diff --git a/litellm-rust/Cargo.toml b/litellm-rust/Cargo.toml
index 15074082981..2e2e8809b7f 100644
--- a/litellm-rust/Cargo.toml
+++ b/litellm-rust/Cargo.toml
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ pythonize = "0.29.0"
 rand = "0.8"
 reqwest = { version = "0.12", default-features = false, features = ["blocking", "json", "rustls-tls", "http2", "stream"] }
 rstest = "0.26.1"
-rustls = { version = "0.23", default-features = false, features = ["ring", "std"] }
+rustls = { version = "0.23", default-features = false, features = ["ring", "std", "tls12"] }
 serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1.0"
 sha2 = "0.10"
diff --git a/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/src/io/tls.rs b/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/src/io/tls.rs
index e3754e44002..96544adffb7 100644
--- a/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/src/io/tls.rs
+++ b/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/src/io/tls.rs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 //! Installing from the dial rather than from a `main` also covers the `cdylib`
 //! the Python bridge loads, the tests, and the benches, none of which have one.
 //! ring is what reqwest already falls back to, so installing it changes no
-//! working path, and an embedder that installed its own provider first keeps it.
+//! working path, and whoever installs into this rustls build first still wins.
 
 use std::sync::Once;
 
@@ -38,13 +38,32 @@ where
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
+    use rustls::crypto::CryptoProvider;
+
     use super::ensure_crypto_provider;
 
+    fn fingerprint(
+        provider: &CryptoProvider,
+    ) -> (Vec<rustls::CipherSuite>, Vec<rustls::NamedGroup>) {
+        (
+            provider
+                .cipher_suites
+                .iter()
+                .map(|suite| suite.suite())
+                .collect(),
+            provider
+                .kx_groups
+                .iter()
+                .map(|group| group.name())
+                .collect(),
+        )
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn client_config_builder_works_with_both_provider_features_enabled() {
         ensure_crypto_provider();
 
-        assert!(rustls::crypto::CryptoProvider::get_default().is_some());
+        assert!(CryptoProvider::get_default().is_some());
 
         let config = rustls::ClientConfig::builder()
             .with_root_certificates(rustls::RootCertStore::empty())
@@ -53,13 +72,29 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!config.crypto_provider().cipher_suites.is_empty());
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn installs_ring_rather_than_aws_lc_rs() {
+        ensure_crypto_provider();
+
+        let installed = CryptoProvider::get_default().expect("a provider is installed");
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            fingerprint(installed),
+            fingerprint(&rustls::crypto::ring::default_provider())
+        );
+        assert_ne!(
+            fingerprint(installed),
+            fingerprint(&rustls::crypto::aws_lc_rs::default_provider())
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn ensure_crypto_provider_is_idempotent() {
         ensure_crypto_provider();
-        let first = rustls::crypto::CryptoProvider::get_default().cloned();
+        let first = CryptoProvider::get_default().cloned();
 
         ensure_crypto_provider();
-        let second = rustls::crypto::CryptoProvider::get_default().cloned();
+        let second = CryptoProvider::get_default().cloned();
 
         assert!(first.is_some());
         assert!(std::sync::Arc::ptr_eq(&first.unwrap(), &second.unwrap()));
diff --git a/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/tests/crypto_provider_wiring.rs b/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/tests/crypto_provider_wiring.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..db5698f8460
--- /dev/null
+++ b/litellm-rust/crates/ai-gateway/tests/crypto_provider_wiring.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+//! Guards the wiring, not just the helper: the dial itself has to install the
+//! rustls provider, in a test binary where nothing else has installed one.
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use litellm_ai_gateway::io::responses_ws::ResponsesWebSocketConnection;
+use tokio::net::TcpListener;
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn dialing_wss_returns_an_error_instead_of_panicking() {
+    let listener = TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:0")
+        .await
+        .expect("bind a loopback port");
+    let port = listener
+        .local_addr()
+        .expect("read the bound address")
+        .port();
+
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
+        while let Ok((stream, _peer)) = listener.accept().await {
+            drop(stream);
+        }
+    });
+
+    let result = ResponsesWebSocketConnection::connect_url(
+        &format!("wss://127.0.0.1:{port}/"),
+        &HashMap::new(),
+        Some(Duration::from_secs(10)),
+    )
+    .await;
+
+    assert!(
+        result.is_err(),
+        "a plain TCP server cannot finish a TLS handshake"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        rustls::crypto::CryptoProvider::get_default().is_some(),
+        "the dial is what installs the process-wide provider"
+    );
+}