diff --git a/ai/config.php b/ai/config.php
index c890698..d302dff 100644
--- a/ai/config.php
+++ b/ai/config.php
@@ -24,18 +24,30 @@ if (
             if ($key === '') {
                 continue;
             }
-            $value = trim($value, "\"' ");
+            $value = trim($value, "' ");
+            
+            if ($key === 'PROJECT_UUID' && (empty($projectUuid))) {
+                $projectUuid = $value;
+            }
+            if ($key === 'PROJECT_ID' && (empty($projectId))) {
+                $projectId = $value;
+            }
+
             if (getenv($key) === false || getenv($key) === '') {
                 putenv("{$key}={$value}");
             }
         }
-        $projectUuid = getenv('PROJECT_UUID');
-        $projectId   = getenv('PROJECT_ID');
+    } else {
+        error_log("AI Config: .env file not found or not readable at " . (__DIR__ . '/../../.env'));
     }
 }
 
-$projectUuid = ($projectUuid === false) ? null : $projectUuid;
-$projectId   = ($projectId === false) ? null : $projectId;
+$projectUuid = ($projectUuid === false || $projectUuid === '') ? null : $projectUuid;
+$projectId   = ($projectId === false || $projectId === '') ? null : $projectId;
+
+if (empty($projectUuid)) {
+    error_log("AI Config: PROJECT_UUID is still empty after check.");
+}
 
 $baseUrl       = 'https://flatlogic.com';
 $responsesPath = $projectId ? "/projects/{$projectId}/ai-request" : null;
@@ -49,4 +61,4 @@ return [
     'default_model'  => 'gpt-5-mini',
     'timeout'        => 30,
     'verify_tls'     => true,
-];
+];
\ No newline at end of file