diff --git a/ai/config.php b/ai/config.php
index c0b47b8..c9d57ec 100644
--- a/ai/config.php
+++ b/ai/config.php
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <?php
 // OpenAI proxy configuration (workspace scope).
-// Reads values from environment variables or executor/.env.
+// Reads values from environment variables, project_env.php, or executor/.env.
 
 function get_ai_env($key) {
     $val = getenv($key);
@@ -23,6 +23,23 @@ function get_ai_env($key) {
 $projectUuid = get_ai_env('PROJECT_UUID');
 $projectId   = get_ai_env('PROJECT_ID');
 
+// Check local project_env.php first if missing
+if (!$projectUuid || !$projectId) {
+    if (file_exists(__DIR__ . '/project_env.php')) {
+        $localEnv = include __DIR__ . '/project_env.php';
+        if (is_array($localEnv)) {
+            if (!$projectUuid && !empty($localEnv['PROJECT_UUID'])) {
+                $projectUuid = $localEnv['PROJECT_UUID'];
+                error_log("Found PROJECT_UUID in project_env.php");
+            }
+            if (!$projectId && !empty($localEnv['PROJECT_ID'])) {
+                $projectId = $localEnv['PROJECT_ID'];
+                error_log("Found PROJECT_ID in project_env.php");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 if (!$projectUuid || !$projectId) {
     error_log("PROJECT_UUID or PROJECT_ID missing, starting .env search");
     $possiblePaths = [
@@ -70,4 +87,4 @@ return [
     'default_model'  => 'gpt-4o-mini',
     'timeout'        => 30,
     'verify_tls'     => true,
-];
+];
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ai/project_env.php b/ai/project_env.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6af2b33
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ai/project_env.php
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<?php
+// Auto-generated project environment configuration.
+// This file serves as a fallback when environment variables are missing in deployment.
+
+return [
+    'PROJECT_UUID' => 'e1f9b5b3-fcef-4c8d-87d2-8630b1f72491',
+    'PROJECT_ID'   => '38471',
+];