diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/mod.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/mod.rs
index 4a592d66..d495c0be 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/mod.rs
@@ -311,12 +311,7 @@ impl NvencEncoder {
         // hold frame size roughly constant and absorb motion as a momentary QP (quality) dip instead
         // — the trade we want. Default = 1 frame of bits (bitrate/fps); PUNKTFUNK_VBV_FRAMES tunes it
         // (larger = better motion quality but bigger per-frame bursts).
-        let vbv_frames = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VBV_FRAMES")
-            .ok()
-            .and_then(|s| s.parse::<f32>().ok())
-            .filter(|v| v.is_finite() && *v > 0.0)
-            .unwrap_or(1.0);
-        let vbv_bits = ((bitrate_bps as f64 / fps.max(1) as f64) * vbv_frames as f64)
+        let vbv_bits = ((bitrate_bps as f64 / fps.max(1) as f64) * crate::encode::vbv_frames_env())
             .clamp(1.0, i32::MAX as f64);
         // SAFETY: `video` is the ffmpeg-next encoder builder wrapping a freshly-allocated
         // `AVCodecContext` that we hold by value and have not opened yet; `video.as_mut_ptr()` returns
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/vaapi.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/vaapi.rs
index 5385b4f6..7a0903b1 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/vaapi.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/linux/vaapi.rs
@@ -195,13 +195,8 @@ unsafe fn open_vaapi_encoder_mode(
     video.set_frame_rate(Some(Rational(fps as i32, 1)));
     video.set_bit_rate(bitrate_bps as usize);
     video.set_max_bit_rate(bitrate_bps as usize); // == target → vaapi_encode picks CBR when supported
-    let vbv_frames = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VBV_FRAMES")
-        .ok()
-        .and_then(|s| s.parse::<f32>().ok())
-        .filter(|v| v.is_finite() && *v > 0.0)
-        .unwrap_or(1.0);
-    let vbv_bits =
-        ((bitrate_bps as f64 / fps.max(1) as f64) * vbv_frames as f64).clamp(1.0, i32::MAX as f64);
+    let vbv_bits = ((bitrate_bps as f64 / fps.max(1) as f64) * crate::encode::vbv_frames_env())
+        .clamp(1.0, i32::MAX as f64);
     video.set_max_b_frames(0);
     let raw = video.as_mut_ptr();
     (*raw).rc_buffer_size = vbv_bits as i32;
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs
index ebbefd4a..39fd3da7 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/encode/windows/ffmpeg_win.rs
@@ -191,13 +191,8 @@ unsafe fn open_win_encoder(
     video.set_frame_rate(Some(Rational(fps as i32, 1)));
     video.set_bit_rate(bitrate_bps as usize);
     video.set_max_bit_rate(bitrate_bps as usize); // target == max → CBR
-    let vbv_frames = std::env::var("PUNKTFUNK_VBV_FRAMES")
-        .ok()
-        .and_then(|s| s.parse::<f32>().ok())
-        .filter(|v| v.is_finite() && *v > 0.0)
-        .unwrap_or(1.0);
-    let vbv_bits =
-        ((bitrate_bps as f64 / fps.max(1) as f64) * vbv_frames as f64).clamp(1.0, i32::MAX as f64);
+    let vbv_bits = ((bitrate_bps as f64 / fps.max(1) as f64) * crate::encode::vbv_frames_env())
+        .clamp(1.0, i32::MAX as f64);
     video.set_max_b_frames(0);
     let raw = video.as_mut_ptr();
     (*raw).rc_buffer_size = vbv_bits as i32;