diff --git a/src/allocators/linux_memfd_allocator.zig b/src/allocators/linux_memfd_allocator.zig
index bea92a17c42d5e..0206fd9398ef60 100644
--- a/src/allocators/linux_memfd_allocator.zig
+++ b/src/allocators/linux_memfd_allocator.zig
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ pub const LinuxMemFdAllocator = struct {
             },
             0 => {
                 // TODO: @branchHint(.cold) after Zig 0.14 upgrade
-                std.debug.panic("LinuxMemFdAllocator ref_count underflow", .{});
+                if (comptime bun.Environment.isDebug) {
+                    std.debug.panic("LinuxMemFdAllocator ref_count underflow", .{});
+                }
             },
             else => {},
         }