diff --git a/deploy/stages.md b/deploy/stages.md
index 4c70e05..6310487 100644
--- a/deploy/stages.md
+++ b/deploy/stages.md
@@ -36,7 +36,10 @@ each stage directory. Set per stage in `.env` (mode 600):
   them, signup/reset mails queue up and fail
 
 Fixture accounts on the stages are created with the regular seed, but with
-stage-specific passwords (never the public dev password):
+stage-specific passwords (never the public dev password). **Always pass
+both override variables when re-seeding a stage** — the seed re-hashes
+credentials on every run, so omitting them silently resets the stage
+accounts to the public dev password:
 
 ```sh
 FIXTURE_ADMIN_PASSWORD=… FIXTURE_USER_PASSWORD=… \