diff --git a/.github/workflows/interactions-spec-canary.yml b/.github/workflows/interactions-spec-canary.yml
index 7ec3defdcb7..a2e4646dce5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/interactions-spec-canary.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/interactions-spec-canary.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
     name: interactions-spec-canary
     if: github.repository == 'BerriAI/litellm'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 15
+    timeout-minutes: 30
     permissions:
       contents: read
     outputs:
@@ -39,8 +39,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: "0.10.9"
 
+      - name: Set up the Rust bridge
+        uses: ./.github/actions/rust-bridge
+
       - name: Install dependencies
-        run: .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group ci --group proxy-dev --extra proxy --no-install-project
+        run: .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group ci --group proxy-dev --extra proxy
 
       - name: Run the compliance tests against Google's live spec
         id: compliance
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-merge-smoke.yml b/.github/workflows/test-merge-smoke.yml
index f3f09523491..99dbd1c101b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-merge-smoke.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-merge-smoke.yml
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ jobs:
   windows-sdk:
     name: windows-sdk
     runs-on: windows-2025
-    timeout-minutes: 10
+    timeout-minutes: 30
     env:
       LITELLM_LOCAL_MODEL_COST_MAP: "True"
     defaults:
@@ -154,8 +154,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: "0.10.9"
 
+      - name: Set up the Rust bridge
+        uses: ./.github/actions/rust-bridge
+
       - name: Install dependencies
-        run: .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --no-install-workspace --group dev --python 3.11
+        run: .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group dev --python 3.11
 
       - name: Run the Windows tests
         run: uv run --no-sync python -m pytest --tb=short -v tests/windows_tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml b/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml
index b4b7afb9a09..e3980bd8f3b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-unit.yml
@@ -1306,6 +1306,8 @@ jobs:
           done
   openai-sdk-compat:
     name: OpenAI ${{ matrix.openai-version }} compatibility
+    needs: rust-bridge
+    if: ${{ !cancelled() }}
     permissions:
       contents: read
       pull-requests: read
@@ -1342,10 +1344,18 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: "0.10.9"
 
+      - name: Set up the Rust bridge
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
+        timeout-minutes: 5
+        uses: ./.github/actions/rust-bridge
+        with:
+          artifact: ${{ needs.rust-bridge.outputs.artifact }}
+
       - name: Install dependencies
         if: steps.changes.outputs.decision != 'skip'
         run: |
           .github/scripts/uv_sync_with_retries.sh --frozen --group dev --group proxy-dev --extra proxy --no-install-workspace
+          cp rust-bridge-dist/litellm/rust_bridge/_native.* litellm/rust_bridge/
           uv pip install "openai==${OPENAI_VERSION:?}" --exclude-newer-package openai=2026-10-07T00:00:00Z
           uv run --no-sync python -c 'import os, openai; assert openai.__version__ == os.environ["OPENAI_VERSION"], openai.__version__'
 
diff --git a/gateway/Dockerfile b/gateway/Dockerfile
index 69068cfc8a5..6dc8bab45ce 100644
--- a/gateway/Dockerfile
+++ b/gateway/Dockerfile
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ RUN find /app/.venv -type f -path "*/tornado/test/*" -delete && \
     find /app/.venv -type d -path "*/tornado/test" -delete && \
     chmod -R a+rX /opt/prisma && \
     python -c "from prisma.client import BINARY_PATHS; paths = list(BINARY_PATHS.query_engine.values()); assert paths and all(p.startswith('/opt/prisma/') for p in paths), paths" && \
-    python -c "import litellm; from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import native_bridge_available; assert litellm.__file__ == '/app/litellm/__init__.py', litellm.__file__; assert native_bridge_available()"
+    python -c "import litellm, litellm.rust_bridge._native; assert litellm.__file__ == '/app/litellm/__init__.py', litellm.__file__"
 
 USER nonroot
 
diff --git a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/logger/tests.rs b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/logger/tests.rs
index 1fca3be720e..9a07428808a 100644
--- a/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/logger/tests.rs
+++ b/litellm-rust/crates/python-bridge/src/logger/tests.rs
@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ fn native_events_reach_python_with_levels_context_reentry_and_http_deduplication
         locals
             .set_item("http_warning", wrap_pyfunction!(http_warning, py).unwrap())
             .unwrap();
+        locals.set_item("native", crate::native_module(py)).unwrap();
         let importable = py
             .eval(
                 c"__import__('importlib.util', fromlist=['util']).find_spec('dotenv') is not None",
@@ -205,6 +206,7 @@ import asyncio
 import logging
 import sys
 sys.path.insert(0, repo_root)
+sys.modules['litellm.rust_bridge._native'] = native
 import litellm
 from litellm._logging import verbose_logger, session_id_var, trace_id_var
 
diff --git a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/README.md b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/README.md
index a5f5e8326b9..331f4adccbb 100644
--- a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/README.md
+++ b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/README.md
@@ -11,4 +11,4 @@ Core files:
 - `duration_parser.py`: code for parsing durations - e.g. "1d", "1mo", "10s"
 - `api_route_to_call_types.py`: mapping of API routes to their corresponding CallTypes (e.g., `/chat/completions` -> [acompletion, completion])
 
-Tokenizer factories return Python tokenizer objects by default. Set `LITELLM_RUST=1` or call `litellm.rust(True)` before constructing tokenizers to select the Rust backend through `Route.TOKENIZER` in the Rust catalog. Missing native bindings or unsupported native features fall back to Python. Existing tokenizer objects keep their selected backend. Rust-backed tokenizer objects carry the read-only `tiktoken.Encoding` / `tokenizers.Tokenizer` surface and are immutable: `enable_padding`, `enable_truncation` and `add_tokens` stay on the Python tokenizer.
+Tokenizer factories return Python tokenizer objects by default. Set `LITELLM_RUST=1` or call `litellm.rust(True)` before constructing tokenizers to select the Rust backend through `Route.TOKENIZER` in the Rust catalog. Unsupported native features fall back to Python. Existing tokenizer objects keep their selected backend. Rust-backed tokenizer objects carry the read-only `tiktoken.Encoding` / `tokenizers.Tokenizer` surface and are immutable: `enable_padding`, `enable_truncation` and `add_tokens` stay on the Python tokenizer.
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/AGENTS.md b/litellm/rust_bridge/AGENTS.md
index c197b21bad0..c2a030ca4d9 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/AGENTS.md
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/AGENTS.md
@@ -46,6 +46,12 @@
 - A failure after execution starts is terminal and never triggers fallback
 - Creating an unstarted native coroutine acquires no clients or credentials and captures no execution context
 
+# Native extension
+
+- `_native` ships in every wheel and the sdist builds it, so it is always importable
+- Import it with `from litellm.rust_bridge import _native` and use the attributes `_native.pyi` declares
+- Never add a `None` branch, `getattr` default or stand-in class for a missing extension
+
 # Verification
 
 - Check cross-language behavior against a freshly installed extension, covering unstarted-call release, setup ordering, exception identity, sync and async streams, cancellation and GC
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/__init__.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/__init__.py
index 8f6f4390b8a..52cc3c8cff1 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/__init__.py
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/__init__.py
@@ -1,10 +1,5 @@
 """LiteLLM Rust bridge package."""
 
 from litellm.rust_bridge.configuration import rust
-from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import (
-    get_native_bridge,
-    native_bridge_available,
-    reset_native_bridge_cache,
-)
 
-__all__ = ["get_native_bridge", "native_bridge_available", "reset_native_bridge_cache", "rust"]
+__all__ = ["rust"]
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/bindings.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/bindings.py
index d16f150a2aa..91570c6a8bc 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/bindings.py
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/bindings.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 from collections.abc import Callable
 from typing import Final, Generic, TypeVar
 
-from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import get_native_bridge
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
 
 BindingT = TypeVar("BindingT")
 
@@ -18,32 +18,24 @@ _UNSET: Final = _Unset()
 class NativeBinding(Generic[BindingT]):
     """Resolve one native attribute with an explicit, resettable test override."""
 
