diff --git a/.npmrc b/.npmrc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad51560
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.npmrc
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+engine-strict=false
+legacy-peer-deps=false
+
diff --git a/.nvmrc b/.nvmrc
index 583b03b..dd74f25 100644
--- a/.nvmrc
+++ b/.nvmrc
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
-25.7.0
+20.19.4
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 52c4bce..4c7ef73 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,11 +46,18 @@ The method of obtaining the Google photos picker's api key is via:
 - click save
 
 ## Running the Project
+Node requirement: `>=20.19.4`.
+
 Useful scripts:
 ```bash
-npx expo run:android 
+npm run start
+npm run android
+npm run ios
+npm run web
 ```
 
+These scripts set `NODE_ENV` automatically so Expo can load the correct mode during bundling.
+
 
 ### NAS backend
 
diff --git a/eas.json b/eas.json
index 1f7728b..9e3d718 100644
--- a/eas.json
+++ b/eas.json
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
     "development": {
       "developmentClient": true,
       "distribution": "internal",
+      "env": {
+        "NODE_ENV": "development"
+      },
       "android": {
         "buildType": "apk"
       }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 72eba8e..5f412d3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
   "version": "1.0.0",
   "main": "App.js",
   "scripts": {
-    "start": "npx expo start",
-    "android": "npx expo run:android",
-    "ios": "npx expo run:ios",
-    "web": "npx expo start --web",
+    "start": "NODE_ENV=development npx expo start",
+    "android": "NODE_ENV=development npx expo run:android",
+    "ios": "NODE_ENV=development npx expo run:ios",
+    "web": "NODE_ENV=development npx expo start --web",
+    "export": "NODE_ENV=production npx expo export",
     "backend": "node ServerFiles/server.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
@@ -25,7 +26,7 @@
     "expo-secure-store": "~55.0.13",
     "expo-sqlite": "~55.0.15",
     "expo-status-bar": "~55.0.5",
-    "expo-system-ui": "^55.0.15",
+    "expo-system-ui": "~55.0.15",
     "expo-web-browser": "~55.0.14",
     "fuse.js": "^7.1.0",
     "react": "19.2.0",
@@ -40,7 +41,8 @@
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@babel/core": "^7.29.0",
-    "babel-preset-expo": "~55.0.17"
+    "babel-preset-expo": "~55.0.17",
+    "yarn": "^1.22.22"
   },
   "overrides": {
     "jscodeshift": "0.16.1",
@@ -51,5 +53,8 @@
     "glob": "^13.0.6",
     "rimraf": "^4.0.0"
   },
+  "engines": {
+    "node": ">=20.0.0"
+  },
   "private": true
 }