
+
 export function tempRepo(files = {}) {
   const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'lh-test-'));
   created.push(dir);
@@ -41,7 +49,7 @@ export function commitAll(dir, msg) {
 export function lh(dir, args) {
   try {
     const stdout = execFileSync(process.execPath, [CLI, ...args], {
-      cwd: dir, encoding: 'utf8', stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+      cwd: dir, encoding: 'utf8', stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'], env: TEST_ENV,
     });
     return { code: 0, stdout, stderr: '' };
   } catch (e) {
diff --git a/tests/onboard.test.mjs b/tests/onboard.test.mjs
index 5fc6982..1f0dd19 100644
--- a/tests/onboard.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/onboard.test.mjs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { join, dirname } from 'node:path';
 import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 
-import { tempRepo, cleanup } from './helpers.mjs';
+import { tempRepo, cleanup, TEST_ENV } from './helpers.mjs';
 
 after(cleanup);
 
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ function onboard(args) {
     const stdout = execFileSync(process.execPath, [ONBOARD, ...args], {
       encoding: 'utf8',
       stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'],
+      env: TEST_ENV,
     });
     return { code: 0, stdout, stderr: '' };
   } catch (e) {