diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-code-quality.yml b/.github/workflows/test-code-quality.yml
index 26a2c427f32..8a3a9107b51 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-code-quality.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-code-quality.yml
@@ -89,6 +89,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: test_workflow_job_name_collisions
         run: uv run --no-sync pytest -q --noconftest -p no:cacheprovider -c /dev/null tests/code_coverage_tests/test_workflow_job_name_collisions.py
 
+      - name: test_unit_passed_gate
+        run: uv run --no-sync pytest -q --noconftest -p no:cacheprovider -c /dev/null tests/code_coverage_tests/test_unit_passed_gate.py
+
       - name: test_e2e_changed_gate
         run: uv run --no-sync pytest -q --noconftest -p no:cacheprovider -c /dev/null tests/code_coverage_tests/test_e2e_changed_gate.py tests/code_coverage_tests/test_e2e_idp_stack.py
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-db.yml b/.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-db.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 3a989dc6651..00000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/test-unit-proxy-db.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,233 +0,0 @@
-name: "Unit Tests: Proxy DB Operations"
-
-on:
-  pull_request:
-    branches:
-      - main
-      - "litellm_**"
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - main
-
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-
-concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.sha }}
-  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
-
-# Semantic matrix: each shard groups tests by concern (auth, server, logging, …)
-# rather than alphabetical letter ranges. Adding a new test file means adding it
-# to whichever group it belongs to, not reshuffling slices.
-#
-# Design targets:
-#   * Every shard runs in <= 7 minutes of wall-clock on the default runner.
-#     Most of a shard's time is pytest plugin load + xdist worker imports +
-#     pytest-cov instrumentation, not the tests themselves. Keeping per-shard
-#     work low and matching worker count to runner cores is what controls it.
-#   * `timeout` bounds the pytest step only. Checkout, dependency install, and
-#     Prisma client generation draw on a separate allowance in the base
-#     workflow, so slow setup shows up as a slow job rather than as a
-#     cancelled shard whose tests were passing.
-#   * workers: 4 matches the 4-core ubuntu-latest runner. -n 8 on 4 cores
-#     oversubscribes 2x and workers fight for CPU during their cold-start
-#     imports (measured ~441% CPU for -n 8 locally, i.e. ~55% effective).
-#   * test_key_generate_prisma.py stays serial (workers=0) — it has event-loop
-#     conflicts with the logging worker when run in parallel.
-#   * test_proxy_utils.py runs as a single shard with --dist=worksteal so
-#     xdist balances its 188 parametrized cases across workers instead of
-#     pinning the whole file to one worker (the default --dist=loadscope
-#     behavior for single-file targets).
-jobs:
-  lens-python-310:
-    name: Lens Python 3.10
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      id-token: write
-      pull-requests: write
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/_test-unit-base.yml
-    with:
-      python-version: "3.10"
-      test-path: tests/unit/proxy/lens/test_inference.py
-      workers: 0
-      reruns: 0
-      timeout-minutes: 5
-      artifact-name: lens-python-310
-
-  # Fast guard — fails the workflow when a test directory or file inside a sharded
-  # tree is claimed by no shard. The semantic-shard design has no catch-all bucket,
-  # so an unassigned child runs nowhere; assert_ci_coverage.py holds the tree list
-  # and reads the same test-path keys the coverage census does.
-  assert-shard-coverage:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 2
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@08eba0b27e820071cde6df949e0beb9ba4906955 # v4.3.0
-        with:
-          persist-credentials: false
-      - name: Assert every test directory and file is claimed by a shard
-        run: python3 .github/scripts/assert_ci_coverage.py --shards
-
-  proxy-db:
-    needs: assert-shard-coverage
-    # Display only the semantic shard name in the checks UI instead of GHA's
-    # default "proxy-db (key-generation, tests/unit/proxy/…, 0, loadscope, 20)"
-    # which includes every matrix field and gets truncated past the test-path.
-    name: ${{ matrix.test-group }}
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      id-token: write
-      pull-requests: write
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: false
-      matrix:
-        include:
-          # Must run serially — event-loop conflict with the logging worker.
