diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 01f01f5..9b43d10 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ import (
 
 // Config is Tapir's fully-resolved runtime configuration.
 type Config struct {
+	// UploadConfig is the audio-upload and private-transcription settings (ADR-033).
+	UploadConfig
+
 	// UserID is the Tapir user the run operates as. Stage 0 has exactly one.
 	// It must be a UUID: it keys the UUID user_id/video_id columns (data-model).
 	UserID string
@@ -320,6 +323,10 @@ func Load() (Config, error) {
 	}
 	c.OnboardMaxVideoSeconds = onboardMax
 
+	if c.UploadConfig, err = loadUploadConfig(); err != nil {
+		return Config{}, err
+	}
+
 	return c, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/config/uploads.go b/internal/config/uploads.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a496b20
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/config/uploads.go
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strconv"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// UploadConfig holds the settings for audio upload and private transcription
+// (ADR-033). It is embedded in Config, so its fields read as c.UploadsEnabled etc.
+type UploadConfig struct {
+	// UploadsEnabled mounts the /uploads routes and starts the worker. Off by
+	// default: the runtime image must contain ffmpeg and ffprobe first (ADR-033).
+	UploadsEnabled bool
+	// UploadMaxBytes caps one upload. UploadMaxDuration caps one recording; 90
+	// minutes is the longest length MEASURED, not a ceiling that was found, so
+	// raising it is a measurement, not an edit.
+	UploadMaxBytes    int64
+	UploadMaxDuration time.Duration
+	// TranscribeModel is the primary gateway alias; TranscribeFallbackModel is the
+	// fallback, tried on ANY primary failure. The fallback is a cloud endpoint
+	// (berget): set it EMPTY to keep private audio on the homelab.
+	TranscribeModel         string
+	TranscribeFallbackModel string
+	// TranscribeTimeout bounds one job (conversion + transcription); a 90 minute
+	// recording took ~7.5 minutes on iguana.
+	TranscribeTimeout time.Duration
+	// UploadTmpDir is where uploads are spooled and converted. Audio is deleted
+	// after transcription, so this holds at most the in-flight files.
+	UploadTmpDir string
+	FFmpegBin    string
+	FFprobeBin   string
+	// MaxUploadedTranscriptChars bounds the transcript sent to a chat model for an
+	// UPLOADED recording. The 18,000-char default for captions is ~22 minutes of
+	// speech; an hour of meeting is ~50,000 chars. A guess until measured against
+	// the models chat offers.
+	MaxUploadedTranscriptChars int
+}
+
+const (
+	defaultUploadMaxMB             = 200
+	defaultUploadMaxMinutes        = 90
+	defaultTranscribeModel         = "iguana/kb-whisper"
+	defaultTranscribeFallbackModel = "berget/kb-whisper"
+	defaultTranscribeTimeout       = 30 * time.Minute
+	defaultMaxUploadedChars        = 120000
+)
+
+func loadUploadConfig() (UploadConfig, error) {
+	u := UploadConfig{
+		TranscribeModel:         envOr("TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_MODEL", defaultTranscribeModel),
+		TranscribeFallbackModel: lookupOr("TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_FALLBACK_MODEL", defaultTranscribeFallbackModel),
+		UploadTmpDir:            envOr("TAPIR_UPLOAD_TMP_DIR", os.TempDir()),
+		FFmpegBin:               envOr("TAPIR_FFMPEG_BIN", "ffmpeg"),
+		FFprobeBin:              envOr("TAPIR_FFPROBE_BIN", "ffprobe"),
+	}
+
+	if v := os.Getenv("TAPIR_UPLOADS_ENABLED"); v != "" {
+		on, err := strconv.ParseBool(v)
+		if err != nil {
+			return UploadConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("config: TAPIR_UPLOADS_ENABLED=%q: %w", v, err)
+		}
+		u.UploadsEnabled = on
+	}
+
+	mb, err := positiveInt("TAPIR_UPLOAD_MAX_MB", defaultUploadMaxMB)
+	if err != nil {
+		return UploadConfig{}, err
+	}
+	u.UploadMaxBytes = int64(mb) << 20
+
+	mins, err := positiveInt("TAPIR_UPLOAD_MAX_MINUTES", defaultUploadMaxMinutes)
+	if err != nil {
+		return UploadConfig{}, err
+	}
+	u.UploadMaxDuration = time.Duration(mins) * time.Minute
+
+	timeout, err := durationOr("TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_TIMEOUT", defaultTranscribeTimeout)
+	if err != nil {
+		return UploadConfig{}, err
+	}
+	if timeout <= 0 {
+		return UploadConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("config: TAPIR_TRANSCRIBE_TIMEOUT must be positive, got %v", timeout)
+	}
+	u.TranscribeTimeout = timeout
+
+	chars, err := intOr("TAPIR_MAX_UPLOADED_TRANSCRIPT_CHARS", defaultMaxUploadedChars)
+	if err != nil {
+		return UploadConfig{}, err
+	}
+	if chars < 0 {
+		chars = 0
+	}
+	u.MaxUploadedTranscriptChars = chars
+	return u, nil
+}
+
+// positiveInt is intOr that refuses zero and negatives: a zero upload limit would
+// reject every file, which is a misconfiguration to fail on, not to run with.
+func positiveInt(key string, fallback int) (int, error) {
+	n, err := intOr(key, fallback)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	if n <= 0 {
+		return 0, fmt.Errorf("config: %s must be positive, got %d", key, n)
+	}
+	return n, nil
+}