-    def __init__(self, attribute: str, *, validate: Callable[[object], BindingT | None]) -> None:
+    def __init__(
+        self, attribute: str, *, validate: Callable[[object], BindingT | None], source: object = _native
+    ) -> None:
         self._attribute: Final = attribute
         self._validate: Final = validate
+        self._source: Final = source
         self._override: BindingT | None | _Unset = _UNSET
 
     def load(self) -> BindingT | None:
         if not isinstance(self._override, _Unset):
             return self._override
-        native: Final = get_native_bridge()
-        if native is None:
-            return None
-        return self._validate(getattr(native, self._attribute, None))
+        return self._validate(getattr(self._source, self._attribute, None))
+
+    def with_source(self, source: object) -> NativeBinding[BindingT]:
+        return NativeBinding(self._attribute, validate=self._validate, source=source)
 
     def override(self, value: BindingT | None) -> None:
         self._override = value
 
     def reset(self) -> None:
         self._override = _UNSET
-
-
-def native_exception_types() -> tuple[type[BaseException], type[BaseException]] | None:
-    native: Final = get_native_bridge()
-    if native is None:
-        return None
-    declined: Final = getattr(native, "RustBridgeDeclined", None)
-    upstream: Final = getattr(native, "RustUpstreamError", None)
-    if not isinstance(declined, type) or not isinstance(upstream, type):
-        return None
-    return declined, upstream
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/clickhouse.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/clickhouse.py
index cf2c8fdd3e2..fe2809ef856 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/clickhouse.py
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/clickhouse.py
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 import os
-from collections.abc import Awaitable, Mapping, Sequence
+from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Final, Protocol, runtime_checkable
-
-from pydantic import ConfigDict, TypeAdapter
+from typing import Final
 
 from litellm.constants import DEFAULT_AGENT_TRACING_RETENTION_DAYS, DEFAULT_CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE
-from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import get_native_bridge
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True, repr=False)
@@ -16,27 +14,6 @@ class SpendStorageConfig:
     retention_days: int = DEFAULT_AGENT_TRACING_RETENTION_DAYS
 
 
-class NativeSpendConfig(Protocol):
-    def __init__(self, database: str, url: str, retention_days: int) -> None: ...
-
-
-class NativeSpendStorage(Protocol):
-    def __init__(self, config: NativeSpendConfig) -> None: ...
-    def ensure_schema(self) -> Awaitable[None]: ...
-    def insert_rows(self, rows: Sequence[Mapping[str, object]]) -> Awaitable[None]: ...
-
-
-@runtime_checkable
-class NativeSpendBridge(Protocol):
-    NativeClickHouseSpendConfig: type[NativeSpendConfig]
-    NativeClickHouseSpendStorage: type[NativeSpendStorage]
-
-
-_NATIVE: Final[TypeAdapter[NativeSpendBridge]] = TypeAdapter(
-    NativeSpendBridge, config=ConfigDict(arbitrary_types_allowed=True)
-)
-
-
 def spend_storage_config(environ: Mapping[str, str] = os.environ) -> SpendStorageConfig:
     url: Final = environ.get("CLICKHOUSE_URL")
     if not url:
@@ -53,12 +30,8 @@ def spend_storage_config(environ: Mapping[str, str] = os.environ) -> SpendStorag
 
 class ClickHouseSpendStorage:
     def __init__(self, config: SpendStorageConfig) -> None:
-        bridge: Final = get_native_bridge()
-        if bridge is None:
-            raise RuntimeError("ClickHouse spend logging requires the Rust extension")
-        native: Final = _NATIVE.validate_python(bridge)
-        self._native: Final = native.NativeClickHouseSpendStorage(
-            native.NativeClickHouseSpendConfig(config.database, config.url, config.retention_days)
+        self._native: Final = _native.NativeClickHouseSpendStorage(
+            _native.NativeClickHouseSpendConfig(config.database, config.url, config.retention_days)
         )
 
     async def ensure_schema(self) -> None:
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/fork_guard.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/fork_guard.py
index c94665fb8db..82eb5c96295 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/fork_guard.py
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/fork_guard.py
@@ -11,32 +11,22 @@ site, so the runtime can never start there. Workers forked from it are unaffecte
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from collections.abc import Callable
 from typing import Final
 
-from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import get_native_bridge
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
 
 
 class NativeStateStartedBeforeFork(RuntimeError):
     pass
 
 
-class _NeverRaised(RuntimeError):
-    """Stands in for a native exception when the extension is unavailable or predates it."""
+ForkedAfterNativeRuntimeStarted: Final = _native.ForkedAfterNativeRuntimeStarted
+ProcessReservedForForking: Final = _native.ProcessReservedForForking
 
 
-_native: Final = get_native_bridge()
-ForkedAfterNativeRuntimeStarted: Final[type[RuntimeError]] = getattr(
-    _native, "ForkedAfterNativeRuntimeStarted", _NeverRaised
-)
-ProcessReservedForForking: Final[type[RuntimeError]] = getattr(_native, "ProcessReservedForForking", _NeverRaised)
-
-
-def reserve_process_for_forking(where: str) -> None:
+def reserve_process_for_forking(where: str, reserve: Callable[[], None] = _native.reserve_process_for_forking) -> None:
     """Forbid native routes in this process. Raises if one already ran here."""
-    native: Final = get_native_bridge()
-    reserve: Final = getattr(native, "reserve_process_for_forking", None)
-    if not callable(reserve):
-        return
     try:
         reserve()
     except RuntimeError as error:
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/loader.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/loader.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 022c38f5a85..00000000000
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/loader.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-"""Loader for the packaged LiteLLM Rust extension."""
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from types import ModuleType
-from typing import Final
-
-_BRIDGE_SENTINEL: Final = object()
-_cached_bridge: ModuleType | None | object = _BRIDGE_SENTINEL
-
-
-def get_native_bridge() -> ModuleType | None:
-    """Return the packaged Rust extension, or ``None`` when unavailable."""
-    global _cached_bridge
-    if _cached_bridge is not _BRIDGE_SENTINEL:
-        return _cached_bridge if isinstance(_cached_bridge, ModuleType) else None
-
-    try:
-        from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
-    except ImportError:
-        _cached_bridge = None
-        return None
-    _cached_bridge = _native
-    return _native
-
-
-def reset_native_bridge_cache() -> None:
-    """Forget the cached extension so the next lookup reimports it from disk."""
-    global _cached_bridge
-    _cached_bridge = _BRIDGE_SENTINEL
-
-
-def native_bridge_available() -> bool:
-    """Whether the packaged Rust extension is importable."""
-    return get_native_bridge() is not None
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/responses/websocket.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/responses/websocket.py
index f10631958bb..83a1fa53376 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/responses/websocket.py
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/responses/websocket.py
@@ -2,32 +2,33 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from collections.abc import Awaitable
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import Final, Protocol
 
 import httpx
 from websockets.exceptions import ConnectionClosedOK
 
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
 from litellm.rust_bridge.host.timeouts import timeout_to_seconds
-from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import get_native_bridge
 
 
 class RustResponsesWebSocket(Protocol):
-    async def send_text(self, text: str) -> None: ...
+    def send_text(self, text: str) -> Awaitable[None]: ...
 
