diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index c2a416d2ae..5e36a6871c 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -2355,7 +2355,8 @@ INSPECTOR_INTERNAL_INGEST_TOKEN=
 # unset): path to a file whose trimmed content is the token.
 # OMNIROUTE_INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN_FILE=
 # Quota Sharing (Group B — planos 16+22)
-QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER=sqlite              # sqlite | redis
+# sqlite | redis
+QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER=sqlite
 # QUOTA_STORE_REDIS_URL=               # ex.: redis://localhost:6379 (apenas quando driver=redis)
 # QUOTA_SATURATION_THRESHOLD=0.5       # 0..1; >= threshold ativa modo strict (sem empréstimo)
 # QUOTA_SOFT_DEPRIORITIZE_FACTOR=0.7   # 0..1; multiplicador do score quando soft policy ativa
diff --git a/bin/omniroute.mjs b/bin/omniroute.mjs
index c5b280ba64..bfec91fead 100755
--- a/bin/omniroute.mjs
+++ b/bin/omniroute.mjs
@@ -93,6 +93,28 @@ function migrateElectronServerEnv(dataDir) {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Parse a `.env` value with dotenv-compatible comment handling.
+ *
+ * Without this, `KEY=value  # note` stored the comment text as part of the
+ * value. The shipped .env ships exactly such a line for QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER, and
+ * consumers compare it with `===`, so annotating a variable inline silently
+ * disabled it (#10100).
+ *
+ * Quoted values are returned verbatim — a `#` inside quotes is data. For
+ * unquoted values a `#` *preceded by whitespace* starts a comment, so
+ * `pass#word` is preserved.
+ */
+function parseEnvValue(raw) {
+  const value = String(raw).trim();
+
+  const quoted = value.match(/^(['"])([\s\S]*)\1\s*(?:#.*)?$/);
+  if (quoted) return quoted[2];
+
+  const commentIdx = value.search(/\s#/);
+  return (commentIdx === -1 ? value : value.slice(0, commentIdx)).trim();
+}
+
 function loadEnvFile() {
   const envPaths = [];
   const loadedEnvPaths = [];
@@ -128,9 +150,8 @@ function loadEnvFile() {
           const eqIdx = trimmed.indexOf("=");
           if (eqIdx > 0) {
             const key = trimmed.slice(0, eqIdx).trim();
-            const value = trimmed.slice(eqIdx + 1).trim();
             if (process.env[key] === undefined) {
-              process.env[key] = value.replace(/^["']|["']$/g, "");
+              process.env[key] = parseEnvValue(trimmed.slice(eqIdx + 1));
             }
           }
         }
diff --git a/tests/unit/cli-env-inline-comment-10100.test.ts b/tests/unit/cli-env-inline-comment-10100.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2e3b41a725
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/cli-env-inline-comment-10100.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+
+// #10100 — the .env loader kept inline comments inside values, so the shipped
+// `QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER=sqlite  # sqlite | redis` line produced the literal value
+// "sqlite              # sqlite | redis". Consumers compare with `===`, so a
+// user annotating `QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER=redis  # ...` silently got SQLite with no
+// warning (the existing warning lives inside the `redis` branch).
+
+const LOADER = path.resolve("bin/omniroute.mjs");
+
+/**
+ * The loader is a CLI entrypoint with side effects on import, so exercise the
+ * pure helper by extracting it from source rather than importing the module.
+ */
+function loadParseEnvValue(): (raw: string) => string {
+  const source = fs.readFileSync(LOADER, "utf8");
+  const start = source.indexOf("function parseEnvValue(");
+  assert.ok(start > -1, "parseEnvValue should exist in bin/omniroute.mjs");
+  // Walk to the end of the function body.
+  let depth = 0;
+  let end = start;
+  for (let i = source.indexOf("{", start); i < source.length; i++) {
+    if (source[i] === "{") depth++;
+    else if (source[i] === "}") {
+      depth--;
+      if (depth === 0) {
+        end = i + 1;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return new Function(`${source.slice(start, end)}; return parseEnvValue;`)() as (
+    raw: string
+  ) => string;
+}
+
+const parseEnvValue = loadParseEnvValue();
+
+test("an unquoted inline comment is stripped", () => {
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("sqlite              # sqlite | redis"), "sqlite");
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("redis   # sqlite | redis"), "redis");
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("value\t# tab-separated comment"), "value");
+});
+
+test("a '#' with no preceding whitespace is part of the value", () => {
+  // dotenv semantics — passwords and fragments must survive.
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("pass#word"), "pass#word");
+  assert.equal(
+    parseEnvValue("https://example.com/page#section"),
+    "https://example.com/page#section"
+  );
+});
+
+test("quoted values are returned verbatim, including '#'", () => {
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue('"sqlite # not a comment"'), "sqlite # not a comment");
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("'a # b'"), "a # b");
+  // A comment may still follow a closing quote.
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue('"sqlite"   # sqlite | redis'), "sqlite");
+});
+
+test("plain values are unchanged", () => {
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("sqlite"), "sqlite");
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue("  spaced  "), "spaced");
+  assert.equal(parseEnvValue(""), "");
+});
+
+test(".env.example no longer annotates QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER inline", () => {
+  const example = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(".env.example"), "utf8");
+  const line = example.split("\n").find((l) => l.startsWith("QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER="));
+  assert.ok(line, "QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER should still be documented");
+  assert.equal(line, "QUOTA_STORE_DRIVER=sqlite");
+  // Guard the whole file against reintroducing the pattern on unquoted values.
+  const offenders = example
+    .split("\n")
+    .filter((l) => /^[A-Z0-9_]+=[^"'#\n]*\s#/.test(l))
+    .slice(0, 5);
+  assert.deepEqual(offenders, [], `unquoted inline comments would land in the value: ${offenders}`);
+});