-          - test-group: key-generation
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/management_endpoints/test_key_generate_prisma.py
-            workers: 0
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 20
-
-          # ---- auth: split into 2 shards ----
-          - test-group: auth-checks
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_auth_checks.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_credential_slot_registry.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_deprecated_key_grace_period.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-          - test-group: jwt-and-keys
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_jwt.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/management_endpoints/test_jwt_key_mapping.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_custom_auth.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-
-          # ---- test_proxy_utils.py, single shard, worksteal distribution ----
-          - test-group: proxy-utils
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_utils.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: worksteal
-            timeout: 15
-
-          # ---- proxy server: split into 2 shards ----
-          - test-group: proxy-server-core
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/proxy_unit_tests/test_proxy_server_gemini_pass_through.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test__lazy_features.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_aproxy_startup.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-          - test-group: proxy-runtime
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_multipart_bypass_repro.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_proxy_routes.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/middleware/test_request_size_limit_middleware.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_config_unit_test.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_token_counter.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_server_root_path.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-
-          - test-group: mcp-oauth
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/test_discoverable_endpoints.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/test_mcp_server_manager.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/test_db_credentials.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/outbound_credentials
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-
-          # ---- logging: split into 2 shards ----
-          - test-group: custom-logging
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/proxy_unit_tests/test_proxy_custom_logger.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_custom_callback_input.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_custom_logger_s3_gcs.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-          - test-group: logging-misc
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/management_helpers/test_audit_logs_proxy.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/spend_tracking/test_search_api_logging.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_reject_logging.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-
-          - test-group: db-and-spend
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_proxy_encrypt_decrypt.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/db/db_transaction_queue/test_e2e_pod_lock_manager.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/db/test_update_daily_tag_spend.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_db_schema_changes.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_prisma_client_backoff_retry.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_update_spend.py
-              tests/unit/skills/test_skills_db.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-
-          # ---- guardrails + budget + hooks: split into 2 ----
-          - test-group: guardrails-hooks
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/hooks/test_banned_keyword_list.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_setting_guardrails.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_unit_test_proxy_hooks.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-          - test-group: budgets
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_default_end_user_budget_simple.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/hooks/test_unit_test_max_model_budget_limiter.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_zero_cost_model_budget_bypass.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-
-          - test-group: endpoints-and-responses
-            test-path: >-
-              tests/proxy_unit_tests/test_proxy_exception_mapping.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/lens
-              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_models_fallback_endpoint.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_check_batch_cost.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_check_responses_cost.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_realtime_cache.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/google_endpoints/test_gemini_agents_endpoints.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/google_endpoints/test_google_endpoint_routing.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/google_endpoints/test_google_gemini_proxy_request.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/public_endpoints/test_blog_posts_endpoint.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/response_polling
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_custom_tokenizer_bug.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_get_favicon.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_get_image.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_prompt_test_endpoint.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_reducto_ocr_route.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_response_polling_pre_call_checks.py
-              tests/unit/proxy/test_ui_path_detection.py
-            workers: 4
-            dist: loadscope
-            timeout: 15
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/_test-unit-base.yml
-    with:
-      test-path: ${{ matrix.test-path }}
-      workers: ${{ matrix.workers }}
-      reruns: 2
-      timeout-minutes: ${{ matrix.timeout }}
-      dist: ${{ matrix.dist }}
-      artifact-name: proxy-db-${{ matrix.test-group }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml b/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml
index ce4f5b52f4e..21b82db44b7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml
@@ -28,11 +28,6 @@ concurrency:
 # defaults. An absent matrix key renders as an empty string, which is not a
 # number, so a partially-specified entry would fail the call rather than fall
 # back to the default.
-#
-# tests/unit/proxy keeps its own caller (test-unit-proxy-db.yml): it is already
-# a matrix and carries a shard-coverage guard that reads that file by name.
