diff --git a/deploy/docker-compose.prod.yml b/deploy/docker-compose.prod.yml
index c90aef1..794be2d 100644
--- a/deploy/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/deploy/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ services:
     restart: unless-stopped
     environment:
       POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB:-assistant}
-      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_SUPERUSER}
-      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD}
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_SUPERUSER:?POSTGRES_SUPERUSER is required}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD:?POSTGRES_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD is required}
       CONTINUITY_DB_PASSWORD: ${CONTINUITY_DB_PASSWORD}
       IDENTITY_DB_PASSWORD: ${IDENTITY_DB_PASSWORD}
       AUTHORITY_DB_PASSWORD: ${AUTHORITY_DB_PASSWORD}
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ services:
       - assistant_pg:/var/lib/postgresql
       - assistant_core_secrets:/run/secrets:ro
     healthcheck:
-      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_SUPERUSER} -d ${POSTGRES_DB:-assistant}"]
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_SUPERUSER:?POSTGRES_SUPERUSER is required} -d ${POSTGRES_DB:-assistant}"]
       interval: 10s
       timeout: 5s
       retries: 20
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ services:
       POSTGRES_USER: continuity_role
       POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${CONTINUITY_DB_PASSWORD}
       CORE_RUNTIME_URL: http://core-runtime:8080
-      COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN: ${COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN}
+      COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN: ${COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN:?COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN is required}
 
   commit-runtime:
     build: { context: .., dockerfile: deploy/images/runtime.Dockerfile, args: { TARGET: commit-runtime, SOURCE_REVISION: "${ASSISTANT_SOURCE_REVISION:-unknown}" } }
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ services:
       AUTHORITY_POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${AUTHORITY_DB_PASSWORD}
       CORE_RUNTIME_URL: http://core-runtime:8080
       CONTINUITY_RUNTIME_URL: http://continuity-runtime:8081
-      COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN: ${COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN}
+      COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN: ${COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN:?COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN is required}
       NOTIFICATION_WRITE_TOKEN_FILE: /run/notification-writer/token
       NOTIFICATION_WRITE_SECRET_REF: domovoy-notification-write-v1
     # External mutation credentials belong here only via Portainer/Docker secrets/env injection.
diff --git a/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json b/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
index 3052249..268f982 100644
--- a/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
+++ b/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "task_file": "dev/tasks/DEV-000072-semantic-interpretation-deferral-boundary.json",
-  "task_id": "DEV-000072",
+  "task_file": "dev/tasks/DEV-000073-production-compose-fail-closed.json",
+  "task_id": "DEV-000073",
   "task_revision": 1
 }
diff --git a/dev/tasks/DEV-000073-production-compose-fail-closed.json b/dev/tasks/DEV-000073-production-compose-fail-closed.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..23a69bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/tasks/DEV-000073-production-compose-fail-closed.json
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+{
+  "task_id": "DEV-000073",
+  "task_revision": 1,
+  "architecture_revision": "DEV-000072-baseline",
+  "base_repo_revision": "da94ed1",
+  "risk_tier": "E",
+  "intent": "Make Assistant production Compose fail closed when required PostgreSQL and executor inputs are absent, without mutating neighboring projects or storing secrets in the repository.",
+  "requirement_ids": [
+    "Production missing inputs must fail before container startup",
+    "Assistant-only deployment scope",
+    "No secret values in Git",
+    "No neighboring project mutation"
+  ],
+  "allowed_change_scope": {
+    "modules": [],
+    "paths": [
+      "deploy/docker-compose.prod.yml",
+      "docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md",
+      "dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json",
+      "dev/tasks/DEV-000073-production-compose-fail-closed.json"
+    ]
+  },
+  "forbidden_change_scope": {
+    "paths": [
+      "architecture/**",
+      "security/**",
+      "modules/**",
+      "contracts/**",
+      "database/migrations/**",
+      "deploy/docker-compose.dev.yml",
+      ".gitea/**"
+    ]
+  },
+  "allowed_architecture_delta": {
+    "new_cross_module_dependencies": 0,
+    "new_canonical_owners": 0,
+    "new_privileges": 0,
+    "new_third_party_dependencies": 0,
+    "new_provider_adapters": 0,
+    "new_database_owner_roles": 0
+  },
+  "contracts": {
+    "consume": [
+      "existing production Compose topology",
+      "existing external secret injection"
+    ],
+    "may_change": []
+  },
+  "semantic_owner": "none-production-configuration",
+  "canonical_state": [],
+  "state_transitions": [
+    "missing required production input -> Compose validation failure",
+    "all required inputs present -> existing Assistant stack topology remains unchanged"
+  ],
+  "side_effects_and_privileges": [
+    "No secret creation or storage in Git",
+    "No deployment of neighboring projects",
+    "Promotion only after exact artifact and health checks"
+  ],
+  "persistence_and_migrations": [
+    "No database migration",
+    "No canonical state change"
+  ],
+  "failure_retry_restart": [
+    "Missing required input fails before Compose startup",
+    "Existing Assistant containers remain untouched until explicit promotion"
+  ],
+  "assumptions": [
+    "Production control plane is docker-prod / docker.cin.su",
+    "Required secret values remain external to the repository",
+    "Neighboring Docker projects must not be included in any Compose operation"
+  ],
+  "acceptance_scenarios": [
+    "Compose rejects missing POSTGRES_SUPERUSER",
+    "Compose rejects missing POSTGRES_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD",
+    "Compose rejects missing COMMIT_EXECUTOR_TOKEN",
+    "Compose renders with synthetic non-secret values",
+    "scope check passes",
+    "Assistant-only production inspection identifies exact artifact and health state"
+  ],
+  "required_tests": [
+    "docker compose config -q with missing inputs",
+    "docker compose config -q with synthetic inputs",
+    "go test ./...",
+    "go vet ./...",
+    "go run ./cmd/devctl preflight -active dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json",
+    "go run ./cmd/devctl check-diff -active dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json",
+    "go run ./cmd/devctl check-architecture",
+    "production Assistant-only health and artifact inspection"
+  ],
+  "terminal_gap_states": [
+    "BLOCKED_BY_MISSING_CAPABILITY",
+    "BLOCKED_BY_CONFLICT",
+    "REQUIRES_MIGRATION_DECISION"
+  ]
+}