diff --git a/internal/config/env_internal_test.go b/internal/config/env_internal_test.go
index ea1e361..57f1f15 100644
--- a/internal/config/env_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/config/env_internal_test.go
@@ -3,10 +3,14 @@ package config
 import (
 	"net/netip"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/globals"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/logger"
 )
 
 // TestMain unsets PORT and every PIXA_ environment variable before the
@@ -95,6 +99,114 @@ func TestEnvironmentSetsEveryKey(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestUnknownPixaVariableAbortsStartup checks that a PIXA_ variable that
+// is not a setting's variable, such as a misspelled one, aborts startup
+// naming it, as an unknown config key does, instead of being ignored.
+func TestUnknownPixaVariableAbortsStartup(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY", "192.0.2.0/24")
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_SIGNINGKEY", validTestSigningKey)
+
+	err := validateKnownEnvVars()
+	wantStartupError(t, err, "PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY", "PIXA_SIGNINGKEY")
+}
+
+// TestPixaPortAbortsStartupPointingToPort checks that PIXA_PORT aborts
+// startup with a message saying to use PORT, which sets the port.
+func TestPixaPortAbortsStartupPointingToPort(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_PORT", "9090")
+
+	err := validateKnownEnvVars()
+	wantStartupError(t, err, "PIXA_PORT", "use PORT")
+}
+
+// TestSettingVariablesAndConfigPathAreAccepted checks that every
+// setting's variable and PIXA_CONFIG_PATH pass the check for unknown
+// PIXA_ variables. TestEnvironmentSetsEveryKey pins the names in the list.
+func TestSettingVariablesAndConfigPathAreAccepted(t *testing.T) {
+	// A config file's env section loaded by another test can leave a
+	// PIXA_ variable set for the whole process, so every one is unset
+	// here first; t.Setenv restores each when the test ends.
+	for _, entry := range os.Environ() {
+		name, _, _ := strings.Cut(entry, "=")
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(name, "PIXA_") {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		t.Setenv(name, "")
+
+		err := os.Unsetenv(name)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("failed to unset %s: %v", name, err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_CONFIG_PATH", "/etc/pixa/config.yml")
+
+	for _, name := range envVarNames() {
+		t.Setenv(name, "")
+	}
+
+	err := validateKnownEnvVars()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("PIXA_CONFIG_PATH and every setting's variable "+
+			"must be accepted: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// configFromNew writes yamlContent to a temporary config file, points
+// PIXA_CONFIG_PATH at it, and runs New, as the server does at startup.
+// The state directory is a temporary one and the disk cache is off, so
+// New succeeds unless something in the test is wrong.
+func configFromNew(t *testing.T, yamlContent string) (*Config, error) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	configPath := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "config.yml")
+
+	err := os.WriteFile(configPath, []byte(yamlContent), 0o600)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to write test config: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_CONFIG_PATH", configPath)
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_STATE_DIR", filepath.Join(tmpDir, "state"))
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_CACHE_MAX_BYTES", "0")
+
+	testLogger, err := logger.New(nil, logger.Params{Globals: &globals.Globals{}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to create logger: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	return New(nil, Params{Logger: testLogger})
+}
+
+// TestUnknownPixaVariableAbortsNew checks that New, which the server
+// calls at startup, aborts on a misspelled PIXA_ variable.
+func TestUnknownPixaVariableAbortsNew(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY", "192.0.2.0/24")
+
+	_, err := configFromNew(t, signingKeyLine)
+	wantStartupError(t, err, "PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY")
+}
+
+// TestUnknownPixaVariableInEnvSectionAbortsNew checks that New aborts
+// on a misspelled PIXA_ name in the config file's env section, which
+// loading the file sets as an environment variable.
+func TestUnknownPixaVariableInEnvSectionAbortsNew(t *testing.T) {
+	// The variable must be absent until the file loads. t.Setenv makes
+	// sure the one the file sets is removed when the test ends.
+	t.Setenv("PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY", "")
+
+	err := os.Unsetenv("PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to unset PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err = configFromNew(t, signingKeyLine+
+		"env:\n  PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY: 192.0.2.0/24\n")
+	wantStartupError(t, err, "PIXA_TRUSTED_PROXY")
+}
+
 // TestPortFromEnvironmentOverridesConfigFile checks that PORT wins over
 // the port in the config file.
 func TestPortFromEnvironmentOverridesConfigFile(t *testing.T) {