diff --git a/litellm/constants.py b/litellm/constants.py
index 5bf82a6cad5..f5f2c7a49e4 100644
--- a/litellm/constants.py
+++ b/litellm/constants.py
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import os
 import sys
 from typing import List, Literal
 
+from litellm.litellm_core_utils.env_utils import get_env_int
+
 DEFAULT_HEALTH_CHECK_PROMPT = str(
     os.getenv("DEFAULT_HEALTH_CHECK_PROMPT", "test from litellm")
 )
@@ -102,7 +104,7 @@ DEFAULT_REASONING_EFFORT_MINIMAL_THINKING_BUDGET_GEMINI_2_5_FLASH_LITE = int(
 # Maximum number of callbacks that can be registered
 # This prevents callbacks from exponentially growing and consuming CPU resources
 # Override with LITELLM_MAX_CALLBACKS env var for large deployments (e.g., many teams with guardrails)
-MAX_CALLBACKS = int(os.getenv("LITELLM_MAX_CALLBACKS", 30))
+MAX_CALLBACKS = get_env_int("LITELLM_MAX_CALLBACKS", 30)
 
 # Generic fallback for unknown models
 DEFAULT_REASONING_EFFORT_MINIMAL_THINKING_BUDGET = int(
diff --git a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/env_utils.py b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/env_utils.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..34c65275331
--- /dev/null
+++ b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/env_utils.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+"""
+Utility helpers for reading and parsing environment variables.
+"""
+
+import os
+
+
+def get_env_int(env_var: str, default: int) -> int:
+    """Parse an environment variable as an integer, falling back to default on invalid values.
+
+    Handles empty strings, whitespace, and non-numeric values gracefully
+    so that misconfiguration doesn't crash the process at import time.
+    """
+    raw = os.getenv(env_var)
+    if raw is None:
+        return default
+    raw = raw.strip()
+    try:
+        return int(raw)
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return default