-    async def recv_text(self) -> str | None: ...
+    def recv_text(self) -> Awaitable[str | None]: ...
 
-    async def close(self) -> None: ...
+    def close(self) -> Awaitable[None]: ...
 
 
 class RustResponsesWebSocketConnection(Protocol):
     @classmethod
-    async def connect(
+    def connect(
         cls,
         url: str,
         headers: dict[str, str],
         timeout_seconds: float | None,
-    ) -> RustResponsesWebSocket: ...
+    ) -> Awaitable[RustResponsesWebSocket]: ...
 
 
 class _Unset:
@@ -53,16 +54,10 @@ def set_rust_responses_websocket(
         _STATE.connection = connection
 
 
-def load_rust_responses_websocket() -> RustResponsesWebSocketConnection | None:
+def load_rust_responses_websocket() -> RustResponsesWebSocketConnection:
     if _STATE.connection is not None:
         return _STATE.connection
-    native_bridge: Final = get_native_bridge()
-    if native_bridge is None:
-        return None
-    connection_type: Final[RustResponsesWebSocketConnection | None] = getattr(
-        native_bridge, "ResponsesWebSocketConnection", None
-    )
-    return connection_type
+    return _native.ResponsesWebSocketConnection
 
 
 class _ConnectionAdapter:
@@ -89,8 +84,6 @@ async def connect(
     timeout: float | httpx.Timeout | None,
 ) -> _ConnectionAdapter | None:
     connection_type: Final = load_rust_responses_websocket()
-    if connection_type is None:
-        return None
     try:
         connection: Final = await connection_type.connect(
             url=url,
diff --git a/litellm/rust_bridge/runtime.py b/litellm/rust_bridge/runtime.py
index cf632c09074..e22ebe73b08 100644
--- a/litellm/rust_bridge/runtime.py
+++ b/litellm/rust_bridge/runtime.py
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ from typing import Final, Generic, NoReturn, TypeAlias, TypeVar
 from typing_extensions import assert_never
 
 from litellm.exceptions import APIError
-from litellm.rust_bridge.bindings import NativeBinding, native_exception_types
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
+from litellm.rust_bridge.bindings import NativeBinding
 from litellm.rust_bridge.catalog import RouteContext, Rules, decision
 from litellm.rust_bridge.configuration import Decision
 from litellm.rust_bridge.response_metadata import mark_rust_response
@@ -153,15 +154,11 @@ def attempt(
 ) -> RustAttempt[ResultT]:
     if native_call is None:
         return RustUnavailable()
-    exceptions: Final = native_exception_types()
-    if exceptions is None:
-        return RustHandled(adapt(native_call()))
-    declined, upstream = exceptions
     try:
         value: Final = native_call()
-    except declined as error:
+    except _native.RustBridgeDeclined as error:
         return RustDeclined(reason=_decline_reason(error))
-    except upstream as error:
+    except _native.RustUpstreamError as error:
         _raise_upstream(error, context)
     return RustHandled(adapt(value))
 
@@ -174,15 +171,11 @@ async def aattempt(
 ) -> RustAttempt[ResultT]:
     if native_call is None:
         return RustUnavailable()
-    exceptions: Final = native_exception_types()
-    if exceptions is None:
-        return RustHandled(adapt(await native_call()))
-    declined, upstream = exceptions
     try:
         value: Final = await native_call()
-    except declined as error:
+    except _native.RustBridgeDeclined as error:
         return RustDeclined(reason=_decline_reason(error))
-    except upstream as error:
+    except _native.RustUpstreamError as error:
         _raise_upstream(error, context)
     return RustHandled(adapt(value))
 
diff --git a/litellm/tracing/otlp_http.py b/litellm/tracing/otlp_http.py
index 493cc7cf984..81dbab6c023 100644
--- a/litellm/tracing/otlp_http.py
+++ b/litellm/tracing/otlp_http.py
@@ -1,20 +1,9 @@
 import json
-from typing import Final, Protocol, runtime_checkable
+from typing import Final
 
-from pydantic import ConfigDict, TypeAdapter
 from typing_extensions import ReadOnly, TypedDict
 
-from litellm.rust_bridge.loader import get_native_bridge
-
-
-@runtime_checkable
-class NativeOtlpError(Protocol):
-    def trace_encode_error(self, message: str) -> bytes: ...
-
-
-_NATIVE: Final[TypeAdapter[NativeOtlpError]] = TypeAdapter(
-    NativeOtlpError, config=ConfigDict(arbitrary_types_allowed=True)
-)
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
 
 
 class OTLPError(TypedDict):
@@ -22,8 +11,7 @@ class OTLPError(TypedDict):
 
 
 def encode_error(message: str) -> bytes:
-    native: Final = get_native_bridge()
-    return b"" if native is None else _NATIVE.validate_python(native).trace_encode_error(message)
+    return _native.trace_encode_error(message)
 
 
 def encode_otlp_response(content_type: str | None, error: str | None = None) -> tuple[bytes, str]:
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 2d25c1ec737..00cdb1587aa 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ markers = [
     "asyncio: mark test as an asyncio test",
     "limit_leaks: mark test with memory limit for leak detection (e.g., '40 MB')",
     "no_parallel: mark test to run sequentially (not in parallel) - typically for memory measurement tests",
-    "requires_rust_extension: public Python contract requiring an enabled, compiled Rust extension",
+    "requires_rust_extension: public Python contract tests that run against the release-built wheel",
 ]
 filterwarnings = [
     # Suppress Pydantic serializer warnings from mock server responses (non-critical for memory tests)
diff --git a/tests/base_sdk_tests/check_base_sdk_install.py b/tests/base_sdk_tests/check_base_sdk_install.py
index e546549d25f..e37593adb4b 100644
--- a/tests/base_sdk_tests/check_base_sdk_install.py
+++ b/tests/base_sdk_tests/check_base_sdk_install.py
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ the very class of undeclared-dependency bug this guards against.
 
 import argparse
 import importlib.util
+from importlib.machinery import EXTENSION_SUFFIXES
+from pathlib import Path
 import re
 import sys
 import traceback
@@ -89,6 +91,18 @@ def check_import() -> str:
     return f"imported {distribution} {sdk_version}"
 
 
+def check_native_extension() -> str:
+    import litellm
+    from litellm.rust_bridge import _native
+
+    native_path: Final = Path(_native.__file__).resolve()
+    package_path: Final = Path(litellm.__file__).resolve().parent
+    _require(native_path.parent == package_path / "rust_bridge", "native extension is outside the SDK package")
+    _require(any(str(native_path).endswith(suffix) for suffix in EXTENSION_SUFFIXES), "native module is not compiled")
+    _require(_native.trace_encode_error("ping") == b"\x12\x04ping", "native OTLP error encoding failed")
+    return f"loaded and exercised {native_path}"
+
+
 def check_completion() -> str:
     import litellm
 
