diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 6a73046..1341216 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ If you're using VS Code refer [here](https://stackoverflow.com/a/56554313) to se
 4. Make sure that the update fixes all the bugs listed for its milestone number.  
 5. Check for an [update](http://quilljs.com/docs/download/) to quill version, and replace the `min.js` and `snow.css` files in our codebase. Verify that this does not break any existing RTE logic.
 6. Run UI tests (Jest+Puppeteer).
+7. Update MODE to production in webpack config js before final build, and do build once.
 
 ## **After updating the extension**
 
diff --git a/webpack.config.js b/webpack.config.js
index 3f094f7..28e132b 100644
--- a/webpack.config.js
+++ b/webpack.config.js
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ module.exports = {
     // development mode ensures terser (es6 minifier) is not run
     // see https://webpack.js.org/configuration/mode
     module: moduleObject,
-    mode: MODE,
+    // this must always be development, since source files
+    // should not be minified, according Webstore policy
+    mode: "development",
     entry: {
         background: `${__dirname}/js/background.js`,
         detector: `${__dirname}/js/detector.js`,