diff --git a/development/build/index.js b/development/build/index.js
index 3e8faa372..456128c1f 100755
--- a/development/build/index.js
+++ b/development/build/index.js
@@ -73,9 +73,17 @@ async function defineAndRunBuildTasks() {
     version,
   } = await parseArgv();
 
+  // scuttle on production/tests environment only
+  const shouldScuttle = ['dist', 'prod', 'test'].includes(entryTask);
+
+  console.log(
+    `Building lavamoat runtime file`,
+    `(scuttling is ${shouldScuttle ? 'on' : 'off'})`,
+  );
+
   // build lavamoat runtime file
   await lavapack.buildRuntime({
-    scuttleGlobalThis: true,
+    scuttleGlobalThis: applyLavaMoat && shouldScuttle,
     scuttleGlobalThisExceptions: [
       // globals used by different mm deps outside of lm compartment
       'toString',
diff --git a/development/build/utils.js b/development/build/utils.js
index fde7afbbd..e003f7c27 100644
--- a/development/build/utils.js
+++ b/development/build/utils.js
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ function wrapAgainstScuttling(content, bag = {}) {
     const proxy = new Proxy(bag, {
       set: function set(target, prop, value) {
         if (bag.hasOwnProperty(prop) || prop.startsWith('on')) {
-          return bag[prop] = global[prop] = value;
+          return (bag[prop] = global[prop] = value) || true;
         }
       },
     });