diff --git a/install.zsh b/install.zsh
index 36a2d95..815e2fe 100755
--- a/install.zsh
+++ b/install.zsh
@@ -211,6 +211,16 @@ function at-repos-social-app-disable-external-services-patch() {
 	popd
 }
 
+function at-repos-social-app-statsig-patch() {
+	f=$d/repos/social-app/src/lib/statsig/statsig.tsx
+	p_=$d/patching/disable-statsig-sdk.diff
+	d_=$d/repos/social-app
+	echo "applying patch: under ${f} for ${p_}"
+	pushd ${d_}
+	patch -p1 < ${p_}
+	popd
+}
+
 function at-repos-social-app-dockerfile-yarn-timeout-patch() {
 	f=$d/repos/social-app/Dockerfile
 	p_=$d/patching/140-social-app-yarn-network-timeout.patch
@@ -321,6 +331,7 @@ case "`cat /etc/hostname`" in
 		at-repos-social-app-avatar-write
 		at-repos-social-app-agent-patch
 		at-repos-social-app-disable-external-services-patch
+		at-repos-social-app-statsig-patch
 		at-repos-social-app-dockerfile-yarn-timeout-patch
 		at-repos-atproto-service-bsky-api-patch
 		at-repos-atproto-service-pds-index-patch
diff --git a/patching/disable-statsig-sdk.diff b/patching/disable-statsig-sdk.diff
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..869b4cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/patching/disable-statsig-sdk.diff
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+diff --git a/src/lib/statsig/statsig.tsx b/src/lib/statsig/statsig.tsx
+index 1234567..89abcdef 100644
+--- a/src/lib/statsig/statsig.tsx
++++ b/src/lib/statsig/statsig.tsx
+@@ -266,6 +266,7 @@ export async function tryFetchGates(
+ }
+ 
+ export function initialize() {
++  if (!SDK_KEY) return Promise.resolve()
+   return Statsig.initialize(SDK_KEY, null, createStatsigOptions([]))
+ }
+ 
+@@ -310,6 +311,9 @@ export function Provider({children}: {children: React.ReactNode}) {
+     return () => clearInterval(id)
+   }, [handleIntervalTick])
+ 
++  if (!SDK_KEY) {
++    return <GateCache.Provider value={gateCache}>{children}</GateCache.Provider>
++  }
+   return (
+     <GateCache.Provider value={gateCache}>
+       <StatsigProvider