@@ -230,6 +244,7 @@ def check_bedrock_credential_resolution() -> str:
 CHECKS: tuple[tuple[str, Callable[[], str]], ...] = (
     ("environment is base-only", check_environment_is_base_only),
     ("import litellm", check_import),
+    ("native extension", check_native_extension),
     ("optional MCP installation guidance", check_mcp_install_guidance),
     ("chat completion", check_completion),
     ("chat completion with a function tool", check_completion_with_function_tool),
@@ -250,8 +265,11 @@ def _run(check: Callable[[], str]) -> tuple[bool, str]:
 
 def main() -> int:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
-    parser.add_argument("--profile", choices=("legacy", "core", "dependencies"), default="legacy")
+    parser.add_argument("--profile", choices=("legacy", "core", "dependencies", "native"), default="legacy")
     profile = parser.parse_args().profile
+    if profile == "native":
+        print(check_native_extension())
+        return 0
     for module in ("boto3", "botocore", "tokenizers", "huggingface_hub"):
         present = importlib.util.find_spec(module) is not None
         _require(present == (profile != "core"), f"{profile}: unexpected presence of {module}: {present}")
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm_rust/conftest.py b/tests/test_litellm_rust/conftest.py
index 06fbcf58591..8bcb48a09b5 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm_rust/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm_rust/conftest.py
@@ -1,6 +1,4 @@
 from collections.abc import AsyncIterator, Generator
-from importlib import import_module
-from typing import Final
 
 import pytest
 import pytest_asyncio
@@ -23,16 +21,6 @@ def recording_server() -> Generator[RecordingServer]:
         yield server
 
 
-def pytest_collection_modifyitems(items: list[pytest.Item]) -> None:
-    try:
-        import_module("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
-    except ImportError:
-        skip: Final = pytest.mark.skip(reason="requires a compiled litellm.rust_bridge._native extension")
-        for item in items:
-            if "test_litellm_rust" in item.path.parts:
-                item.add_marker(skip)
-
-
 @pytest.fixture
 def isolated_azure_auth(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
     for name in (
diff --git a/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_tokenizer.py b/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_tokenizer.py
index 61e797d7166..54185c08c10 100644
--- a/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_tokenizer.py
+++ b/tests/unit/litellm_core_utils/test_tokenizer.py
@@ -241,20 +241,14 @@ print("compatible")
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("rust", (None, "0", "1"))
-def test_tokenization_without_native_extension_stays_offline(tmp_path: Path, rust: str | None) -> None:
+def test_tokenization_stays_offline(tmp_path: Path, rust: str | None) -> None:
     script: Final = """
-import importlib.abc
 import sys
 sys.path.insert(0, sys.argv[1])
 def reject_network(event, args):
     if event == "socket.connect":
         raise AssertionError("tokenizer attempted a network connection")
 sys.addaudithook(reject_network)
-class Block(importlib.abc.MetaPathFinder):
-    def find_spec(self, fullname, path=None, target=None):
-        if fullname == "litellm.rust_bridge._native":
-            raise ImportError("native extension is unavailable")
-sys.meta_path.insert(0, Block())
 import litellm
 from litellm.rust_bridge.tokenizer import get_encoding
 import tiktoken
diff --git a/tests/unit/proxy/proxy_server/test_exception_handlers.py b/tests/unit/proxy/proxy_server/test_exception_handlers.py
index f6efdecc884..b34c2d2fb08 100644
--- a/tests/unit/proxy/proxy_server/test_exception_handlers.py
+++ b/tests/unit/proxy/proxy_server/test_exception_handlers.py
@@ -488,22 +488,17 @@ async def test_otel_unhandled_exception_handler_reraises_http_exception_invalid(
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("media_type", ["application/json", "application/x-protobuf"])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("root_path", ["", "/tenant-a"])
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("native_available", [True, False])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("error", [
     ProxyException("database credentials: secret", "auth_error", None, 401),
     HTTPException(403, "database credentials: secret"),
 ])
-async def test_otlp_auth_errors_hide_internal_details_and_survive_missing_native(
-    media_type: str, root_path: str, native_available: bool,
-    error: ProxyException | HTTPException, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+async def test_otlp_auth_errors_hide_internal_details(
+    media_type: str, root_path: str, error: ProxyException | HTTPException,
 ) -> None:
     from google.rpc.status_pb2 import Status
 
     from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import otlp_http_exception_handler
-    from litellm.rust_bridge import loader
 
-    if not native_available:
-        monkeypatch.setattr(loader, "_cached_bridge", None)
     request: Final = Request({
         "type": "http", "method": "POST", "path": root_path + "/v1/traces", "root_path": root_path,
         "headers": [(b"content-type", media_type.encode())],
@@ -522,7 +517,7 @@ async def test_otlp_auth_errors_hide_internal_details_and_survive_missing_native
         else Status.FromString(response.body).message
     )
     expected: Final = "Unauthorized" if isinstance(error, ProxyException) else "Forbidden"
-    assert message == (expected if native_available or media_type == "application/json" else "")
+    assert message == expected
 
 
 def _websocket(sent: list[Message]) -> WebSocket:
diff --git a/tests/unit/proxy/test_tracing_endpoints.py b/tests/unit/proxy/test_tracing_endpoints.py
index 62ca71b6cf6..7cff44da985 100644
--- a/tests/unit/proxy/test_tracing_endpoints.py
+++ b/tests/unit/proxy/test_tracing_endpoints.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ from litellm.proxy.auth.authorization import OwnedRows, ReadScope
 from litellm.proxy.auth.authorization_dependencies import get_log_team_lookup
 from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth
 from litellm.proxy.tracing_runtime import manage_tracing, provide_storage
-from litellm.rust_bridge import loader
 from litellm.tracing.errors import TraceChanged
 from litellm.tracing.generated.models import TraceQueryHelp
 from litellm.tracing.generated.responses import TraceSQLResponse
diff --git a/tests/unit/responses/test_rust_bridge_websocket.py b/tests/unit/responses/test_rust_bridge_websocket.py
index 00ae5eb970f..57b161d2147 100644
--- a/tests/unit/responses/test_rust_bridge_websocket.py
+++ b/tests/unit/responses/test_rust_bridge_websocket.py
@@ -55,21 +55,6 @@ async def test_adapter_raises_clean_close_when_rust_connection_ends() -> None:
         await adapter.recv()
 
 
-@pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_bridge_unavailable_returns_none(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    monkeypatch.setattr(responses_websocket, "_STATE", responses_websocket._RustResponsesWebSocketState())
-    monkeypatch.setattr(responses_websocket, "get_native_bridge", lambda: None)
-
-    assert (
-        await responses_websocket.connect(
-            url="wss://example.test/responses",
-            headers={},
-            timeout=None,
-        )
-        is None
-    )
-
-
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_enabled_bridge_connects_and_adapts_socket(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/host/test_secret_manager.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/host/test_secret_manager.py
index 9d876124ffd..1f8acc5792e 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/host/test_secret_manager.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/host/test_secret_manager.py
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ from botocore.credentials import Credentials
 from pydantic import JsonValue
 
 import litellm
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native as native
 from litellm.rust_bridge.host.secret_manager import capture_secret_manager, native_secret_manager_config
 from litellm.secret_managers.aws_secret_manager_v2 import AWSSecretsManagerV2
 from litellm.secret_managers.cyberark_secret_manager import CyberArkSecretManager
@@ -67,7 +68,6 @@ def _vault_body(value: str) -> dict[str, object]:
 
