diff --git a/src/local/auto-fix-loop.test.ts b/src/local/auto-fix-loop.test.ts
index 50b73747..74cca802 100644
--- a/src/local/auto-fix-loop.test.ts
+++ b/src/local/auto-fix-loop.test.ts
@@ -609,6 +609,34 @@ describe('runWithAutoFix', () => {
     expect(repair?.content).toContain('MISSING_ENV_VAR:');
   });
 
+  // Regression: assertRickyWorkflowEnv used to throw at module-load time
+  // unconditionally, before the SDK had a chance to honour --start-from.
+  // That made resuming with --start-from impossible if the resumed step
+  // didn't actually need the missing env var (the upstream-only step did,
+  // but it was being skipped). The injected helper now warns-and-continues
+  // when process.env.START_FROM is set so resumed steps can run and any
+  // step that genuinely needs a missing value still fails with its own
+  // signal at the point of use.
+  it('injects an env-assert helper that honors START_FROM for --start-from resumes', () => {
+    const repair = repairWorkflowDeterministically({
+      artifactPath: 'workflows/generated/foo.ts',
+      artifactContent: workflowContent(),
+      evidence: missingEnvEvidence(),
+      response: blockerResponse('MISSING_ENV_VAR', 'run-1', 'runtime-launch'),
+    });
+
+    expect(repair?.applied).toBe(true);
+    // Resume signal acknowledged.
+    expect(repair?.content).toContain('process.env.START_FROM');
+    // Warn-and-continue path uses console.warn rather than throwing so the
+    // SDK can proceed to the resumed step.
+    expect(repair?.content).toMatch(/console\.warn\([^)]*Skipping env-var assertion/);
+    expect(repair?.content).toMatch(/--start-from active/);
+    // The non-resume path still throws fast — preserves the original
+    // contract for first-run invocations.
+    expect(repair?.content).toContain('throw new Error(`MISSING_ENV_VAR:');
+  });
+
   // Regression: when a master-rendered workflow embeds a `node --input-type=module`
   // HEREDOC inside a .step({ command: ... }) string, the embedded shell text
   // contains the literal substring `from 'node:fs'`. The previous import-detection
diff --git a/src/local/auto-fix-loop.ts b/src/local/auto-fix-loop.ts
index c0cf6118..fc00d8b3 100644
--- a/src/local/auto-fix-loop.ts
+++ b/src/local/auto-fix-loop.ts
@@ -822,9 +822,19 @@ function loadRickyWorkflowEnv(cwd = process.cwd()) {
 
 function assertRickyWorkflowEnv(names: string[]): void {
   const missing = names.filter((name) => !process.env[name]);
-  if (missing.length > 0) {
-    throw new Error(\`MISSING_ENV_VAR: \${missing.join(', ')}. Add missing values to .env.local or export them before rerunning.\`);
+  if (missing.length === 0) return;
+  // When the workflow is being resumed via --start-from, the SDK sets
+  // process.env.START_FROM. Skipped upstream steps may have been the
+  // ones that needed these env vars; the resumed steps may not. Warn
+  // instead of failing fast so the resume can proceed and any step that
+  // actually needs a missing value will fail naturally with its own
+  // signal. Without this, --start-from on a workflow whose missing env
+  // var isn't in the resumed step's path is unrecoverable from the CLI.
+  if (process.env.START_FROM) {
+    console.warn(\`[ricky] Skipping env-var assertion (--start-from active): missing \${missing.join(', ')}. Resumed steps that actually need these will fail with their own error.\`);
+    return;
   }
+  throw new Error(\`MISSING_ENV_VAR: \${missing.join(', ')}. Add missing values to .env.local or export them before rerunning.\`);
 }
 
 function unquoteRickyWorkflowEnvValue(value: string): string {
@@ -839,9 +849,12 @@ function unquoteRickyWorkflowEnvValue(value: string): string {
 function rickyWorkflowEnvAssertSource(): string {
   return `function assertRickyWorkflowEnv(names: string[]): void {
   const missing = names.filter((name) => !process.env[name]);
-  if (missing.length > 0) {
-    throw new Error(\`MISSING_ENV_VAR: \${missing.join(', ')}. Add missing values to .env.local or export them before rerunning.\`);
+  if (missing.length === 0) return;
+  if (process.env.START_FROM) {
+    console.warn(\`[ricky] Skipping env-var assertion (--start-from active): missing \${missing.join(', ')}. Resumed steps that actually need these will fail with their own error.\`);
+    return;
   }
+  throw new Error(\`MISSING_ENV_VAR: \${missing.join(', ')}. Add missing values to .env.local or export them before rerunning.\`);
 }`;
 }