diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/couch/utils.ts b/packages/backend-core/src/db/couch/utils.ts
index 8502bd9ab6..270d953320 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/db/couch/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/couch/utils.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 import { getCouchInfo } from "./connections"
 import fetch from "node-fetch"
 import { checkSlashesInUrl } from "../../helpers"
-import * as context from "../../context"
-import env from "../../environment"
 
 export async function directCouchCall(
   path: string,
@@ -55,11 +53,3 @@ export async function directCouchQuery(
     throw "Cannot connect to CouchDB instance"
   }
 }
-
-export function isSqsEnabledForTenant(): boolean {
-  const tenantId = context.getTenantId()
-  return (
-    env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE !== undefined &&
-    env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS.includes(tenantId)
-  )
-}
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts b/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts
index 906a95e1db..4362bd2c94 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/db/utils.ts
@@ -206,3 +206,21 @@ export function pagination<T>(
     nextPage,
   }
 }
+
+export function isSqsEnabledForTenant(): boolean {
+  const tenantId = getTenantId()
+  if (!env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE) {
+    return false
+  }
+
+  // This is to guard against the situation in tests where tests pass because
+  // we're not actually using SQS, we're using Lucene and the tests pass due to
+  // parity.
+  if (env.isTest() && env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS.length === 0) {
+    throw new Error(
+      "to enable SQS you must specify a list of tenants in the SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS env var"
+    )
+  }
+
+  return env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS.includes(tenantId)
+}
diff --git a/packages/backend-core/src/environment.ts b/packages/backend-core/src/environment.ts
index 06256239f1..d3d4ab96ff 100644
--- a/packages/backend-core/src/environment.ts
+++ b/packages/backend-core/src/environment.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "fs"
 import { ServiceType } from "@budibase/types"
+import { SQS } from "aws-sdk"
 
 function isTest() {
   return isJest()
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ const environment = {
   SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: process.env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE,
   SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS:
     process.env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS?.split(",") || [],
+  SQS_MIGRATION_ENABLE: process.env.SQS_MIGRATION_ENABLE,
   COUCH_DB_USERNAME: process.env.COUCH_DB_USER,
   COUCH_DB_PASSWORD: process.env.COUCH_DB_PASSWORD,
   GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID: process.env.GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
index d9036b22fb..a64685d87f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/search.spec.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ describe.each([
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
     if (isSqs) {
-      envCleanup = config.setEnv({ SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: "true" })
+      envCleanup = config.setCoreEnv({ SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: "true" })
     }
     await config.init()
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/templates.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/templates.spec.ts
index 680ddb39d7..03f13ba88e 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/templates.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/templates.spec.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import * as setup from "./utilities"
 import path from "path"
 import nock from "nock"
 import { generator } from "@budibase/backend-core/tests"
+import { SQS } from "aws-sdk"
 
 interface App {
   background: string
@@ -86,9 +87,10 @@ describe("/templates", () => {
       async source => {
         const env = {
           SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: source === "sqs" ? "true" : "false",
+          SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS: [config.getTenantId()],
         }
 
-        await config.withEnv(env, async () => {
+        await config.withCoreEnv(env, async () => {
           const name = generator.guid().replaceAll("-", "")
           const url = `/${name}`
 
diff --git a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/viewV2.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/viewV2.spec.ts
index 43a6d39172..fcfeb74236 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/viewV2.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/api/routes/tests/viewV2.spec.ts
@@ -88,10 +88,16 @@ describe.each([
   }
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
+    await config.withCoreEnv(
+      { SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: isSqs ? "true" : "false" },
+      () => config.init()
+    )
     if (isSqs) {
-      envCleanup = config.setEnv({ SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: "true" })
+      envCleanup = config.setCoreEnv({
+        SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: "true",
+        SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS: [config.getTenantId()],
+      })
     }
-    await config.init()
 
     if (dsProvider) {
       datasource = await config.createDatasource({
diff --git a/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations.ts b/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations.ts
index 7437753ada..247b74ebfc 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 // This file should never be manually modified, use `yarn add-app-migration` in order to add a new one
 
-import env from "../environment"
+import { env } from "@budibase/backend-core"
 import { AppMigration } from "."
 
 import m20240604153647_initial_sqs from "./migrations/20240604153647_initial_sqs"
diff --git a/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/20240604153647_initial_sqs.ts b/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/20240604153647_initial_sqs.ts
index da435705c1..ec7fba99e9 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/20240604153647_initial_sqs.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/20240604153647_initial_sqs.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
-import { context } from "@budibase/backend-core"
+import { context, env } from "@budibase/backend-core"
 import { allLinkDocs } from "../../db/utils"
 import LinkDocumentImpl from "../../db/linkedRows/LinkDocument"
 import sdk from "../../sdk"
-import env from "../../environment"
 
 const migration = async () => {
   const linkDocs = await allLinkDocs()
diff --git a/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/tests/20240604153647_initial_sqs.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/tests/20240604153647_initial_sqs.spec.ts
index 0a34fb2bb4..4301cb791f 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/tests/20240604153647_initial_sqs.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/appMigrations/migrations/tests/20240604153647_initial_sqs.spec.ts
@@ -69,11 +69,11 @@ function oldLinkDocument(): Omit<LinkDocument, "tableId"> {
 type SQSEnvVar = "SQS_MIGRATION_ENABLE" | "SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE"
 
 async function sqsDisabled(envVar: SQSEnvVar, cb: () => Promise<void>) {
-  await config.withEnv({ [envVar]: "" }, cb)
+  await config.withCoreEnv({ [envVar]: "" }, cb)
 }
 