 
 def _native_handle(client: object) -> "_SecretManagerRuntime":
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     handle: Final = native._SecretManagerRuntime.from_client(client)
     assert handle is not None
     return handle
@@ -75,7 +75,6 @@ def _native_handle(client: object) -> "_SecretManagerRuntime":
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("system", ("aws_secret_manager", "hashicorp_vault", "cyberark"))
 async def test_python_native_handle_reuses_backend_across_sync_and_async_reads(system: str) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         environment: Final = {
             "AWS_REGION_NAME": "us-east-1",
@@ -109,7 +108,6 @@ async def test_python_native_handle_reuses_backend_across_sync_and_async_reads(s
 
 
 def test_shared_initializer_captures_credentials_and_tracks_instance_settings(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": "native-value"})
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -141,7 +139,6 @@ def test_shared_initializer_captures_credentials_and_tracks_instance_settings(mo
 def test_configuration_replacement_rebuilds_without_invalidating_existing_handles(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as first_server, recording_service() as second_server:
         first_server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("first"))
         second_server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("second"))
@@ -158,7 +155,6 @@ def test_configuration_replacement_rebuilds_without_invalidating_existing_handle
 
 
 def test_custom_subclass_is_not_captured_for_a_native_handle() -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
 
     class CustomManager(AWSSecretsManagerV2):
         def sync_read_secret(self, secret_name: str, primary_secret_name: str | None = None) -> str:
@@ -171,19 +167,16 @@ def test_custom_subclass_is_not_captured_for_a_native_handle() -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("system", ("google_secret_manager", "hashicorp_vault", "cyberark"))
 def test_enterprise_backends_cannot_initialize_without_entitlement(system: str) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=r"[Ee]nterprise|[Pp]remium"):
         native._SecretManagerRuntime.from_config(system, {"CYBERARK_API_KEY": "key"})
 
 
 def test_azure_factory_rejects_unencrypted_vault_endpoints() -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="https"):
         native._SecretManagerRuntime.from_config("azure_key_vault", {"AZURE_KEY_VAULT_URI": "http://127.0.0.1:1"})
 
 
 def test_direct_builtin_constructor_can_use_native_without_registration(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("native-value"))
         manager: Final = _vault(monkeypatch, server.base_url)
@@ -193,12 +186,10 @@ def test_direct_builtin_constructor_can_use_native_without_registration(monkeypa
 
 
 def test_uncaptured_clients_have_no_native_handle() -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     assert native._SecretManagerRuntime.from_client(SimpleNamespace()) is None
 
 
 def test_native_failure_is_not_replayed_in_python(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(status=403, body={"errors": ["denied"]})
         server.expected_requests = 1
@@ -267,7 +258,6 @@ def test_same_named_custom_client_is_not_captured() -> None:
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("value", ("text", "", True, False, 42, 2**100, [1, "two"], {"nested": True}, None))
 async def test_aws_primary_values_match_python_handler(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, value: JsonValue) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": json.dumps({"KEY": value})})
         server.expected_requests = 3
@@ -290,7 +280,6 @@ async def test_aws_primary_values_match_python_handler(monkeypatch: pytest.Monke
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("primary", (None, "primary"))
 async def test_aws_primary_values_match_python_reads(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, primary: str | None) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": '{"KEY":"value"}'})
         server.expected_requests = 3
@@ -343,7 +332,6 @@ def test_aws_absence_and_failed_reads_match_python_without_environment_fallback(
 async def test_aws_primary_json_errors_preserve_python_exception_details(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, document: str
 ) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": document})
         server.expected_requests = 3
@@ -370,7 +358,6 @@ async def test_aws_primary_json_errors_preserve_python_exception_details(
 async def test_public_aws_reads_preserve_coroutines_and_per_call_credentials(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as initial, recording_service() as selected:
         initial.expected_requests = 0
         selected.expected_requests = 2
@@ -421,7 +408,6 @@ async def test_public_aws_reads_preserve_coroutines_and_per_call_credentials(
 
 
 async def test_public_aws_primary_reads_ignore_operation_overrides(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server, recording_service() as unused:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": '{"KEY":true}'})
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -440,7 +426,6 @@ async def test_public_aws_primary_reads_ignore_operation_overrides(monkeypatch:
 
 
 async def test_public_aws_bootstrap_names_only_bypass_sync_reads(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": "remote-access"})
         server.expected_requests = 1
@@ -457,7 +442,6 @@ async def test_public_aws_bootstrap_names_only_bypass_sync_reads(monkeypatch: py
 async def test_public_aws_read_timeouts_follow_the_python_http_handler(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, timeout: float | httpx.Timeout
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body={"SecretString": "too-late"}, delay=0.25)
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -470,7 +454,6 @@ async def test_public_aws_read_timeouts_follow_the_python_http_handler(
 
 
 async def test_public_vault_reads_keep_overrides_cache_and_coroutines(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("value"))
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -490,7 +473,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_reads_keep_overrides_cache_and_coroutines(monkeypatc
 async def test_public_vault_failed_reads_return_none_without_replay(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, status: int
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(status=status, body={"errors": ["unavailable"]})
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -502,7 +484,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_failed_reads_return_none_without_replay(
 async def test_public_cyberark_reads_reuse_authentication_and_cached_values(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     from litellm.proxy import proxy_server
     from litellm.secret_managers.cyberark_secret_manager import CyberArkSecretManager
 
@@ -536,7 +517,6 @@ def test_public_aws_bootstrap_read_does_not_hit_the_provider(monkeypatch: pytest
 def test_public_vault_prefix_overrides_match_python_string_conversion(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, override: str | int
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("HCP_VAULT_PATH_PREFIX", "default-prefix")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("value"))
@@ -562,7 +542,6 @@ def _cyberark(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, address: str) -> CyberArkSecretMa
 async def test_public_cyberark_writes_and_deletes_share_the_read_cache(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         for body in (b"token", b"old", {}, {}, b"provider-after-delete"):
             server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=body))
@@ -609,7 +588,6 @@ async def test_public_cyberark_write_errors_match_python_without_http_retries(
     status: int,
     authentication: bool,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         responses: Final = (
             (ResponseSpec(status=status, body={}),) * 2
@@ -635,7 +613,6 @@ async def test_public_cyberark_write_errors_match_python_without_http_retries(
 async def test_public_cyberark_write_recovers_from_initial_policy_authentication_failure(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(status=401, body={}))
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=b"token"))
@@ -658,7 +635,6 @@ async def test_public_cyberark_write_rejects_unsafe_names_before_authentication(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     name: str,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.expected_requests = 0
         manager: Final = _cyberark(monkeypatch, server.base_url)
@@ -673,7 +649,6 @@ async def test_public_cyberark_rotation_returns_the_write_response_and_retains_o
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     same_name: bool,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         for body in (b"token", b"old-value", {}, {}):
             server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=body))
@@ -696,7 +671,6 @@ async def test_public_native_cyberark_rotation_requires_a_fresh_matching_replace
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     replacement: bytes | None,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         for body in (b"token", b"old-value", {}, {}):
             server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=body))
@@ -720,7 +694,6 @@ async def test_public_native_cyberark_rotation_requires_a_fresh_matching_replace
 async def test_public_cyberark_cached_authentication_does_not_retry_denied_reads(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=b"token"))
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=b"value"))
@@ -734,7 +707,6 @@ async def test_public_cyberark_cached_authentication_does_not_retry_denied_reads
 async def test_cyberark_handler_errors_match_python_after_cached_authentication_is_denied(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         for response in (
             ResponseSpec(body=b"token"),
@@ -757,7 +729,6 @@ async def test_cyberark_handler_errors_match_python_after_cached_authentication_
 async def test_public_cyberark_connection_errors_match_python(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.expected_requests = 0
         address: Final = server.base_url
@@ -769,7 +740,6 @@ async def test_public_cyberark_connection_errors_match_python(
 
