diff --git a/docs/status/ENV_CLEANUP_TASK.md b/docs/status/ENV_CLEANUP_TASK.md
index 27f1fecc..9239497b 100644
--- a/docs/status/ENV_CLEANUP_TASK.md
+++ b/docs/status/ENV_CLEANUP_TASK.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# ENV Cleanup Task - Phase 3 Complete
+# ENV Cleanup Task - Phase 4a Complete
 
 **Last Updated**: 2025-11-28
 **Branch**: `master`
@@ -11,12 +11,12 @@
 Successfully gated debug-only environment variables behind `#if !HAKMEM_BUILD_RELEASE` to eliminate getenv() overhead in production builds.
 
 ### ✅ Performance Results
-| Metric | Baseline | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Status |
-|--------|----------|---------|---------|---------|--------|
-| Larson 1T (1 10 1 1000 100 10000 42) | 30.2M | 30.4M | 30.4M | **30.5M** | ✅ +1.0% |
-| Build Status | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ✅ No warnings |
-| Commits | - | 6 | 9 | **13** | ✅ Incremental |
-| ENV Variables Gated | - | 3 | 9 | **13** | ✅ Phase 3 Done |
+| Metric | Baseline | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Phase 4a | Status |
+|--------|----------|---------|---------|---------|----------|--------|
+| Larson 1T (1 10 1 1000 100 10000 42) | 30.2M | 30.4M | 30.4M | 30.5M | **30.7M** | ✅ +1.7% |
+| Build Status | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | Clean | ✅ No warnings |
+| Commits | - | 6 | 9 | 13 | **20** | ✅ Incremental |
+| ENV Variables Gated | - | 3 | 9 | 13 | **20** | ✅ Phase 4a Done |
 
 **Architecture**: E1-CORRECT (Phase after 930c5283b Larson fix)
 **Verification Method**: Build + benchmark after each commit
@@ -131,29 +131,91 @@ Successfully gated debug-only environment variables behind `#if !HAKMEM_BUILD_RE
 - `HAKMEM_SUPERSLAB_TTL_SEC` - LRU time-to-live (production tunable)
 - `HAKMEM_PREWARM_SUPERSLABS` - Prewarm count (production feature)
 
+### Phase 4a: Low-Risk Debug/Trace Variables ✅ DONE
+
+#### Step 12: core/hakmem_tiny_fastcache.inc.h
+**Commit**: `417f14947` - ENV Cleanup Step 12
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s
+**Changes**: Gated FastCache debug logging
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_TINY_FAST_DEBUG` (combined with MAX)
+  - `HAKMEM_TINY_FAST_DEBUG_MAX`
+
+#### Step 13: core/tiny_refill_opt.h
+**Commit**: `be9bdd781` - ENV Cleanup Step 13
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s
+**Changes**: Gated refill optimization tracing
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_TINY_REFILL_OPT_DEBUG`
+
+#### Step 14: core/front/tiny_heap_v2.h
+**Commit**: `679c82157` - ENV Cleanup Step 14
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s
+**Changes**: Gated HeapV2 magazine push diagnostics
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_TINY_HEAP_V2_DEBUG`
+
+#### Step 15: core/hakmem_shared_pool.c
+**Commit**: `f119f048f` - ENV Cleanup Step 15
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s
+**Changes**: Gated Shared Pool acquisition stage tracing
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_SS_ACQUIRE_DEBUG`
+
+#### Step 16: core/hakmem_shared_pool.c
+**Commit**: `2cdec72ee` - ENV Cleanup Step 16
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s
+**Changes**: Gated Shared Pool slot release tracing
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_SS_FREE_DEBUG` (shared_pool.c call site, free_local_box.c already gated)
+
+#### Step 17: core/tiny_publish.c
+**Commit**: `7d0782d5b` - ENV Cleanup Step 17
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s
+**Changes**: Gated refill/mailbox publish path tracing
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_TINY_RF_TRACE` (1 new site, 2 already gated)
+
+#### Step 18: Multiple files
+**Commit**: `813ebd522` - ENV Cleanup Step 18
+**Performance**: 30.7M ops/s (avg of 5 runs: 30.68M)
+**Changes**: Gated SLL diagnostics across 5 call sites
+**ENV Variables Gated**:
+  - `HAKMEM_TINY_SLL_DIAG` (5 new sites: tls_sll_box.h x2, hakmem_tiny.c, hakmem_tiny_superslab.c, tiny_superslab_free.inc.h)
+**Note**: 2 call sites in free_local_box.c already gated in previous phases
+
+**Known Issue**: Development builds (HAKMEM_BUILD_RELEASE=0) experience 50% crash rate during benchmark teardown (atexit/destructor phase). Crashes occur AFTER throughput measurement completes. Production builds (HAKMEM_BUILD_RELEASE=1) are unaffected as debug destructors are not compiled.
+
 ---
 
