regression: perry.define of `process.env.NODE_ENV` no longer applied (ignored since process became a real object) → React/react-reconciler load dev builds → 'value is not a function' crash (blocks ink)

[proggeramlug]

Summary

perry.define of process.env.* keys (e.g. process.env.NODE_ENV) is no longer applied — neither as a compile-time constant substitution nor at runtime. process.env.NODE_ENV reads undefined regardless of the define. As a consequence, compiled packages that branch on process.env.NODE_ENV (React, react-reconciler, scheduler, …) select their development builds, and react-reconciler's dev build then throws TypeError: value is not a function during render — blocking ink (#348) at the final step.

This worked in the 2026-05-29 recheck (define folded React to its production build and tree-shaking pruned the dev build). It is a regression, almost certainly from #4993 — making process.env a real runtime object means process.env.NODE_ENV is now a live property read that bypasses the define's static substitution.

Evidence

package.json → perry.define:

{ "process.env.NODE_ENV": "production", "process.env.DEV": "false" }

(also tested the quoted form "\"production\"" — same result)

# perry.define present, env var NOT set:
process.env.NODE_ENV  →  undefined          ✗   (define ignored)

# define ignored, but the real env IS read at runtime:
NODE_ENV=production ./app   →  process.env.NODE_ENV === "production"
FOO=bar ./app               →  process.env.FOO === "bar"

So process.env faithfully reflects the real environment (good, #4993), but the build-time define no longer intercepts process.env.*.

Consequence — react-reconciler runs its dev build and crashes

node_modules/react-reconciler/index.js:

if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'production') module.exports = require('./cjs/react-reconciler.production.js');
else                                       module.exports = require('./cjs/react-reconciler.development.js');

With process.env.NODE_ENV unresolved (undefined), the else (development) branch is taken. ink's render() → reconciler.updateContainerSync(...) then throws TypeError: value is not a function.

Native backtrace (--debug-symbols, breakpoint on throw_not_callable):

#0  perry_runtime::closure::dispatch::throw_not_callable
#1  js_closure_call1
#2  perry_closure_node_modules_react_reconciler_cjs_react_reconciler_DEVELOPMENT_js__202
#3  …react_reconciler_DEVELOPMENT_js__194
#4  …react_reconciler_DEVELOPMENT_js__573
#5  …react_reconciler_DEVELOPMENT_js__656
#6  …react_reconciler_DEVELOPMENT_js__655
#7  js_native_call_value
#8  js_native_call_method
#9  perry_method_node_modules_ink_build_ink_js__Ink__render
…
#18 perry_closure_node_modules_ink_build_render_js__0
#20 main

The frames are react_reconciler_*DEVELOPMENT*_js — confirming the dev build is what executes.

Setting NODE_ENV=production in the runtime environment does not fix it (react-reconciler's branch is resolved at module-init, before the fix would matter, and the define — not the runtime env — is the intended mechanism for build selection).

Two issues, one root

1. Primary (this issue): perry.define must apply to process.env.* again — fold process.env.NODE_ENV to the configured constant at compile time so === 'production' resolves and the production branch is selected (and the dev build tree-shakes away). The fix should make the define authoritative even though process.env is now a real object (e.g. substitute defined process.env.X reads with the literal before the runtime lookup, and/or seed the runtime process.env from perry.define at startup).
2. Secondary (separate): react-reconciler's development build hits a value is not a function codegen gap under Perry (frames __655/__656/__573/__194/__202). Not the target build, but a real latent gap — worth a follow-up if dev-build support is ever desired.

Impact

• Every compilePackages project relying on define for NODE_ENV — i.e. essentially all React/Preact/Vue/etc. apps, which ship separate dev/prod builds gated on process.env.NODE_ENV. They silently get dev builds (slower, dev-only asserts) or crash on dev-only code paths.
• ink end-to-end (Compile ink (React-based TUI framework) end-to-end via perry.compilePackages #348): this is the last wall before yoga — with the production reconciler, render() should proceed into layout (then the out-of-scope yoga-WASM terminal).

Related

• Compile ink (React-based TUI framework) end-to-end via perry.compilePackages #348 (ink end-to-end), fix(runtime): node:process default import & globalThis.process expose the full process object (#4987) #4993 (process became a real object — suspected regression point)
• The full ink chain: Codegen: new MessageChannel() global constructor unlinked/non-constructible — routes to stdlib symbol, breaks React scheduler init #4873/globals/Intl: implement Intl.Segmenter (grapheme segmentation) — new Intl.Segmenter() throws, blocks string-width/wrap-ansi/ink #4877/regex: \p{Surrogate} Unicode property rejected ('invalid pattern') — Rust regex crate has no surrogate scalar values; blocks string-width/ink #4884/regex: \p{RGI_Emoji} (property of strings, /v flag) rejected — Rust regex crate has no string-properties; blocks string-width/ink #4889/react-reconciler 0.33 init crashes under Perry — SIGBUS on import (standalone) / 'undefined is not iterable' in createReconciler (in-ink); blocks all custom React renderers #4898/compilePackages: module.exports = class loses the class method table — static AND prototype methods read undefined (breaks stack-utils → ink) #4933/compilePackages: cross-module mutable object loses identity — react-reconciler's ReactSharedInternals.H dispatcher invisible to react → 'Invalid hook call' null dispatcher (blocks all React renderers) #4950/compilePackages: inline export default class Name { … } (ESM) drops the prototype method table — only constructor survives (ESM sibling of #4933; blocks ink render) #4976/node:process: imported default export & globalThis.process are an incomplete stub — .env/.stdout/.platform undefined (only bare process is wired); blocks terminal-size → ink #4987/core modules: bare specifier events resolves to a stub EventEmitter (empty prototype, no setMaxListeners/on/emit) — node:events works; blocks signal-exit → ink #4995/compilePackages: reassigning a require()-initialized top-level var corrupts the binding (reads undefined / 'not defined') — breaks signal-exit → ink #5006 (all merged)