 
 async def test_public_native_cyberark_rotation_stops_after_a_failed_write(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         for body in (b"token", b"old-value", {}):
             server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=body))
@@ -788,7 +758,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_writes_preserve_complete_responses_and_request_field
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     description: str | None,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         response: Final = {
             "request_id": "test-request",
@@ -829,7 +798,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_mutation_http_errors_match_python_without_retry(
     operation: str,
     status: int,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(status=status, body={"errors": ["denied"]})
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -856,7 +824,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_write_response_conversion_matches_python(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     body: bytes,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=body)
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -870,7 +837,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_write_response_conversion_matches_python(
 async def test_public_vault_deletion_invalidates_cached_fields(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("old")))
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(status=204, body=b""))
@@ -893,7 +859,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_rotation_preserves_response_and_best_effort_deletion
     same_name: bool,
     delete_status: int,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         response: Final = {"request_id": "write-id", "data": {"version": 3}, "extra": [1, 2]}
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=b"current-existence-is-status-only"))
@@ -924,7 +889,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_rotation_failure_messages_and_request_counts_match_p
     stage: str,
     status: int,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         before: Final = (
             ()
@@ -960,7 +924,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_rotation_mismatches_do_not_delete_the_old_alias(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     value: JsonValue,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         responses: Final = (
             ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("old")),
@@ -983,7 +946,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_mutation_timeouts_match_python(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     operation: str,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.default_response = ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("value"), delay=0.25)
         server.expected_requests = 2
@@ -1021,7 +983,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_unsafe_names_fail_before_authentication(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     operation: str,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.expected_requests = 0
         manager: Final = _vault(monkeypatch, server.base_url)
@@ -1038,7 +999,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_authentication_errors_match_python(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     operation: str,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("HCP_VAULT_APPROLE_ROLE_ID", "role")
     monkeypatch.setenv("HCP_VAULT_APPROLE_SECRET_ID", "secret-id")
     with recording_service() as server:
@@ -1064,7 +1024,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_authentication_errors_match_python(
 async def test_public_vault_rotation_stops_on_a_success_response_containing_an_error(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         result: Final = {"status": "error", "message": "write rejected", "extra": 2**100}
         for response in (ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("old")), ResponseSpec(body=result)) * 2:
@@ -1078,7 +1037,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_rotation_stops_on_a_success_response_containing_an_e
 
 
 async def test_public_native_vault_write_invalidates_stale_cached_values(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("old")))
         server.enqueue(ResponseSpec(body={"data": {"version": 2}}))
@@ -1094,7 +1052,6 @@ async def test_public_native_vault_write_invalidates_stale_cached_values(monkeyp
 async def test_public_native_vault_write_rejects_description_overwriting_the_secret(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         server.expected_requests = 0
         handle: Final = _native_handle(_vault(monkeypatch, server.base_url))
@@ -1111,7 +1068,6 @@ async def test_public_vault_rotation_preserves_malformed_verification_errors(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     body: JsonValue,
 ) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     with recording_service() as server:
         responses: Final = (
             ResponseSpec(body=_vault_body("old")),
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/messages/test_secrets.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/messages/test_secrets.py
index f6439753809..64559d63193 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/messages/test_secrets.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/messages/test_secrets.py
@@ -17,8 +17,6 @@ from litellm.types.secret_managers.main import KeyManagementSettings, KeyManagem
 from tests.test_litellm_rust.messages.data import MESSAGES, MESSAGES_MODEL, MESSAGES_RESPONSE
 from tests.test_litellm_rust.support.recording_server import ResponseSpec, recording_service
 
-pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
-
 pytestmark = pytest.mark.usefixtures("local_model_cost_map")
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/ocr/test_secrets.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/ocr/test_secrets.py
index 33ded916888..4ea6e09f885 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/ocr/test_secrets.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/ocr/test_secrets.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import pytest
 import litellm
 from litellm.integrations.custom_secret_manager import CustomSecretManager
 from litellm.llms.base_llm.ocr.transformation import OCRResponse
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native as native
 from litellm.rust_bridge.host import settings
 from litellm.rust_bridge.ocr.entrypoints import NATIVE_AOCR, NATIVE_OCR
 from litellm.rust_bridge.public_call import NativeCall
@@ -19,8 +20,6 @@ from litellm.types.secret_managers.main import KeyManagementSettings, KeyManagem
 from tests.test_litellm_rust.ocr.data import OCR_DOCUMENT, OCR_MODEL, OCR_RESPONSE
 from tests.test_litellm_rust.support.recording_server import RecordingServer, ResponseSpec, recording_service
 
-native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
-
 AccessMode: TypeAlias = Literal["read_only", "write_only", "read_and_write"]
 
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_bindings.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_bindings.py
index 39a157220dc..086be65ee26 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_bindings.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_bindings.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from typing import Final, cast  # noqa: TID251  # narrows the async binding's un
 
 import pytest
 
-from litellm.rust_bridge import bindings
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native, bindings
 from litellm.rust_bridge.chat_completions import entrypoints as chat_completions
 from litellm.rust_bridge.embeddings import entrypoints as embeddings
 from litellm.rust_bridge.execution import Complete, Step
@@ -17,12 +17,15 @@ from litellm.rust_bridge.responses import entrypoints as responses
 from litellm.rust_bridge.transcription import native as transcription
 
 
-def test_binding_distinguishes_disable_from_reset(monkeypatch) -> None:
-    native = SimpleNamespace(route=lambda: "native")
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: native)
-    binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object] = bindings.NativeBinding("route", validate=lambda value: value)
+def test_binding_distinguishes_disable_from_reset() -> None:
+    def route() -> str:
+        return "native"
 
-    assert binding.load() is native.route
+    binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object] = bindings.NativeBinding(
+        "route", validate=lambda value: value, source=SimpleNamespace(route=route)
+    )
+
+    assert binding.load() is route
 
     binding.override(None)
     assert binding.load() is None
@@ -32,16 +35,15 @@ def test_binding_distinguishes_disable_from_reset(monkeypatch) -> None:
     assert binding.load() is replacement
 
     binding.reset()
-    assert binding.load() is native.route
+    assert binding.load() is route
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(("value", "expected"), ((3, 3), ("invalid", None), (None, None)))
-def test_binding_validates_native_attribute(
-    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, value: object, expected: int | None
-) -> None:
+def test_binding_validates_native_attribute(value: object, expected: int | None) -> None:
     native: Final = SimpleNamespace(route=value)
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: native)
-    binding: Final = bindings.NativeBinding("route", validate=lambda item: item if isinstance(item, int) else None)
+    binding: Final = bindings.NativeBinding(
+        "route", validate=lambda item: item if isinstance(item, int) else None, source=native
+    )
 
