diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index d231e0e..e8d48ff 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -23,7 +23,11 @@ classifiers = [
     "Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy",
 ]
 dependencies = [
-    "pydantic==2.9.2",
+    "pydantic>=2.9.2",
+    # pydantic-settings stays pinned: 2.14.x regresses env_prefix + dotenv
+    # handling (test_init_file_prefix1 — file values return None). 2.6.1 works
+    # with pydantic 2.9–2.13. Relaxing pydantic (not -settings) lets consumers
+    # that need pydantic>=2.11 (e.g. modern mcp/fastmcp) resolve cleanly.
     "pydantic-settings==2.6.1",
     "universal_pathlib==0.2.2",
     "pyaml",