diff --git a/src/multi_swarm/config.py b/src/multi_swarm/config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e95f6c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/multi_swarm/config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+"""Pydantic settings loader for Multi_Swarm_Coevolutive.
+
+Loads configuration from environment variables and an optional ``.env`` file
+in the project root. Required secrets are validated at instantiation time.
+"""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from pydantic import Field, SecretStr
+from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, SettingsConfigDict
+
+
+class Settings(BaseSettings):
+    model_config = SettingsConfigDict(
+        env_file=".env",
+        env_file_encoding="utf-8",
+        extra="ignore",
+        case_sensitive=False,
+    )
+
+    cerbero_base_url: str = "http://localhost:9000"
+    cerbero_testnet_token: SecretStr
+    cerbero_mainnet_token: SecretStr | None = None
+    cerbero_bot_tag: str = "swarm-poc-phase1"
+
+    openrouter_api_key: SecretStr
+    anthropic_api_key: SecretStr | None = None
+
+    run_name: str = "phase1-spike-001"
+    data_dir: Path = Field(default=Path("./data"))
+    series_dir: Path = Field(default=Path("./series"))
+    db_path: Path = Field(default=Path("./runs.db"))
+
+
+def load_settings() -> Settings:
+    # Required fields are populated from environment / .env, not init kwargs.
+    return Settings()  # type: ignore[call-arg]
diff --git a/tests/unit/__init__.py b/tests/unit/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_config.py b/tests/unit/test_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..436db38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/test_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+"""Tests for multi_swarm.config.Settings.
+
+Note on .env isolation:
+The happy-path test relies on monkeypatch.setenv to provide values.
+The "requires tokens" test forces _env_file=None when constructing Settings,
+so that a developer's local .env (if present and populated) cannot mask the
+absence of required env vars. This keeps the test deterministic both in CI
+(no .env) and in local dev (.env may exist).
+"""
+
+import pytest
+
+from multi_swarm.config import Settings
+
+
+def test_settings_loads_from_env(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setenv("CERBERO_BASE_URL", "http://test:9000")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("CERBERO_TESTNET_TOKEN", "tok-test")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("CERBERO_MAINNET_TOKEN", "tok-main")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("CERBERO_BOT_TAG", "swarm-poc-phase1")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("OPENROUTER_API_KEY", "or-key")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", "an-key")
+    monkeypatch.setenv("RUN_NAME", "test-run")
+
+    s = Settings()  # type: ignore[call-arg]
+
+    assert s.cerbero_base_url == "http://test:9000"
+    assert s.cerbero_testnet_token.get_secret_value() == "tok-test"
+    assert s.run_name == "test-run"
+    assert s.data_dir.name == "data"
+    assert s.db_path.name == "runs.db"
+
+
+def test_settings_requires_tokens(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.delenv("CERBERO_TESTNET_TOKEN", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("OPENROUTER_API_KEY", raising=False)
+    from pydantic import ValidationError
+
+    with pytest.raises(ValidationError):
+        # Disable .env loading to keep the test deterministic regardless of
+        # whether a developer's local .env exists and is populated.
+        Settings(_env_file=None)  # type: ignore[call-arg]