diff --git a/litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/adaptive_router.py b/litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/adaptive_router.py
index 1a33ea23bd4..02188f48496 100644
--- a/litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/adaptive_router.py
+++ b/litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/adaptive_router.py
@@ -123,7 +123,17 @@ class AdaptiveRouter:
                 self._cells[(rt, model)] = initial_cell(prefs, rt)
 
     async def load_state_from_db(self, prisma_client: Any) -> None:
-        """Override cold-start cells with persisted state. Called once at startup."""
+        """Add persisted deltas on top of the cold-start prior for every cell with a row.
+
+        A DB row holds accumulated deltas only (AdaptiveRouterUpdateQueue.flush_state_to_db
+        creates the row with the raw delta as its initial value, then increments it), never
+        the prior. Assigning `row.alpha`/`row.beta` straight into the cell would silently drop
+        the cold-start prior _init_cold_start_cells already put there, and the first flush after
+        a cell sees only one kind of signal persists a one-sided row (e.g. alpha=1, beta=0) - as
+        a bare Beta(alpha, beta) that zeroes out one shape parameter, which is invalid and 500s
+        on every later thompson_sample() draw for that cell. Adding the row on top of a freshly
+        computed prior keeps both parameters positive, since deltas are never negative.
+        """
         if prisma_client is None:
             return
         try:
@@ -139,7 +149,12 @@ class AdaptiveRouter:
                     continue
                 if row.model_name not in self.config.available_models:
                     continue
-                self._cells[(rt, row.model_name)] = BanditCell(alpha=row.alpha, beta=row.beta)
+                prefs = self.model_to_prefs.get(row.model_name) or _default_prefs()
+                prior = initial_cell(prefs, rt)
+                self._cells[(rt, row.model_name)] = BanditCell(
+                    alpha=prior.alpha + row.alpha,
+                    beta=prior.beta + row.beta,
+                )
                 loaded += 1
             verbose_router_logger.info(
                 "AdaptiveRouter[%s]: loaded %d cells from DB",
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_adaptive_router.py b/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_adaptive_router.py
index cbf5635a5ae..8637dbcc06e 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_adaptive_router.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_adaptive_router.py
@@ -269,7 +269,11 @@ async def test_record_turn_bounds_feedback_contexts_and_evicts_least_recent_sess
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_load_state_from_db_overrides_cold_start():
+async def test_load_state_from_db_adds_the_persisted_delta_to_the_cold_start_prior():
+    """A DB row holds an accumulated delta, not a full posterior (AdaptiveRouterUpdateQueue
+    creates the row with the raw delta and increments it from there) - loading it must add
+    that delta on top of the same cold-start prior _init_cold_start_cells already computed,
+    not replace the cell outright."""
     r = _make_router()
     cold = r._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "fast")]
 
@@ -284,8 +288,34 @@ async def test_load_state_from_db_overrides_cold_start():
     await r.load_state_from_db(prisma)
 
     new_cell = r._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "fast")]
-    assert (new_cell.alpha, new_cell.beta) == (42.0, 13.0)
-    assert (new_cell.alpha, new_cell.beta) != (cold.alpha, cold.beta)
+    assert (new_cell.alpha, new_cell.beta) == (cold.alpha + 42.0, cold.beta + 13.0)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_load_state_from_db_keeps_a_one_sided_delta_row_sampleable():
+    """Regression: a cell whose only DB activity is one signal type persists a one-sided row
+    (e.g. delta_beta=0.0, per AdaptiveRouterUpdateQueue.flush_state_to_db's create branch).
+    Loading that row must not zero out a Beta shape parameter - thompson_sample() raises
+    `ValueError: gammavariate: alpha and beta must be > 0.0` on a zeroed side, bricking every
+    request for that cell until the process restarts."""
+    from litellm.router_strategy.adaptive_router.bandit import thompson_sample
+
+    r = _make_router()
+
+    one_sided_row = MagicMock()
+    one_sided_row.request_type = "general"
+    one_sided_row.model_name = "fast"
+    one_sided_row.alpha = 1.0
+    one_sided_row.beta = 0.0
+
+    prisma = MagicMock()
+    prisma.db.litellm_adaptiverouterstate.find_many = AsyncMock(return_value=[one_sided_row])
+    await r.load_state_from_db(prisma)
+
+    loaded_cell = r._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "fast")]
+    assert loaded_cell.alpha > 0.0
+    assert loaded_cell.beta > 0.0
+    thompson_sample(loaded_cell)  # must not raise
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -309,10 +339,11 @@ async def test_load_state_from_db_handles_unknown_request_type():
     prisma.db.litellm_adaptiverouterstate.find_many = AsyncMock(return_value=[bad_row, good_row])
     await r.load_state_from_db(prisma)
 
-    # Unknown skipped; good applied.
-    assert r._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "fast")].alpha == 7.0
+    # Unknown skipped; good added to the cold-start prior.
+    new_general = r._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "fast")]
+    assert new_general.alpha == cold.alpha + 7.0
     # Other request types kept their cold-start values.
-    assert r._cells[(RequestType.WRITING, "fast")] == cold or True
+    assert r._cells[(RequestType.WRITING, "fast")] == cold
 
 
 # ---- Session state eviction ---------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_e2e_adaptive_router.py b/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_e2e_adaptive_router.py
index 3071f916ef1..322866936a1 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_e2e_adaptive_router.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/router_strategy/adaptive_router/test_e2e_adaptive_router.py
@@ -186,8 +186,14 @@ async def test_failure_signal_increments_beta_after_flush():
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_load_state_from_db_overrides_cold_start():
+async def test_load_state_from_db_adds_persisted_delta_to_cold_start():
+    """A DB row is an accumulated delta, not a full posterior, so loading it must add onto the
+    same cold-start prior _init_cold_start_cells already computed, not replace the cell outright
+    (see test_adaptive_router.py's version of this test, and the one-sided create row
+    test_failure_signal_increments_beta_after_flush above asserts, for why)."""
     router = _make_router()
+    cold = router._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "gpt-4o")]
+
     fake_row = MagicMock()
     fake_row.request_type = RequestType.GENERAL.value
     fake_row.model_name = "gpt-4o"
@@ -200,8 +206,8 @@ async def test_load_state_from_db_overrides_cold_start():
     await router.load_state_from_db(prisma)
 
     cell = router._cells[(RequestType.GENERAL, "gpt-4o")]
-    assert cell.alpha == 90.0
-    assert cell.beta == 10.0
+    assert cell.alpha == cold.alpha + 90.0
+    assert cell.beta == cold.beta + 10.0
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio