diff --git a/services/integration_tests/Cargo.toml b/services/integration_tests/Cargo.toml
index e7974ab6d..a45ef27ef 100644
--- a/services/integration_tests/Cargo.toml
+++ b/services/integration_tests/Cargo.toml
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ uuid = { workspace = true, features = ["v4"] }
 # Time handling
 chrono = { workspace = true }
 
+# Environment variables
+dotenvy = "0.15"
+
 [dev-dependencies]
 # Test utilities
 serial_test.workspace = true
diff --git a/services/integration_tests/tests/common/auth_helpers.rs b/services/integration_tests/tests/common/auth_helpers.rs
index 837ecc8eb..7c5ba2d09 100644
--- a/services/integration_tests/tests/common/auth_helpers.rs
+++ b/services/integration_tests/tests/common/auth_helpers.rs
@@ -200,6 +200,9 @@ impl TestAuthConfig {
 /// 2. Set JWT_SECRET in .env file
 /// 3. Load .env before running tests (e.g., `source .env` or use dotenv)
 pub fn get_test_jwt_secret() -> String {
+    // Load .env file for JWT_SECRET (idempotent, safe to call multiple times)
+    let _ = dotenvy::dotenv();
+
     std::env::var("JWT_SECRET").expect(
         "FATAL: JWT_SECRET must be set in .env file for E2E tests\n\
          \n\