 async function sqsEnabled(envVar: SQSEnvVar, cb: () => Promise<void>) {
-  await config.withEnv({ [envVar]: "1" }, cb)
+  await config.withCoreEnv({ [envVar]: "1" }, cb)
 }
 
 describe.each(["SQS_MIGRATION_ENABLE", "SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE"] as SQSEnvVar[])(
diff --git a/packages/server/src/environment.ts b/packages/server/src/environment.ts
index b643bd50b0..28673dcaa8 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/environment.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/environment.ts
@@ -87,8 +87,6 @@ const environment = {
   SQL_MAX_ROWS: process.env.SQL_MAX_ROWS,
   SQL_LOGGING_ENABLE: process.env.SQL_LOGGING_ENABLE,
   SQL_ALIASING_DISABLE: process.env.SQL_ALIASING_DISABLE,
-  SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: process.env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE,
-  SQS_MIGRATION_ENABLE: process.env.SQS_MIGRATION_ENABLE,
   // flags
   ALLOW_DEV_AUTOMATIONS: process.env.ALLOW_DEV_AUTOMATIONS,
   DISABLE_THREADING: process.env.DISABLE_THREADING,
diff --git a/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/tests/search.spec.ts b/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/tests/search.spec.ts
index 2f347475f4..4b80d5bcd3 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/tests/search.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/sdk/app/rows/search/tests/search.spec.ts
@@ -31,10 +31,17 @@ describe.each([
   let rows: Row[]
 
   beforeAll(async () => {
+    await config.withCoreEnv(
+      { SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: isSqs ? "true" : "false" },
+      () => config.init()
+    )
+
     if (isSqs) {
-      envCleanup = config.setEnv({ SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: "true" })
+      envCleanup = config.setCoreEnv({
+        SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: "true",
+        SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE_TENANTS: [config.getTenantId()],
+      })
     }
-    await config.init()
 
     if (dsProvider) {
       datasource = await config.createDatasource({
diff --git a/packages/server/src/sdk/app/tables/getters.ts b/packages/server/src/sdk/app/tables/getters.ts
index a12933c966..a775a6d37e 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/sdk/app/tables/getters.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/sdk/app/tables/getters.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { context, db } from "@budibase/backend-core"
+import { context, db, env } from "@budibase/backend-core"
 import { getTableParams } from "../../../db/utils"
 import {
   breakExternalTableId,
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import {
 } from "@budibase/types"
 import datasources from "../datasources"
 import sdk from "../../../sdk"
-import env from "../../../environment"
 
 export function processTable(table: Table): Table {
   if (!table) {
diff --git a/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.ts b/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.ts
index 793bfa8c6a..828b389add 100644
--- a/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.ts
+++ b/packages/server/src/tests/utilities/TestConfiguration.ts
@@ -245,10 +245,10 @@ export default class TestConfiguration {
     }
   }
 
-  async withEnv(newEnvVars: Partial<typeof env>, f: () => Promise<void>) {
+  async withEnv<T>(newEnvVars: Partial<typeof env>, f: () => Promise<T>) {
     let cleanup = this.setEnv(newEnvVars)
     try {
-      await f()
+      return await f()
     } finally {
       cleanup()
     }
@@ -273,13 +273,13 @@ export default class TestConfiguration {
     }
   }
 
-  async withCoreEnv(
+  async withCoreEnv<T>(
     newEnvVars: Partial<typeof coreEnv>,
-    f: () => Promise<void>
+    f: () => Promise<T>
   ) {
     let cleanup = this.setCoreEnv(newEnvVars)
     try {
-      await f()
+      return await f()
     } finally {
       cleanup()
     }
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/environment.ts b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/environment.ts
index 4deca5df6e..788b45f25d 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/environment.ts
+++ b/packages/worker/src/api/controllers/system/environment.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ async function isSqsAvailable() {
 }
 
 async function isSqsMissing() {
-  return env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE && !(await isSqsAvailable())
+  return coreEnv.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE && !(await isSqsAvailable())
 }
 
 export const fetch = async (ctx: Ctx) => {
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/api/index.ts b/packages/worker/src/api/index.ts
index 08c65b98d4..8ab093a359 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/api/index.ts
+++ b/packages/worker/src/api/index.ts
@@ -5,8 +5,7 @@ const compress = require("koa-compress")
 import zlib from "zlib"
 import { routes } from "./routes"
 import { middleware as pro, sdk } from "@budibase/pro"
-import { auth, middleware } from "@budibase/backend-core"
-import env from "../environment"
+import { auth, middleware, env } from "@budibase/backend-core"
 
 if (env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE) {
   sdk.auditLogs.useSQLSearch()
diff --git a/packages/worker/src/environment.ts b/packages/worker/src/environment.ts
index d642d50846..9f7baf9e9b 100644
--- a/packages/worker/src/environment.ts
+++ b/packages/worker/src/environment.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,6 @@ const environment = {
   DISABLE_ACCOUNT_PORTAL: process.env.DISABLE_ACCOUNT_PORTAL,
   SMTP_FALLBACK_ENABLED: process.env.SMTP_FALLBACK_ENABLED,
   DISABLE_DEVELOPER_LICENSE: process.env.DISABLE_DEVELOPER_LICENSE,
-  SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE: process.env.SQS_SEARCH_ENABLE,
   BUDIBASE_ENVIRONMENT: process.env.BUDIBASE_ENVIRONMENT,
   // smtp
   SMTP_USER: process.env.SMTP_USER,