diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index 5565a2f..3fe4afb 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 2026-01-25 - 4.4.1 - fix(tests)
+add explicit 'as string' type assertions to environment variable retrievals in tests
+
+- Add 'as string' assertions for S3_ACCESSKEY, S3_SECRETKEY, S3_ENDPOINT, and S3_BUCKET to satisfy TypeScript typings in tests
+- Cast S3_PORT to string before parseInt to ensure correct input type and avoid compiler errors
+- Changes are localized to test/test.listing.node+deno.ts
+
 ## 2026-01-25 - 4.4.0 - feat(watcher)
 add polling-based BucketWatcher to detect add/modify/delete events and expose RxJS Observable and EventEmitter APIs
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 179f880..2082175 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@push.rocks/smartbucket",
-  "version": "4.4.0",
+  "version": "4.4.1",
   "description": "A TypeScript library providing a cloud-agnostic interface for managing object storage with functionalities like bucket management, file and directory operations, and advanced features such as metadata handling and file locking.",
   "main": "dist_ts/index.js",
   "typings": "dist_ts/index.d.ts",
diff --git a/test/test.listing.node+deno.ts b/test/test.listing.node+deno.ts
index 40c479b..9757573 100644
--- a/test/test.listing.node+deno.ts
+++ b/test/test.listing.node+deno.ts
@@ -14,16 +14,16 @@ let testSmartbucket: smartbucket.SmartBucket;
 // Setup: Create test bucket and populate with test data
 tap.test('should create valid smartbucket and bucket', async () => {
   testSmartbucket = new smartbucket.SmartBucket({
-    accessKey: await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_ACCESSKEY'),
-    accessSecret: await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_SECRETKEY'),
-    endpoint: await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_ENDPOINT'),
-    port: parseInt(await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_PORT')),
+    accessKey: await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_ACCESSKEY') as string,
+    accessSecret: await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_SECRETKEY') as string,
+    endpoint: await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_ENDPOINT') as string,
+    port: parseInt(await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_PORT') as string),
     useSsl: false,
   });
 
   testBucket = await smartbucket.Bucket.getBucketByName(
     testSmartbucket,
-    await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_BUCKET')
+    await testQenv.getEnvVarOnDemand('S3_BUCKET')  as string
   );
   expect(testBucket).toBeInstanceOf(smartbucket.Bucket);
 });
diff --git a/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts b/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
index f8573fb..e7e9efa 100644
--- a/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
+++ b/ts/00_commitinfo_data.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,6 @@
  */
 export const commitinfo = {
   name: '@push.rocks/smartbucket',
-  version: '4.4.0',
+  version: '4.4.1',
   description: 'A TypeScript library providing a cloud-agnostic interface for managing object storage with functionalities like bucket management, file and directory operations, and advanced features such as metadata handling and file locking.'
 }