     assert binding.load() == expected
 
@@ -72,28 +74,33 @@ ROUTE_BINDINGS: Final = tuple((attribute, binding) for attribute, binding, _ in
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("attribute", "route_binding"), ROUTE_BINDINGS, ids=[attribute for attribute, _ in ROUTE_BINDINGS]
 )
-def test_route_bindings_reject_non_callable_native_attributes(
-    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, attribute: str, route_binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object]
+def test_route_bindings_resolve_the_packaged_native_route(
+    attribute: str, route_binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object]
 ) -> None:
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: SimpleNamespace(**{attribute: "not callable"}))
-    route_binding.reset()
-    assert route_binding.load() is None
     route_binding.reset()
+    assert attribute in dir(_native)
+    assert callable(route_binding.load())
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("attribute", "route_binding"), ROUTE_BINDINGS, ids=[attribute for attribute, _ in ROUTE_BINDINGS]
+)
+def test_route_bindings_reject_non_callable_native_attributes(
+    attribute: str, route_binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object]
+) -> None:
+    assert route_binding.with_source(SimpleNamespace(**{attribute: "not callable"})).load() is None
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("attribute", "route_binding"), TRANSCRIPTION_BINDINGS, ids=[attribute for attribute, _ in TRANSCRIPTION_BINDINGS]
 )
 def test_transcription_bindings_expose_the_native_callable_itself(
-    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, attribute: str, route_binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object]
+    attribute: str, route_binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object]
 ) -> None:
     def native_route() -> None:
         pass
 
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: SimpleNamespace(**{attribute: native_route}))
-    route_binding.reset()
-    assert route_binding.load() is native_route
-    route_binding.reset()
+    assert route_binding.with_source(SimpleNamespace(**{attribute: native_route})).load() is native_route
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True, slots=True)
@@ -116,7 +123,6 @@ class _EchoingExecution:
     ids=[attribute for attribute, _, _ in EXECUTION_BINDINGS],
 )
 def test_execution_bindings_start_the_native_execution_and_return_its_result(
-    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
     attribute: str,
     route_binding: bindings.NativeBinding[object],
     asynchronous: bool,
@@ -128,9 +134,7 @@ def test_execution_bindings_start_the_native_execution_and_return_its_result(
         received.append(incoming)
         return _EchoingExecution()
 
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: SimpleNamespace(**{attribute: native_route}))
-    route_binding.reset()
-    bound: Final = route_binding.load()
+    bound: Final = route_binding.with_source(SimpleNamespace(**{attribute: native_route})).load()
     assert callable(bound)
 
     outcome: Final = bound(call)
@@ -139,7 +143,6 @@ def test_execution_bindings_start_the_native_execution_and_return_its_result(
         if asynchronous
         else outcome
     )
-    route_binding.reset()
 
     assert received == [call]
     assert result == ("completed with", None)
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_fork_guard.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_fork_guard.py
index 88ae017ec39..aad50437f03 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_fork_guard.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_fork_guard.py
@@ -1,36 +1,21 @@
-from types import SimpleNamespace
-
 import pytest
 
 from litellm.rust_bridge import fork_guard
 
 
-def _reserve_with(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, native: object) -> None:
-    monkeypatch.setattr(fork_guard, "get_native_bridge", lambda: native)
-    fork_guard.reserve_process_for_forking("the gunicorn master")
-
-
-def test_missing_extension_has_nothing_to_reserve(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    assert _reserve_with(monkeypatch, None) is None
-
-
-def test_extension_built_before_reservation_existed_passes(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
-    assert _reserve_with(monkeypatch, SimpleNamespace()) is None
-
-
-def test_unused_extension_is_reserved(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+def test_unused_extension_is_reserved() -> None:
     calls: list[None] = []
 
-    _reserve_with(monkeypatch, SimpleNamespace(reserve_process_for_forking=lambda: calls.append(None)))
+    fork_guard.reserve_process_for_forking("the gunicorn master", reserve=lambda: calls.append(None))
 
     assert calls == [None]
 
 
-def test_used_extension_refuses_and_names_the_place(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+def test_used_extension_refuses_and_names_the_place() -> None:
     def reserve() -> None:
         raise RuntimeError("the native runtime already started in this process")
 
     with pytest.raises(fork_guard.NativeStateStartedBeforeFork, match="the gunicorn master") as raised:
-        _reserve_with(monkeypatch, SimpleNamespace(reserve_process_for_forking=reserve))
+        fork_guard.reserve_process_for_forking("the gunicorn master", reserve=reserve)
 
     assert isinstance(raised.value.__cause__, RuntimeError)
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_logger.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_logger.py
index 5a7b6c270a1..4745aca9d50 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_logger.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_logger.py
@@ -80,7 +80,6 @@ def test_native_logging_observes_level_changes(caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture)
     ),
 )
 def test_native_credential_patterns_match_python(text: str) -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     from litellm.rust_bridge._native import NativeDiagnosticProcessor
 
     processor: Final = NativeDiagnosticProcessor(MINIMUM_CUSTOM_KEY_LENGTH)
@@ -91,7 +90,6 @@ def test_native_credential_patterns_match_python(text: str) -> None:
 
 
 def test_native_client_redaction_matches_python() -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     from litellm.rust_bridge._native import NativeDiagnosticProcessor
 
     text: Final = "error at /etc/secrets/config on db.internal\nTraceback (most recent call last):\nsecret"
@@ -100,7 +98,6 @@ def test_native_client_redaction_matches_python() -> None:
 
 
 def test_native_diagnostic_batch_matches_python() -> None:
-    pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     from litellm.rust_bridge._native import NativeDiagnosticProcessor
 
     message: Final = "é" * 110 + "sk-" + "q" * 48 + "界" * 1000
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_runtime.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_runtime.py
index 95fa3e2cc7b..c0c416a62c9 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_runtime.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_runtime.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from collections.abc import Callable, Generator
-from types import SimpleNamespace
 from typing import Final, Protocol
 
 import pytest
@@ -10,26 +9,14 @@ from litellm.exceptions import APIError
 from litellm.llms.base_llm.ocr.transformation import OCRResponse
 from litellm.router_utils.add_retry_fallback_headers import get_hidden_params_dict
 from litellm.rust_bridge import bindings, configuration, runtime
+from litellm.rust_bridge._native import RustBridgeDeclined, RustUpstreamError
 from litellm.rust_bridge.catalog import Route, RouteContext, RouteRule
 from litellm.rust_bridge.configuration import Rollout
 from litellm.rust_bridge.execution import AsyncStream, Complete, StreamChunk, SyncStream
 
 
-class RustBridgeDeclined(Exception):
-    pass
-
-
-class RustUpstreamError(Exception):
-    pass
-
-
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
-def native_exceptions(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> Generator[None]:
-    native: Final = SimpleNamespace(
-        RustBridgeDeclined=RustBridgeDeclined,
-        RustUpstreamError=RustUpstreamError,
-    )
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: native)
+def rust_configuration(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> Generator[None]:
     monkeypatch.delenv("LITELLM_RUST", raising=False)
     configuration.reset_rust_configuration()
     yield
diff --git a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_token_counter.py b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_token_counter.py
index 3af7127a9b3..3513a0ef44c 100644
--- a/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_token_counter.py
+++ b/tests/unit/rust_bridge/test_token_counter.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import litellm
 from litellm.constants import TIKTOKEN_ENCODE_CHUNK_SIZE_CHARS
 from litellm.litellm_core_utils.token_counter import openai_tokenizer_encoding
 from litellm.proxy.spend_tracking.input_tokens import count_input_tokens_for_model
+from litellm.rust_bridge import _native as native
 from litellm.rust_bridge import token_counter as bridge
 from litellm.rust_bridge import tokenizer as tokenizer_dispatch
 from litellm.rust_bridge._native import Tokenizer
@@ -313,7 +314,6 @@ PARITY_MODELS: Final[tuple[tuple[str, bridge.RustTokenizer], ...]] = (
 async def test_native_count_matches_python_budget_counter(
     request_body: dict[str, object], model: str, tokenizer: bridge.RustTokenizer
 ) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     body: Final = json.dumps(request_body).replace(MODEL, model)
     parsed: Final = json.loads(body)
 
