diff --git a/config.py b/config.py
index 9e7eb26..393470d 100644
--- a/config.py
+++ b/config.py
@@ -16,6 +16,15 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
 
+# Load .env file if it exists
+try:
+    from dotenv import load_dotenv
+    _env_path = Path(__file__).parent / ".env"
+    if _env_path.exists():
+        load_dotenv(_env_path)
+except ImportError:
+    pass  # python-dotenv not installed
+
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
 class ElasticSettings:
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index c8bcc37..b04a199 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@ Flask>=2.3
 elasticsearch>=7.0.0,<9.0.0
 youtube-transcript-api>=0.6
 google-api-python-client>=2.0.0
+python-dotenv>=0.19.0