diff --git a/aider/main.py b/aider/main.py
index 980391b82..460596ff6 100644
--- a/aider/main.py
+++ b/aider/main.py
@@ -451,12 +451,63 @@ def main(argv=None, input=None, output=None, force_git_root=None, return_coder=F
 
     args, unknown = parser.parse_known_args(argv)
 
+    dump(os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"))
+
     # Load the .env file specified in the arguments
     loaded_dotenvs = load_dotenv_files(git_root, args.env_file, args.encoding)
 
+    dump(os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"))
+
     # Parse again to include any arguments that might have been defined in .env
     args = parser.parse_args(argv)
 
+    dump(os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"))
+
+    # Process any environment variables set via --set-env
+    if args.set_env:
+        for env_setting in args.set_env:
+            try:
+                name, value = env_setting.split("=", 1)
+                os.environ[name.strip()] = value.strip()
+            except ValueError:
+                io.tool_error(f"Invalid --set-env format: {env_setting}")
+                io.tool_output("Format should be: ENV_VAR_NAME=value")
+                return 1
+
+    # Process any API keys set via --api-key
+    if args.api_key:
+        for api_setting in args.api_key:
+            try:
+                provider, key = api_setting.split("=", 1)
+                env_var = f"{provider.strip().upper()}_API_KEY"
+                os.environ[env_var] = key.strip()
+                dump(env_var)
+            except ValueError:
+                io.tool_error(f"Invalid --api-key format: {api_setting}")
+                io.tool_output("Format should be: provider=key")
+                return 1
+
+    dump(os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"))
+
+    # AI: for each of these, add io.tool_warning("--xxx is deprecated, use ---yyy") and either use --api-key foo=<key> or --set-env FOO=value
+    if args.anthropic_api_key:
+        os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] = args.anthropic_api_key
+
+    if args.openai_api_key:
+        os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"] = args.openai_api_key
+    if args.openai_api_base:
+        os.environ["OPENAI_API_BASE"] = args.openai_api_base
+    if args.openai_api_version:
+        os.environ["OPENAI_API_VERSION"] = args.openai_api_version
+    if args.openai_api_type:
+        os.environ["OPENAI_API_TYPE"] = args.openai_api_type
+    if args.openai_organization_id:
+        os.environ["OPENAI_ORGANIZATION"] = args.openai_organization_id
+
+    # ... down to here AI!
+
+    dump(os.environ.get("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"))
+
     if args.analytics_disable:
         analytics = Analytics(permanently_disable=True)
         print("Analytics have been permanently disabled.")
@@ -526,29 +577,6 @@ def main(argv=None, input=None, output=None, force_git_root=None, return_coder=F
         io = get_io(False)
         io.tool_warning("Terminal does not support pretty output (UnicodeDecodeError)")
 
-    # Process any environment variables set via --set-env
-    if args.set_env:
-        for env_setting in args.set_env:
-            try:
-                name, value = env_setting.split("=", 1)
-                os.environ[name.strip()] = value.strip()
-            except ValueError:
-                io.tool_error(f"Invalid --set-env format: {env_setting}")
-                io.tool_output("Format should be: ENV_VAR_NAME=value")
-                return 1
-
-    # Process any API keys set via --api-key
-    if args.api_key:
-        for api_setting in args.api_key:
-            try:
-                provider, key = api_setting.split("=", 1)
-                env_var = f"{provider.strip().upper()}_API_KEY"
-                os.environ[env_var] = key.strip()
-            except ValueError:
-                io.tool_error(f"Invalid --api-key format: {api_setting}")
-                io.tool_output("Format should be: provider=key")
-                return 1
-
     analytics = Analytics(logfile=args.analytics_log, permanently_disable=args.analytics_disable)
     if args.analytics is not False:
         if analytics.need_to_ask(args.analytics):
@@ -669,20 +697,6 @@ def main(argv=None, input=None, output=None, force_git_root=None, return_coder=F
     is_first_run = is_first_run_of_new_version(io, verbose=args.verbose)
     check_and_load_imports(io, is_first_run, verbose=args.verbose)
 
-    if args.anthropic_api_key:
-        os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"] = args.anthropic_api_key
-
-    if args.openai_api_key:
-        os.environ["OPENAI_API_KEY"] = args.openai_api_key
-    if args.openai_api_base:
-        os.environ["OPENAI_API_BASE"] = args.openai_api_base
-    if args.openai_api_version:
-        os.environ["OPENAI_API_VERSION"] = args.openai_api_version
-    if args.openai_api_type:
-        os.environ["OPENAI_API_TYPE"] = args.openai_api_type
-    if args.openai_organization_id:
-        os.environ["OPENAI_ORGANIZATION"] = args.openai_organization_id
-
     register_models(git_root, args.model_settings_file, io, verbose=args.verbose)
     register_litellm_models(git_root, args.model_metadata_file, io, verbose=args.verbose)