diff --git a/app/server/lib/ICreate.ts b/app/server/lib/ICreate.ts
index 4b4d66eeea8..9e5e55a921c 100644
--- a/app/server/lib/ICreate.ts
+++ b/app/server/lib/ICreate.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ import {createSandbox, SpawnFn} from 'app/server/lib/NSandbox';
 import {SqliteVariant} from 'app/server/lib/SqliteCommon';
 import {ITelemetry} from 'app/server/lib/Telemetry';
 
+export const DEFAULT_SESSION_SECRET =
+  'Phoo2ag1jaiz6Moo2Iese2xoaphahbai3oNg7diemohlah0ohtae9iengafieS2Hae7quungoCi9iaPh';
+
 export interface ICreate {
 
   Billing(dbManager: HomeDBManager, gristConfig: GristServer): IBilling;
@@ -74,7 +77,6 @@ export interface ICreateTelemetryOptions {
 
 export function makeSimpleCreator(opts: {
   deploymentType: GristDeploymentType,
-  sessionSecret?: string,
   storage?: ICreateStorageOptions[],
   billing?: ICreateBillingOptions,
   notifier?: ICreateNotifierOptions,
@@ -86,7 +88,7 @@ export function makeSimpleCreator(opts: {
   getSandboxVariants?: () => Record<string, SpawnFn>,
   createInstallAdmin?: (dbManager: HomeDBManager) => Promise<InstallAdmin>,
 }): ICreate {
-  const {deploymentType, sessionSecret, storage, notifier, billing, telemetry} = opts;
+  const {deploymentType, storage, notifier, billing, telemetry} = opts;
   return {
     deploymentType() { return deploymentType; },
     Billing(dbManager, gristConfig) {
@@ -116,11 +118,7 @@ export function makeSimpleCreator(opts: {
       return createSandbox(opts.sandboxFlavor || 'unsandboxed', options);
     },
     sessionSecret() {
-      const secret = process.env.GRIST_SESSION_SECRET || sessionSecret;
-      if (!secret) {
-        throw new Error('need GRIST_SESSION_SECRET');
-      }
-      return secret;
+      return process.env.GRIST_SESSION_SECRET || DEFAULT_SESSION_SECRET;
     },
     async configure() {
       for (const s of storage || []) {
diff --git a/app/server/lib/coreCreator.ts b/app/server/lib/coreCreator.ts
index 477c970b4d5..2eda4e9f9b6 100644
--- a/app/server/lib/coreCreator.ts
+++ b/app/server/lib/coreCreator.ts
@@ -3,14 +3,8 @@ import { checkMinIOBucket, checkMinIOExternalStorage,
 import { makeSimpleCreator } from 'app/server/lib/ICreate';
 import { Telemetry } from 'app/server/lib/Telemetry';
 
-export const DEFAULT_SESSION_SECRET =
-  'Phoo2ag1jaiz6Moo2Iese2xoaphahbai3oNg7diemohlah0ohtae9iengafieS2Hae7quungoCi9iaPh';
-
 export const makeCoreCreator = () => makeSimpleCreator({
   deploymentType: 'core',
-  // This can and should be overridden by GRIST_SESSION_SECRET
-  // (or generated randomly per install, like grist-omnibus does).
-  sessionSecret: DEFAULT_SESSION_SECRET,
   storage: [
     {
       name: 'minio',