diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0126dadc99ae1..35fb5a98b2393 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -16,3 +16,5 @@ docs/.vuepress/dist
 
 ./package-lock.json
 components/**/package-lock.json
+/packages/evals/
+/packages/sdk/examples/.next/
diff --git a/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md
index cc96845275bc7..5fb32ca01f23c 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/sdk/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,12 +1,21 @@
 <!-- markdownlint-disable MD024 -->
 # Changelog
 
+## [1.0.5] - 2024-11-18
+
+### Changed
+
+- The backend client used to default to `production` if the environment was not
+specified. Now `environment` is a required argument for `createBackendClient`
+and must be one of `production` or `development`.  
+
 ## [1.0.4] - 2024-11-15
 
 ### Changed
 
 - Improved the docs of the `getAccountById` method in the backend client to
   clarify the behavior of the new argument.
+
 - Fixed the exported `HTTPAuthType` enum so that it can be used by the consumers
   of the SDK.
 
diff --git a/packages/sdk/package-lock.json b/packages/sdk/package-lock.json
index 38bb8b1cd0052..c46ed631dd510 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/package-lock.json
+++ b/packages/sdk/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@pipedream/sdk",
-  "version": "1.0.4",
+  "version": "1.0.5",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@pipedream/sdk",
-      "version": "1.0.4",
+      "version": "1.0.5",
       "license": "SEE LICENSE IN LICENSE",
       "dependencies": {
         "simple-oauth2": "^5.1.0"
diff --git a/packages/sdk/package.json b/packages/sdk/package.json
index 1f16f9048ebe4..e0c33dd299616 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/package.json
+++ b/packages/sdk/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@pipedream/sdk",
-  "version": "1.0.4",
+  "version": "1.0.5",
   "description": "Pipedream SDK",
   "main": "dist/server/index.js",
   "module": "dist/server/index.js",
diff --git a/packages/sdk/src/server/__tests__/server.test.ts b/packages/sdk/src/server/__tests__/server.test.ts
index 9aa9c1081032f..0356686a3c3af 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/src/server/__tests__/server.test.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/src/server/__tests__/server.test.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import {
 
 const projectId = "proj_abc123";
 const clientParams: BackendClientOpts = {
+  environment: "production",
   credentials: {
     clientId: "test-client-id",
     clientSecret: "test-client-secret",
@@ -175,6 +176,7 @@ describe("BackendClient", () => {
             clientId: "test-client-id",
             clientSecret: "test-client-secret",
           },
+          environment: "production",
           projectId,
         },
       );
@@ -677,6 +679,7 @@ describe("BackendClient", () => {
             clientId: "test-client-id",
             clientSecret: "test-client-secret",
           },
+          environment: "production",
           projectId: "proj_abc123",
         },
       );
diff --git a/packages/sdk/src/server/index.ts b/packages/sdk/src/server/index.ts
index e27aa70035729..10590b5424632 100644
--- a/packages/sdk/src/server/index.ts
+++ b/packages/sdk/src/server/index.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ export type OAuthCredentials = {
   clientSecret: string;
 };
 
+/**
+ * The environment in which the server client is running.
+ */
+export type ProjectEnvironment = "development" | "production";
+
 /**
  * Options for creating a server-side client.
  * This is used to configure the BackendClient instance.
@@ -25,7 +30,7 @@ export type BackendClientOpts = {
    * The environment in which the server client is running (e.g., "production",
    * "development").
    */
-  environment?: string;
+  environment?: ProjectEnvironment;
 
   /**
    * The credentials to use for authentication against the Pipedream API.
@@ -353,7 +358,8 @@ export class BackendClient {
    * @param opts - The options for configuring the server client.
    */
   constructor(opts: BackendClientOpts) {
-    this.environment = opts.environment ?? "production";
+    this.ensureValidEnvironment(opts.environment);
+    this.environment = opts.environment!;
 
     this.projectId = opts.projectId;
     if (!this.projectId) {
@@ -370,6 +376,15 @@ export class BackendClient {
     this.oauthClient = this.newOauthClient(opts.credentials, this.baseApiUrl);
   }
 
+  private ensureValidEnvironment(environment?: string) {
+    if (!environment || ![
+      "development",
+      "production",
+    ].includes(environment)) {
+      throw new Error("Project environment is required. Supported environments are development and production.");
+    }
+  }
+
   private newOauthClient(
     {
       clientId,