diff --git a/config/releases.exs b/config/releases.exs
index f5ec0cbbc9..06197f891d 100644
--- a/config/releases.exs
+++ b/config/releases.exs
@@ -5,15 +5,20 @@ import Config
 #
 # See https://hexdocs.pm/mix/1.9.0/Mix.Tasks.Release.html#module-runtime-configuration
 
-mandatory = fn env, exception ->
-  case System.get_env(env) do
-    nil -> throw(exception)
-    data -> data
-  end
+mandatory = fn
+  env, exception, true, true ->
+    case System.get_env(env) do
+      nil -> throw(exception)
+      data -> data
+    end
+  env, exception, false, true ->
+    "WATCHER_INFO config in WATCHER SECURITY"
 end
 
+watcher_info? = fn -> Code.ensure_loaded?(OMG.WatcherInfo) end
+
 config :omg_watcher_info, OMG.WatcherInfo.DB.Repo,
-  url: mandatory.("DATABASE_URL", "DATABASE_URL needs to be set."),
+  url: mandatory.("DATABASE_URL", "DATABASE_URL needs to be set.", watcher_info?.(), true),
   # Have at most `:pool_size` DB connections on standby and serving DB queries.
   pool_size: String.to_integer(System.get_env("WATCHER_INFO_DB_POOL_SIZE") || "10"),
   # Wait at most `:queue_target` for a connection. If all connections checked out during