diff --git a/.changeset/envvars-update-name-scope.md b/.changeset/envvars-update-name-scope.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6b1fd88b6a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/envvars-update-name-scope.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@trigger.dev/sdk": patch
+---
+
+Fix `envvars.update()` throwing `ReferenceError: name is not defined` when called outside a task run (for example from a deploy script).
diff --git a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/envvars.ts b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/envvars.ts
index 153be22a3d3..23a2a4341fc 100644
--- a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/envvars.ts
+++ b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/envvars.ts
@@ -332,13 +332,17 @@ export function update(
       throw new Error("projectRef is required");
     }
 
+    if (typeof nameOrRequestOptions !== "string") {
+      throw new Error("name is required");
+    }
+
     if (!params) {
       throw new Error("params is required");
     }
 
     $projectRef = projectRefOrName;
     $slug = slugOrParams;
-    $name = name!;
+    $name = nameOrRequestOptions;
     $params = params;
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/triggerClient.types.test.ts b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/triggerClient.types.test.ts
index 1a04e46e1e7..8affb238838 100644
--- a/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/triggerClient.types.test.ts
+++ b/packages/trigger-sdk/src/v3/triggerClient.types.test.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,15 @@ describe("TriggerClient surface — type-level guarantees", () => {
     // Zero-arg form (uses task context — still typeable at the call site)
     expectTypeOf(client.envvars.list).toBeCallableWith();
   });
+
+  it("preserves envvars.update overloads (out of task context form AND in-task form)", () => {
+    // Four-arg form (out-of-task: projectRef, slug, name, params)
+    expectTypeOf(client.envvars.update).toBeCallableWith("proj_1234", "dev", "MY_VAR", {
+      value: "secret",
+    });
+    // Two-arg form (in-task: name, params)
+    expectTypeOf(client.envvars.update).toBeCallableWith("MY_VAR", { value: "secret" });
+  });
 });
 
 describe("TriggerClient surface — curated subsets", () => {