diff --git a/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/DbAuthHandler.test.js b/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/DbAuthHandler.test.js
index ec19f587da7b..b173d0bae686 100644
--- a/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/DbAuthHandler.test.js
+++ b/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/DbAuthHandler.test.js
@@ -1505,6 +1505,7 @@ describe('dbAuth', () => {
           ),
         },
       }
+
       const dbAuth = new DbAuthHandler(event, context, options)
       const response = await dbAuth.getToken()
 
@@ -1512,6 +1513,92 @@ describe('dbAuth', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  describe('When a developer has set GraphiQL headers to mock a session cookie', () => {
+    describe('when in development environment', () => {
+      const curNodeEnv = process.env.NODE_ENV
+
+      beforeAll(() => {
+        // Session cookie from graphiQLHeaders only extracted in dev
+        process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development'
+      })
+
+      afterAll(() => {
+        process.env.NODE_ENV = curNodeEnv
+        expect(process.env.NODE_ENV).toBe('test')
+      })
+
+      it('authenticates the user based on GraphiQL headers when no event.headers present', async () => {
+        // setup graphiQL header cookie in extensions
+        const dbUser = await createDbUser()
+        event.body = JSON.stringify({
+          extensions: {
+            headers: {
+              'auth-provider': 'dbAuth',
+              cookie: encryptToCookie(JSON.stringify({ id: dbUser.id })),
+              authorization: 'Bearer ' + dbUser.id,
+            },
+          },
+        })
+
+        const dbAuth = new DbAuthHandler(event, context, options)
+        const user = await dbAuth._getCurrentUser()
+        expect(user.id).toEqual(dbUser.id)
+      })
+
+      it('Cookie from GraphiQLHeaders takes precedence over event headers when authenticating user', async () => {
+        // setup session cookie in GraphiQL header
+        const dbUser = await createDbUser()
+        const dbUserId = dbUser.id
+
+        event.body = JSON.stringify({
+          extensions: {
+            headers: {
+              'auth-provider': 'dbAuth',
+              cookie: encryptToCookie(JSON.stringify({ id: dbUserId })),
+              authorization: 'Bearer ' + dbUserId,
+            },
+          },
+        })
+
+        // create session cookie in event header
+        event.headers.cookie = encryptToCookie(
+          JSON.stringify({ id: 9999999999 })
+        )
+
+        // should read session from graphiQL header, not from cookie
+        const dbAuth = new DbAuthHandler(event, context, options)
+        const user = await dbAuth._getCurrentUser()
+        expect(user.id).toEqual(dbUserId)
+      })
+    })
+
+    describe('when in test/production environment and  graphiqlHeader sets a session cookie', () => {
+      it("isn't used to authenticate a user", async () => {
+        const dbUser = await createDbUser()
+        const dbUserId = dbUser.id
+
+        event.body = JSON.stringify({
+          extensions: {
+            headers: {
+              'auth-provider': 'dbAuth',
+              cookie: encryptToCookie(JSON.stringify({ id: dbUserId })),
+              authorization: 'Bearer ' + dbUserId,
+            },
+          },
+        })
+
+        try {
+          const dbAuth = new DbAuthHandler(event, context, options)
+          await dbAuth._getCurrentUser()
+        } catch (e) {
+          expect(e.message).toEqual(
+            'Cannot retrieve user details without being logged in'
+          )
+        }
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
   describe('webAuthnAuthenticate', () => {
     it('throws an error if WebAuthn options are not defined', async () => {
       event = {
diff --git a/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/shared.test.js b/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/shared.test.js
index 25e71355de3d..2dfeae6a407e 100644
--- a/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/shared.test.js
+++ b/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/__tests__/shared.test.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import CryptoJS from 'crypto-js'
 
