Problem

When running sentinel-test, modifying the environment with os.environ.pop("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY", None) causes the script to hang silently before any output.

Goal

• API key should be used by Haiku gating (litellm calls)
• API key should NOT be inherited by Claude CLI (so Claude uses subscription, not API)

What Was Tried

1. dotenv_values() instead of load_dotenv() - Hangs silently
2. os.environ.pop() after load_dotenv() - Hangs silently
3. Passing env= parameter to winpty.PtyProcess.spawn() - Hangs silently

Current State

• sentinel works (uses load_dotenv, keeps API key in env)
• sentinel-test reset to exact copy of sentinel.py (works)
• User selects "No" at Claude CLI API key prompt as workaround

Acceptance Criteria

• sentinel-test launches without hanging
• Claude CLI does not inherit ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
• Haiku gating still works via litellm

Notes

The hang occurs before any Python print statements execute, suggesting the issue is at import time or very early in module loading. Poetry with --directory flag may be relevant.