diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/config.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/config.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6a0fc15c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/config.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+//! `HostConfig` — the host's runtime knobs parsed ONCE from the environment, instead of the ~68 scattered
+//! `env::var` reads recomputed at every call site (some up to 8×, which lets capture + encode silently
+//! disagree on the resolved backend — plan §2.4). The service / launcher loads `host.env` into the process
+//! environment before the host starts, and the environment is constant for the process lifetime, so a
+//! lazily-parsed global is equivalent to "parsed once at startup".
+//!
+//! **Goal-1 stage 1** (`docs/windows-host-goal1-plan.md`): this is the foundation. Subsequent stages grow
+//! this struct + migrate the remaining read sites onto it, then `SessionPlan` (stage 2) consumes it as the
+//! single owner of the capture/topology/encoder decision. New fields are added here AS call sites migrate —
+//! a field that nothing reads yet would just be dead, so they land together with their migration.
+
+use std::sync::OnceLock;
+
+/// Resolved host configuration. Grows as `env::var` call sites migrate onto it (Goal-1).
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
+pub struct HostConfig {
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_IDD_PUSH` — use the IDD direct-push capturer (in-process Session-0 capture; no WGC helper).
+    pub idd_push: bool,
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER` — explicit encoder-backend override (lowercased; empty = auto-detect by GPU vendor).
+    pub encoder_pref: String,
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_NO_HELPER` — never spawn the user-session WGC helper.
+    pub no_helper: bool,
+    /// `PUNKTFUNK_FORCE_HELPER` — force the WGC helper even when not running as SYSTEM.
+    pub force_helper: bool,
+}
+
+impl HostConfig {
+    fn from_env() -> Self {
+        let flag = |k: &str| std::env::var_os(k).is_some();
+        Self {
+            idd_push: flag("PUNKTFUNK_IDD_PUSH"),
+            encoder_pref: std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER")
+                .unwrap_or_default()
+                .to_ascii_lowercase(),
+            no_helper: flag("PUNKTFUNK_NO_HELPER"),
+            force_helper: flag("PUNKTFUNK_FORCE_HELPER"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// The process-wide host configuration, parsed once on first access.
+pub fn config() -> &'static HostConfig {
+    static CFG: OnceLock<HostConfig> = OnceLock::new();
+    CFG.get_or_init(HostConfig::from_env)
+}
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs
index e3e7d9b2..e50da4fb 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode.rs
@@ -450,10 +450,8 @@ enum GpuVendor {
 /// vendor). Shared by [`open_video`] and the GameStream codec advertisement so both agree.
 #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
 pub(crate) fn windows_resolved_backend() -> WindowsBackend {
-    let pref = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER")
-        .unwrap_or_default()
-        .to_ascii_lowercase();
-    match pref.as_str() {
+    // Resolved ONCE in HostConfig (Goal-1) — was re-read from PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER on every call.
+    match crate::config::config().encoder_pref.as_str() {
         "nvenc" | "hw" | "nvidia" | "cuda" => WindowsBackend::Nvenc,
         "amf" | "amd" => WindowsBackend::Amf,
         "qsv" | "intel" => WindowsBackend::Qsv,
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/main.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/main.rs
index 70bcfdcf..9caf20b3 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/main.rs
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #![allow(dead_code)]
 
 mod audio;
+mod config;
 mod capture;
 mod discovery;
 #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/punktfunk1.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/punktfunk1.rs
index 54023fe8..8efc2669 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/punktfunk1.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/punktfunk1.rs
@@ -2577,7 +2577,8 @@ fn virtual_stream(
 /// desktop, Apollo-style), which has no WGC helper to relay.
 #[cfg(target_os = "windows")]
 fn should_use_helper() -> bool {
-    if std::env::var_os("PUNKTFUNK_NO_HELPER").is_some() || crate::capture::wgc_disabled() {
+    let cfg = crate::config::config();
+    if cfg.no_helper || crate::capture::wgc_disabled() {
         return false;
     }
     // IDD direct-push captures IN-PROCESS in Session 0: the pf-vdisplay driver delivers frames to the
@@ -2585,11 +2586,10 @@ fn should_use_helper() -> bool {
     // needed for VIDEO (and a Session-1 helper couldn't open the Session-0 shared textures anyway).
     // NOTE: input injection (SendInput) from Session 0 can't reach the user's Session-1 desktop yet —
     // a known follow-up; this path validates the video transport. See docs/windows-virtual-display-rust-port.md.
-    if std::env::var_os("PUNKTFUNK_IDD_PUSH").is_some() {
+    if cfg.idd_push {
         return false;
     }
-    std::env::var_os("PUNKTFUNK_FORCE_HELPER").is_some()
-        || crate::capture::wgc_relay::running_as_system()
+    cfg.force_helper || crate::capture::wgc_relay::running_as_system()
 }
 
 /// Windows two-process video stream: the SYSTEM host creates the SudoVDA virtual output (and holds