 import * as error from '../errors'
 import {
+  extractCookie,
   getSession,
   hashPassword,
   decryptSession,
@@ -120,4 +121,105 @@ describe('hashPassword', () => {
     expect(salt).toMatch(/^[a-f0-9]+$/)
     expect(salt.length).toEqual(32)
   })
+
+  describe('session cookie extraction', () => {
+    let event
+
+    const encryptToCookie = (data) => {
+      return `session=${CryptoJS.AES.encrypt(data, process.env.SESSION_SECRET)}`
+    }
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      event = {
+        queryStringParameters: {},
+        path: '/.redwood/functions/auth',
+        headers: {},
+      }
+    })
+
+    it('extracts from the event', () => {
+      const cookie = encryptToCookie(
+        JSON.stringify({ id: 9999999999 }) + ';' + 'token'
+      )
+
+      event = {
+        headers: {
+          cookie,
+        },
+      }
+
+      expect(extractCookie(event)).toEqual(cookie)
+    })
+
+    it('extract cookie handles non-JSON event body', () => {
+      event.body = ''
+
+      expect(extractCookie(event)).toBeUndefined()
+    })
+
+    describe('when in development', () => {
+      const curNodeEnv = process.env.NODE_ENV
+
+      beforeAll(() => {
+        // Session cookie from graphiQLHeaders only extracted in dev
+        process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development'
+      })
+
+      afterAll(() => {
+        process.env.NODE_ENV = curNodeEnv
+        event = {}
+        expect(process.env.NODE_ENV).toBe('test')
+      })
+
+      it('extract cookie handles non-JSON event body', () => {
+        event.body = ''
+
+        expect(extractCookie(event)).toBeUndefined()
+      })
+
+      it('extracts GraphiQL cookie from the header extensions', () => {
+        const dbUserId = 42
+
+        const cookie = encryptToCookie(JSON.stringify({ id: dbUserId }))
+        event.body = JSON.stringify({
+          extensions: {
+            headers: {
+              'auth-provider': 'dbAuth',
+              cookie,
+              authorization: 'Bearer ' + dbUserId,
+            },
+          },
+        })
+
+        expect(extractCookie(event)).toEqual(cookie)
+      })
+
+      it('overwrites cookie with event header GraphiQL when in dev', () => {
+        const sessionCookie = encryptToCookie(
+          JSON.stringify({ id: 9999999999 }) + ';' + 'token'
+        )
+
+        event = {
+          headers: {
+            cookie: sessionCookie,
+          },
+        }
+
+        const dbUserId = 42
+
+        const cookie = encryptToCookie(JSON.stringify({ id: dbUserId }))
+        event.body = JSON.stringify({
+          extensions: {
+            headers: {
+              'auth-provider': 'dbAuth',
+              cookie,
+              authorization: 'Bearer ' + dbUserId,
+            },
+          },
+        })
+
+        expect(extractCookie(event)).toEqual(cookie)
+      })
+    })
+  })
 })
diff --git a/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/shared.ts b/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/shared.ts
index b69d83abcd97..1a005f4c4e59 100644
--- a/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/shared.ts
+++ b/packages/auth-providers-api/src/dbAuth/shared.ts
@@ -3,22 +3,34 @@ import CryptoJS from 'crypto-js'
 
 import * as DbAuthError from './errors'
 
-// Extracts the cookie from an event, handling lower and upper case header
-// names.
-// Checks for cookie in headers in dev when user has generated graphiql headers
-export const extractCookie = (event: APIGatewayProxyEvent) => {
-  let cookieFromGraphiqlHeader
+// Extracts the cookie from an event, handling lower and upper case header names.
+const eventHeadersCookie = (event: APIGatewayProxyEvent) => {
+  return event.headers.cookie || event.headers.Cookie
+}
+
+// When in development environment, check for cookie in the request extension headers
+// if user has generated graphiql headers
+const eventGraphiQLHeadersCookie = (event: APIGatewayProxyEvent) => {
   if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
     try {
-      cookieFromGraphiqlHeader = JSON.parse(event.body ?? '{}').extensions
-        ?.headers?.cookie
-    } catch (e) {
-      return event.headers.cookie || event.headers.Cookie
+      const jsonBody = JSON.parse(event.body ?? '{}')
+      return (
+        jsonBody?.extensions?.headers?.cookie ||
+        jsonBody?.extensions?.headers?.Cookie
+      )
+    } catch {
+      // sometimes the event body isn't json
+      return
     }
   }
-  return (
-    event.headers.cookie || event.headers.Cookie || cookieFromGraphiqlHeader
-  )
+
+  return
+}
+
+// Extracts the session cookie from an event, handling both
+// development environment GraphiQL headers and production environment headers.
+export const extractCookie = (event: APIGatewayProxyEvent) => {
+  return eventGraphiQLHeadersCookie(event) || eventHeadersCookie(event)
 }
 
 // decrypts the session cookie and returns an array: [data, csrf]