esp32/esp32c3 encryption + secure boot in release mode

[Kited To Hell]

hello there,
i want to make my esp ready and as secure as it can for release.

i tried playing with development mode and then going to release mode via change of config, but then i lost the ability to run idf.py encrypted-flash --force and i got stuck.

after a while i manged to get it done, but only if i pre saved the flash encryption key and manually encrypted and flashed everything.



i was wondering if maybe there was a simpler way? i read the entire guide and examples and they dont cover release mode all that well.

i'm also not sure, if i flash with development mode config and then call the function "esp_flash_encryption_set_release_mode"
will it behave the same as a flash with release mode?