-# Folding it in here is a follow-up, together with generalising that guard into
-# assert_ci_coverage.py.
 jobs:
   rust-bridge:
     name: Build the Rust bridge
@@ -508,3 +503,211 @@ jobs:
       job-timeout-minutes: ${{ matrix.job-timeout-minutes }}
       dist: ${{ matrix.dist || 'loadscope' }}
       artifact-name: ${{ matrix.artifact-name }}
+
+  lens-python-310:
+    name: Lens Python 3.10
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/_test-unit-base.yml
+    with:
+      python-version: "3.10"
+      test-path: tests/unit/proxy/lens/test_inference.py
+      workers: 0
+      reruns: 0
+      timeout-minutes: 5
+      artifact-name: lens-python-310
+
+  # Fast guard — fails the workflow when a test directory or file inside a sharded
+  # tree is claimed by no shard. The semantic-shard design has no catch-all bucket,
+  # so an unassigned child runs nowhere; assert_ci_coverage.py holds the tree list
+  # and reads the same test-path keys the coverage census does.
+  assert-shard-coverage:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 2
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@08eba0b27e820071cde6df949e0beb9ba4906955 # v4.3.0
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: Assert every test directory and file is claimed by a shard
+        run: python3 .github/scripts/assert_ci_coverage.py --shards
+
+  proxy-db:
+    needs: assert-shard-coverage
+    # Display only the semantic shard name in the checks UI instead of GHA's
+    # default "proxy-db (key-generation, tests/unit/proxy/…, 0, loadscope, 20)"
+    # which includes every matrix field and gets truncated past the test-path.
+    name: ${{ matrix.test-group }}
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          # Must run serially — event-loop conflict with the logging worker.
+          - test-group: key-generation
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/management_endpoints/test_key_generate_prisma.py
+            workers: 0
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 20
+
+          # ---- auth: split into 2 shards ----
+          - test-group: auth-checks
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_auth_checks.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_credential_slot_registry.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_deprecated_key_grace_period.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+          - test-group: jwt-and-keys
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_jwt.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/management_endpoints/test_jwt_key_mapping.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_custom_auth.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+
+          # ---- test_proxy_utils.py, single shard, worksteal distribution ----
+          - test-group: proxy-utils
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_utils.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: worksteal
+            timeout: 15
+
+          # ---- proxy server: split into 2 shards ----
+          - test-group: proxy-server-core
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/proxy_unit_tests/test_proxy_server_gemini_pass_through.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test__lazy_features.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_aproxy_startup.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+          - test-group: proxy-runtime
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_multipart_bypass_repro.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_proxy_routes.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/middleware/test_request_size_limit_middleware.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_config_unit_test.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_token_counter.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_server_root_path.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+
+          - test-group: mcp-oauth
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/test_discoverable_endpoints.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/test_mcp_server_manager.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/test_db_credentials.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/_experimental/mcp_server/outbound_credentials
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+
+          # ---- logging: split into 2 shards ----
+          - test-group: custom-logging
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/proxy_unit_tests/test_proxy_custom_logger.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_custom_callback_input.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_custom_logger_s3_gcs.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+          - test-group: logging-misc
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/management_helpers/test_audit_logs_proxy.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/spend_tracking/test_search_api_logging.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_reject_logging.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+
+          - test-group: db-and-spend
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_proxy_encrypt_decrypt.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/db/db_transaction_queue/test_e2e_pod_lock_manager.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/db/test_update_daily_tag_spend.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_db_schema_changes.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_prisma_client_backoff_retry.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_update_spend.py
+              tests/unit/skills/test_skills_db.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+
