diff --git a/litellm/proxy/route_llm_request.py b/litellm/proxy/route_llm_request.py
index 1c16f6c0caa..560f107bf0d 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/route_llm_request.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/route_llm_request.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import asyncio
-from collections.abc import Mapping
+from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Final, Literal
 
 import httpx
@@ -74,9 +74,16 @@ def _is_a2a_agent_model(model_name: Any) -> bool:
     return isinstance(model_name, str) and model_name.startswith("a2a/")
 
 
+def _validated_block_fallbacks(raw: object) -> Sequence[Mapping[str, Sequence[str]] | str] | None:
+    try:
+        return _BLOCK_GATE_FALLBACKS_ADAPTER.validate_python(raw)
+    except ValidationError:
+        return None
+
+
 def _reachable_block_fallbacks(
-    llm_router: LitellmRouter, data: dict, route_type: str
-) -> list[dict[str, list[str]] | str] | None:
+    llm_router: LitellmRouter, data: Mapping[str, object], route_type: str
+) -> Sequence[Mapping[str, Sequence[str]] | str] | None:
     """Fallbacks the router would actually attempt for a blocked primary, or None when
     none can run: eval routes bypass the router, disabled fallbacks skip the chain, and a
     request-supplied list replaces the router-level one, matching what the router does."""
@@ -84,30 +91,25 @@ def _reachable_block_fallbacks(
         return None
     if data.get("disable_fallbacks") is True:
         return None
-    request_fallbacks: Final[object] = data.get("fallbacks")
-    raw_fallbacks: Final[object] = request_fallbacks if isinstance(request_fallbacks, list) else llm_router.fallbacks
-    try:
-        return _BLOCK_GATE_FALLBACKS_ADAPTER.validate_python(raw_fallbacks)
-    except ValidationError:
-        return None
+    if "fallbacks" in data:
+        return _validated_block_fallbacks(data.get("fallbacks"))
+    # Router.fallbacks is an untyped list attribute; the adapter validates it into a typed view.
+    return _validated_block_fallbacks(llm_router.fallbacks)  # pyright: ignore[reportUnknownMemberType, reportUnknownArgumentType]  # untyped attr, validated by adapter
 
 
 def _raise_if_model_fully_blocked(
     llm_router: LitellmRouter,
     model_name: Any,
     team_id: str | None,
-    reachable_fallbacks: list[dict[str, list[str]] | str] | None,
+    reachable_fallbacks: Sequence[Mapping[str, Sequence[str]] | str] | None,
 ) -> None:
     if not isinstance(model_name, str) or not model_name:
         return
     if not isinstance(llm_router, litellm.Router):
         return
-    deployments: Final = llm_router.get_model_list(model_name=model_name, team_id=team_id) or []
-    if not llm_router._are_all_deployments_blocked(deployments):
-        return
-    if reachable_fallbacks is not None and llm_router._has_reachable_fallback(
+    if not llm_router._is_blocked_without_reachable_fallback(
         model_name=model_name,
-        fallbacks=reachable_fallbacks,
+        reachable_fallbacks=reachable_fallbacks,
         team_id=team_id,
     ):
         return
diff --git a/litellm/router.py b/litellm/router.py
index ca0e015af37..684ab6a19bd 100644
--- a/litellm/router.py
+++ b/litellm/router.py
@@ -9983,7 +9983,7 @@ class Router:
     def _has_reachable_fallback(
         self,
         model_name: str,
-        fallbacks: list[dict[str, list[str]] | str],
+        fallbacks: Sequence[Mapping[str, Sequence[str]] | str],
         team_id: str | None = None,
         visited: frozenset[str] = frozenset(),
     ) -> bool:
@@ -10005,6 +10005,26 @@ class Router:
             for group in fallback_model_group
         )
 
+    def _is_blocked_without_reachable_fallback(
+        self,
+        model_name: str,
+        reachable_fallbacks: Sequence[Mapping[str, Sequence[str]] | str] | None,
+        team_id: str | None,
+    ) -> bool:
+        """
+        True when every deployment of `model_name` is blocked and no reachable fallback
+        can serve the request. `reachable_fallbacks` is the already-resolved chain the
+        caller would attempt, or None when no fallback can run on this path.
+        """
+        deployments: Final = self.get_model_list(model_name=model_name, team_id=team_id) or []
+        if not self._are_all_deployments_blocked(deployments):
+            return False
+        if reachable_fallbacks is not None and self._has_reachable_fallback(
+            model_name=model_name, fallbacks=reachable_fallbacks, team_id=team_id
+        ):
+            return False
+        return True
+
     async def async_get_fully_unhealthy_model_names(self) -> set[str]:
         """
         Returns the set of model names where every backing deployment is currently
diff --git a/litellm/router_utils/fallback_event_handlers.py b/litellm/router_utils/fallback_event_handlers.py
index 63bc5203417..6741b540957 100644
--- a/litellm/router_utils/fallback_event_handlers.py
+++ b/litellm/router_utils/fallback_event_handlers.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import hashlib
 import json
-from collections.abc import Mapping
+from collections.abc import Mapping, Sequence
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from enum import Enum
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Final
@@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ def _check_stripped_model_group(model_group: str, fallback_key: str) -> bool:
     return False
 
 
-def get_fallback_model_group(fallbacks: list[Any], model_group: str) -> tuple[list[str] | None, int | None]:
+def get_fallback_model_group(fallbacks: Sequence[Any], model_group: str) -> tuple[list[str] | None, int | None]:
     """
     Returns:
     - fallback_model_group: List[str] of fallback model groups. example: ["gpt-4", "gpt-3.5-turbo"]
diff --git a/tests/code_coverage_tests/recursive_detector.py b/tests/code_coverage_tests/recursive_detector.py
index 5bd6326d8f2..e378af35ed6 100644
--- a/tests/code_coverage_tests/recursive_detector.py
+++ b/tests/code_coverage_tests/recursive_detector.py
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ IGNORE_FUNCTIONS = [
     "_filter_argument_value",  # max depth set (DEFAULT_MAX_RECURSE_DEPTH); fails closed by blocking the tool call at the cap.
     "_redact_scanned_content",  # max depth set (DEFAULT_MAX_RECURSE_DEPTH); fails closed by returning "[REDACTED]" at the cap.
     "_iter_fallback_targets",  # max depth set (2 * ROUTER_MAX_FALLBACKS); fails closed by raising ValueError at the cap.
+    "_has_reachable_fallback",  # bounded by the visited set: every model group is expanded at most once, so a cycle terminates.
     "json_string_leaves",  # max depth set (MAX_STRUCTURED_CONTENT_SCAN_DEPTH); fails closed by raising at the cap so nothing goes unscanned.
     "with_json_string_leaves",  # transitively bounded: only runs on a tree json_string_leaves already walked under the cap.
     "json_unrewritable_labels",  # max depth set (MAX_STRUCTURED_CONTENT_SCAN_DEPTH); returns the None sentinel at the cap so the caller blocks.