diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index a618a9110..a04e0c347 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -89,4 +89,5 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build Starter Site
         run: |
           cd examples/react/projects
+          cp .env.example .env
           pnpm build
diff --git a/examples/react/projects/.env.example b/examples/react/projects/.env.example
index 232094023..6b0e9f5f2 100644
--- a/examples/react/projects/.env.example
+++ b/examples/react/projects/.env.example
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@
 DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@localhost:54321/projects
 
 # Create a secret for better-auth
-BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=
+BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=example-secret-for-development-only