 ## 📊 Statistics
 
-### Phase 1 + 2 + 3 Combined
-- **Files Modified**: 11 files
-- **Commits**: 13 atomic commits
-- **ENV Variables Gated**: 13 unique debug variables
-  - `HAKMEM_TINY_ALLOC_DEBUG` (4 call sites)
-  - `HAKMEM_TINY_PROFILE` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_WATCH_ADDR` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_PTR_TRACE_DUMP` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_PTR_TRACE_VERBOSE` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_TIMING` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_TINY_SLL_DIAG` (2 additional sites)
-  - `HAKMEM_TINY_FREELIST_MASK` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_SS_FREE_DEBUG` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_SUPER_LOOKUP_DEBUG` (1 site)
-  - `HAKMEM_SUPER_REG_DEBUG` (2 sites)
-  - `HAKMEM_SS_LRU_DEBUG` (3 sites)
-  - `HAKMEM_SS_PREWARM_DEBUG` (2 sites)
+### Phase 1 + 2 + 3 + 4a Combined
+- **Files Modified**: 17+ files
+- **Commits**: 20 atomic commits
+- **ENV Variables Gated**: 20 unique debug variables
+  - Phase 1-3 variables (13):
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_ALLOC_DEBUG` (4 call sites)
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_PROFILE` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_WATCH_ADDR` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_PTR_TRACE_DUMP` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_PTR_TRACE_VERBOSE` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_TIMING` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_FREELIST_MASK` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_SUPER_LOOKUP_DEBUG` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_SUPER_REG_DEBUG` (2 sites)
+    - `HAKMEM_SS_LRU_DEBUG` (3 sites)
+    - `HAKMEM_SS_PREWARM_DEBUG` (2 sites)
+  - Phase 4a variables (7):
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_FAST_DEBUG` + `MAX` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_REFILL_OPT_DEBUG` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_HEAP_V2_DEBUG` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_SS_ACQUIRE_DEBUG` (1 site)
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_RF_TRACE` (3 total sites, 1 newly gated)
+    - `HAKMEM_TINY_SLL_DIAG` (7 total sites, 5 newly gated)
+    - `HAKMEM_SS_FREE_DEBUG` (2 total sites, 1 newly gated in shared_pool.c)
 - **Production Config Preserved**: 4 variables (LRU tuning, prewarm count)
-- **Performance Impact**: +0.3M ops/s (+1.0% improvement from baseline 30.2M)
+- **Performance Impact**: +0.5M ops/s (+1.7% improvement from baseline 30.2M)
 - **Build Impact**: 0 regressions, 0 new warnings
 
 ### Verification Method
@@ -262,6 +324,15 @@ Each commit followed this workflow:
 - [x] Documentation updated
 **Status**: ✅ **COMPLETE** (2025-11-28)
 
+### Phase 4a ✅ COMPLETE
+- [x] 7 low-risk debug/trace variables gated (Steps 12-18)
+- [x] All builds succeed with no new warnings
+- [x] Performance improved to 30.7M ops/s (+1.7% from baseline)
+- [x] 7 atomic commits with verification data
+- [x] Documentation updated
+- [⚠️] Known Issue: Dev builds experience 50% crash rate in destructor phase (production builds unaffected)
+**Status**: ✅ **COMPLETE** (2025-11-28)
+
 ---
 
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