diff --git a/gateway/launch.py b/gateway/launch.py
index 5f1dafe4f4e..fd241c6c521 100644
--- a/gateway/launch.py
+++ b/gateway/launch.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ Run with:
 
 import os
 import sys
-from collections.abc import MutableMapping, Sequence
+from collections.abc import Mapping, MutableMapping, Sequence
 from typing import Final
 
 from uvicorn.main import main as uvicorn_main
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@ from litellm.proxy.db.db_url_settings import DatabaseURLSettings
 from litellm.proxy.db.pgbouncer import PgBouncerError, PgBouncerSettings, start_in_container_pgbouncer
 
 GATEWAY_APP: Final = "gateway.main:app"
+KEEPALIVE_FLAG: Final = "--timeout-keep-alive"
+
+
+def uvicorn_argv(argv: Sequence[str], environ: Mapping[str, str]) -> tuple[str, ...]:
+    """Honor ``KEEPALIVE_TIMEOUT`` like ``proxy_cli.py`` does, unless the flag was passed explicitly."""
+    keepalive: Final = environ.get("KEEPALIVE_TIMEOUT")
+    if keepalive is None or any(arg == KEEPALIVE_FLAG or arg.startswith(f"{KEEPALIVE_FLAG}=") for arg in argv):
+        return (GATEWAY_APP, *argv)
+    return (GATEWAY_APP, *argv, KEEPALIVE_FLAG, keepalive)
 
 
 def pool_database_url(
@@ -55,7 +64,7 @@ def main(argv: Sequence[str]) -> None:
     failed: Final = pool_database_url(settings, PgBouncerSettings(), os.environ)
     if failed is not None:
         sys.exit(f"LiteLLM gateway: in-container pgbouncer could not start: {failed.reason}")
-    uvicorn_main((GATEWAY_APP, *argv), prog_name="uvicorn")
+    uvicorn_main(uvicorn_argv(argv, os.environ), prog_name="uvicorn")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/tests/test_gateway/test_launch.py b/tests/test_gateway/test_launch.py
index 9882e853db1..a13e7dfb554 100644
--- a/tests/test_gateway/test_launch.py
+++ b/tests/test_gateway/test_launch.py
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Final, cast
 
 import pytest
+from uvicorn.main import main as uvicorn_main
 
-from gateway.launch import pool_database_url
+from gateway.launch import GATEWAY_APP, pool_database_url, uvicorn_argv
 from litellm.proxy.db.db_url_settings import DatabaseURLSettings
 from litellm.proxy.db.pgbouncer import PgBouncerError, PgBouncerSettings
 
@@ -70,6 +71,25 @@ def password_env(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> dict[str, str]:
     return dict(DB_ENV)
 
 
+def _uvicorn_params(argv: tuple[str, ...]) -> dict[str, object]:
+    return uvicorn_main.make_context("uvicorn", list(argv)).params
+
+
+class TestUvicornArgv:
+    def test_keepalive_env_reaches_uvicorn(self):
+        params: Final = _uvicorn_params(uvicorn_argv(("--workers", "4"), {"KEEPALIVE_TIMEOUT": "75"}))
+        assert params["app"] == GATEWAY_APP
+        assert params["workers"] == 4
+        assert params["timeout_keep_alive"] == 75
+
+    def test_unset_env_keeps_the_uvicorn_default(self):
+        assert _uvicorn_params(uvicorn_argv(("--workers", "4"), {}))["timeout_keep_alive"] == 5
+
+    def test_an_explicit_flag_wins_over_the_env(self):
+        argv: Final = uvicorn_argv(("--timeout-keep-alive", "30"), {"KEEPALIVE_TIMEOUT": "75"})
+        assert _uvicorn_params(argv)["timeout_keep_alive"] == 30
+
+
 class TestPoolDatabaseUrl:
     def test_disabled_pooler_leaves_the_assembled_url_alone(self, password_env: dict[str, str]):
         settings: Final = DatabaseURLSettings.from_env()