alpha testing feature flag

backend/routes/alpha.js

@@ -8,6 +8,11 @@ const router = express.Router();
 
 // Helper function to check if user has alpha access
 async function checkAlphaAccess(req) {
+  // Bypass alpha access check if feature is disabled
+  if (process.env.ALPHA_TESTING_ENABLED !== 'true') {
+    return true;
+  }
+
   // Check 1: Valid alpha access cookie
   if (req.cookies && req.cookies.alphaAccessCode) {
     const { code } = req.cookies.alphaAccessCode;