+          # ---- guardrails + budget + hooks: split into 2 ----
+          - test-group: guardrails-hooks
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/hooks/test_banned_keyword_list.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_proxy_setting_guardrails.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_unit_test_proxy_hooks.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+          - test-group: budgets
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_default_end_user_budget_simple.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/hooks/test_unit_test_max_model_budget_limiter.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_zero_cost_model_budget_bypass.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+
+          - test-group: endpoints-and-responses
+            test-path: >-
+              tests/proxy_unit_tests/test_proxy_exception_mapping.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/lens
+              tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_models_fallback_endpoint.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_check_batch_cost.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_check_responses_cost.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/common_utils/test_realtime_cache.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/google_endpoints/test_gemini_agents_endpoints.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/google_endpoints/test_google_endpoint_routing.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/google_endpoints/test_google_gemini_proxy_request.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/public_endpoints/test_blog_posts_endpoint.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/response_polling
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_custom_tokenizer_bug.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_get_favicon.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_get_image.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_prompt_test_endpoint.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_reducto_ocr_route.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_response_polling_pre_call_checks.py
+              tests/unit/proxy/test_ui_path_detection.py
+            workers: 4
+            dist: loadscope
+            timeout: 15
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/_test-unit-base.yml
+    with:
+      test-path: ${{ matrix.test-path }}
+      workers: ${{ matrix.workers }}
+      reruns: 2
+      timeout-minutes: ${{ matrix.timeout }}
+      dist: ${{ matrix.dist }}
+      artifact-name: proxy-db-${{ matrix.test-group }}
+
+  unit-passed:
+    name: unit passed
+    needs: [rust-bridge, unit, lens-python-310, assert-shard-coverage, proxy-db]
+    if: always()
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 2
+    permissions: {}
+    steps:
+      - name: Require every unit job to succeed
+        env:
+          NEEDS: ${{ toJSON(needs) }}
+        run: |
+          jq -r 'to_entries[] | "\(.key): \(.value.result)"' <<< "$NEEDS"
+          jq -e 'all(.[]; .result == "success")' <<< "$NEEDS" > /dev/null
diff --git a/tests/code_coverage_tests/test_unit_passed_gate.py b/tests/code_coverage_tests/test_unit_passed_gate.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7b511538d40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/code_coverage_tests/test_unit_passed_gate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import json
+import os
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Final
+
+import pytest
+import yaml
+
+_UNIT_WORKFLOW: Final = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2] / ".github" / "workflows" / "test-unit.yml"
+_GATE_JOB: Final = "unit-passed"
+
+
+def _jobs() -> dict[str, dict[str, object]]:
+    return yaml.safe_load(_UNIT_WORKFLOW.read_text())["jobs"]
+
+
+def _gate_script() -> str:
+    steps: Final = _jobs()[_GATE_JOB]["steps"]
+    assert isinstance(steps, list) and len(steps) == 1
+    return steps[0]["run"]
+
+
+def _run_gate(results: dict[str, str]) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]:
+    needs: Final = {job: {"result": result, "outputs": {}} for job, result in results.items()}
+    return subprocess.run(
+        ("bash", "--noprofile", "--norc", "-eo", "pipefail", "-c", _gate_script()),
+        env={**os.environ, "NEEDS": json.dumps(needs)},
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        timeout=30,
+        check=False,
+    )
+
+
+def _needed_jobs() -> tuple[str, ...]:
+    needs: Final = _jobs()[_GATE_JOB]["needs"]
+    assert isinstance(needs, list)
+    return tuple(needs)
+
+
+def test_the_gate_passes_when_every_needed_job_succeeded() -> None:
+    jobs: Final = _needed_jobs()
+    assert jobs
+
+    result: Final = _run_gate(dict.fromkeys(jobs, "success"))
+
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stdout + result.stderr
+    assert all(f"{job}: success" in result.stdout for job in jobs), result.stdout
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("outcome", ("failure", "cancelled", "skipped"))
+def test_the_gate_fails_when_any_needed_job_did_not_succeed(outcome: str) -> None:
+    jobs: Final = _needed_jobs()
+    assert len(jobs) > 1
+
+    result: Final = _run_gate({**dict.fromkeys(jobs, "success"), jobs[-1]: outcome})
+
+    assert result.returncode != 0
+    assert f"{jobs[-1]}: {outcome}" in result.stdout, result.stdout
+
+
+def test_the_gate_waits_for_every_other_job_and_reports_even_when_they_fail() -> None:
+    jobs: Final = _jobs()
+    gate: Final = jobs[_GATE_JOB]
+
+    assert set(_needed_jobs()) == set(jobs) - {_GATE_JOB}
+    assert gate["if"] == "always()"