diff --git a/headroom/providers/litellm.py b/headroom/providers/litellm.py
index cc374d5e6..95d13311a 100644
--- a/headroom/providers/litellm.py
+++ b/headroom/providers/litellm.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ Requires: pip install litellm
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
+import os
 from typing import Any
 
 from headroom.tokenizers import EstimatingTokenCounter
@@ -32,6 +33,10 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 # Check if litellm is available
 try:
+    # LiteLLM can print its provider-list banner during import, before the
+    # module-level suppression flags below can be set.
+    os.environ.setdefault("LITELLM_SUPPRESS_DEBUG_INFO", "True")
+
     import litellm
 
     # Suppress litellm's startup banner ("Provider List: https://...") and
diff --git a/tests/test_startup_log_noise.py b/tests/test_startup_log_noise.py
index 0da69ddeb..b04c72b93 100644
--- a/tests/test_startup_log_noise.py
+++ b/tests/test_startup_log_noise.py
@@ -9,8 +9,12 @@ Covers the fixes in:
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import builtins
+import importlib
 import logging
+import sys
 import warnings
+from types import ModuleType
 
 
 class TestAnthropicWarnParameter:
@@ -110,6 +114,40 @@ class TestEmbedderLogLevels:
 class TestLiteLLMLogSuppression:
     """litellm startup banner suppression must be applied at import time."""
 
+    def test_litellm_suppress_env_is_set_before_import(self, monkeypatch):
+        """The env flag must exist before litellm itself is imported."""
+        import os
+
+        monkeypatch.delenv("LITELLM_SUPPRESS_DEBUG_INFO", raising=False)
+        sys.modules.pop("headroom.providers.litellm", None)
+        sys.modules.pop("litellm", None)
+
+        original_import = builtins.__import__
+        fake_litellm = ModuleType("litellm")
+        fake_litellm.suppress_debug_info = False
+        fake_litellm.set_verbose = True
+        fake_litellm.get_model_info = lambda _model: {}
+        fake_litellm.model_cost = {}
+        fake_litellm.token_counter = lambda **_kwargs: 0
+        observed_env: list[str | None] = []
+
+        def import_spy(name, globals=None, locals=None, fromlist=(), level=0):
+            if name == "litellm":
+                observed_env.append(os.environ.get("LITELLM_SUPPRESS_DEBUG_INFO"))
+                sys.modules["litellm"] = fake_litellm
+                return fake_litellm
+            return original_import(name, globals, locals, fromlist, level)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(builtins, "__import__", import_spy)
+        try:
+            importlib.import_module("headroom.providers.litellm")
+        finally:
+            sys.modules.pop("headroom.providers.litellm", None)
+            sys.modules.pop("litellm", None)
+
+        assert observed_env
+        assert all(value == "True" for value in observed_env)
+
     def test_litellm_suppress_debug_info_is_set(self):
         """litellm.suppress_debug_info must be True after importing the litellm provider."""
         litellm = pytest_importorskip_litellm()