@@ -328,7 +328,6 @@ async def test_tiktoken_counts_long_text_exactly_where_python_chunks(
     model: str, tokenizer: bridge.RustTokenizer
 ) -> None:
     """Python encodes tiktoken text in fixed-size chunks (drift of up to one token per chunk boundary); Rust does not."""
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     text: Final = "x " * 20_000
     body: Final = {"model": model, "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": text}]}
     encoding: Final = Tokenizer.from_tiktoken(tokenizer)
@@ -362,7 +361,6 @@ DECLINED_REQUESTS: Final[tuple[dict[str, object], ...]] = (
 async def test_native_declines_shapes_python_prices_differently(
     request_body: dict[str, object], tokenizer: bridge.RustTokenizer
 ) -> None:
-    native: Final = pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     raw, _ = _counted(request_body, MODEL_BY_TOKENIZER[tokenizer])
 
     with pytest.raises(native.RustBridgeDeclined):
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_audio_transcription_rust_bridge.py b/tests/unit/test_audio_transcription_rust_bridge.py
index e3a6781dee7..715423c59d9 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_audio_transcription_rust_bridge.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_audio_transcription_rust_bridge.py
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 from collections.abc import Generator
-from types import SimpleNamespace
 from typing import Final
 
 import pytest
 
 import litellm
 from litellm.llms.bedrock.audio_transcription import BedrockAudioTranscriptionRustDispatch
-from litellm.rust_bridge import bindings, configuration
+from litellm.rust_bridge import configuration
+from litellm.rust_bridge._native import RustBridgeDeclined, RustUpstreamError
 from litellm.rust_bridge.public_call import NativeCall
 from litellm.rust_bridge.transcription.native import NATIVE_ATRANSCRIPTION, NATIVE_TRANSCRIPTION
 
@@ -28,18 +28,8 @@ TRANSCRIPTION_FIELDS: Final = frozenset(
 )
 
 
-class RustBridgeDeclined(Exception):
-    pass
-
-
-class RustUpstreamError(Exception):
-    pass
-
-
 @pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
 def isolated_bridge(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> Generator[None]:
-    native: Final = SimpleNamespace(RustBridgeDeclined=RustBridgeDeclined, RustUpstreamError=RustUpstreamError)
-    monkeypatch.setattr(bindings, "get_native_bridge", lambda: native)
     monkeypatch.delenv("LITELLM_RUST", raising=False)
     configuration.reset_rust_configuration()
     yield
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_logging.py b/tests/unit/test_logging.py
index 36be864a6f7..195d5afe000 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_logging.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_logging.py
@@ -862,8 +862,6 @@ def test_secret_filter_keeps_truncated_traceback(monkeypatch):
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_diagnostic_redaction_precedes_a_credential_cut(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setenv("MAX_STRING_LENGTH_STDOUT_LOG", "500")
     monkeypatch.setenv("MAX_BASE64_LENGTH_STDOUT_LOG", "0")
@@ -890,8 +888,6 @@ def test_correlation_id_redacts_before_its_length_bound(monkeypatch):
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_malformed_interpolation_still_scrubs_a_record(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setattr("litellm._logging._ENABLE_SECRET_REDACTION", True)
     record = _make_record(logging.WARNING, "bad % api_key=secret123", ("value",))
@@ -905,8 +901,6 @@ def test_malformed_interpolation_still_scrubs_a_record(monkeypatch, native):
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_key_pattern_template_keeps_the_rendered_redacted_line(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setattr("litellm._logging._ENABLE_SECRET_REDACTION", True)
     record = _make_record(logging.INFO, "password=%s ok", ("hunter2",))
@@ -1733,8 +1727,6 @@ def test_access_log_path_filter_keeps_a_record_without_a_string_path_arg(monkeyp
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_diagnostic_filter_scrubs_exc_stack_and_nested_extras(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setattr("litellm._logging._ENABLE_SECRET_REDACTION", True)
     secret = "sk-" + "q" * 48
@@ -1761,8 +1753,6 @@ def test_diagnostic_filter_scrubs_exc_stack_and_nested_extras(monkeypatch, nativ
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_diagnostic_filter_stamps_records_so_a_second_pass_is_free(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setattr("litellm._logging._ENABLE_SECRET_REDACTION", True)
     record = _make_record(logging.WARNING, "api_key=secret123")
@@ -1775,8 +1765,6 @@ def test_diagnostic_filter_stamps_records_so_a_second_pass_is_free(monkeypatch,
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_json_formatter_scrubs_unfiltered_extras(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setattr("litellm._logging._ENABLE_SECRET_REDACTION", True)
     secret = "sk-" + "q" * 48
@@ -1791,8 +1779,6 @@ def test_json_formatter_scrubs_unfiltered_extras(monkeypatch, native):
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_diagnostic_filter_redacts_a_non_string_message_object(monkeypatch, native):
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
     monkeypatch.setattr("litellm._logging._ENABLE_SECRET_REDACTION", True)
     secret = "sk-" + "q" * 48
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_secret_redaction.py b/tests/unit/test_secret_redaction.py
index 3b0e9390a61..cce9c6c558d 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_secret_redaction.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_secret_redaction.py
@@ -76,8 +76,6 @@ def test_redact_string_catches_secret_patterns():
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("native", (False, True), ids=("python", "rust"))
 def test_diagnostic_redaction_policy_matches_across_backends(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, native: bool) -> None:
-    if native:
-        pytest.importorskip("litellm.rust_bridge._native")
     monkeypatch.setenv("LITELLM_RUST", "1" if native else "0")
 
     assert redact_string("GET /v1?api_key=abcdefgh12345&page=2") == "GET /v1?REDACTED&page=2"
diff --git a/tests/windows_tests/check_windows_wheel_install.py b/tests/windows_tests/check_windows_wheel_install.py
index a6c2e7f2984..b554221030d 100644
--- a/tests/windows_tests/check_windows_wheel_install.py
+++ b/tests/windows_tests/check_windows_wheel_install.py
@@ -87,10 +87,20 @@ def main(argv):
             f"::error::installing {os.path.basename(wheel)} into a deep prefix failed"
         )
         return 1
-    if _run([python, "-c", "import litellm; import litellm.types.utils"]) != 0:
+    if _run([python, "-I", "-c", "import litellm; import litellm.types.utils"]) != 0:
         print("::error::litellm did not import after install (half-unpacked package)")
         return 1
 
+    checker = os.path.abspath(os.path.join("tests", "base_sdk_tests", "check_base_sdk_install.py"))
+    for rust in ("0", "1"):
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [python, "-I", checker, "--profile", "native"],
+            env={**os.environ, "LITELLM_RUST": rust, "LITELLM_LOCAL_MODEL_COST_MAP": "True"},
+            check=False,
+        )
+        if result.returncode != 0:
+            return result.returncode
+
     print(
         f"ok: {os.path.basename(wheel)} installs into a worst-case prefix and imports"
     )