diff --git a/core/tiny_region_id.h b/core/tiny_region_id.h
index cdcd21d2..444275ec 100644
--- a/core/tiny_region_id.h
+++ b/core/tiny_region_id.h
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ static inline uint32_t watcher_self_u32(void) {
 // Address watcher: Tracks when a specific address is allocated or freed
 // Usage: HAKMEM_WATCH_ADDR=0x7f1234567890 ./program
 static inline uintptr_t get_watch_addr(void) {
+#if !HAKMEM_BUILD_RELEASE
     static uintptr_t watch_addr = 0;
     static int initialized = 0;
 
@@ -77,6 +78,9 @@ static inline uintptr_t get_watch_addr(void) {
     }
 
     return watch_addr;
+#else
+    return 0;
+#endif
 }
 
 // Allocation source tracking