diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
index aef2ef3daf6..714263dca45 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
@@ -13459,24 +13459,57 @@ def _system_message(system: object) -> ChatCompletionSystemMessage | None:
     return message
 
 
+def _elide_binary_blobs(part: object) -> object:
+    """Replace base64 blobs (inlineData.data, file data) so serialized
+    parts stay a sane size for the local tokenizer."""
+    if isinstance(part, Mapping):
+        return {
+            key: ("<binary>" if key == "data" and isinstance(value, str) else _elide_binary_blobs(value))
+            for key, value in part.items()
+        }
+    if isinstance(part, list):
+        return [_elide_binary_blobs(item) for item in part]
+    return part
+
+
+def _part_to_text(part: object) -> str:
+    if isinstance(part, Mapping) and isinstance(part.get("text"), str):
+        return part["text"]
+    return json.dumps(_elide_binary_blobs(part), default=str)
+
+
+def _content_parts(content: Mapping[str, object]) -> tuple[object, ...]:
+    parts: Final = content.get("parts")
+    if isinstance(parts, list):
+        return tuple(parts)
+    return (content,)
+
+
 def _contents_as_messages(contents: object) -> tuple[Mapping[str, object], ...] | None:
     """Approximate gemini contents as chat messages for the local fallback
-    tokenizer; only text parts are countable locally."""
-    if not isinstance(contents, list):
+    tokenizer. Text parts count as text; other parts count as their JSON
+    frame with base64 blobs elided."""
+    if contents is None:
         return None
-    messages: Final = tuple(
+    if isinstance(contents, list):
+        messages: Final = tuple(
+            {  # mutable-ok: transient chat-shaped message for the local tokenizer
+                "role": "assistant" if content.get("role") == "model" else "user",
+                "content": "\n".join(_part_to_text(part) for part in _content_parts(content)),
+            }
+            for content in contents
+            if isinstance(content, Mapping)
+        )
+        counted: Final = tuple(message for message in messages if message["content"])
+        if counted:
+            return counted
+    fallback: Final[tuple[Mapping[str, object], ...]] = (
         {  # mutable-ok: transient chat-shaped message for the local tokenizer
-            "role": "assistant" if content.get("role") == "model" else "user",
-            "content": "\n".join(
-                part["text"]
-                for part in content.get("parts", ())
-                if isinstance(part, Mapping) and isinstance(part.get("text"), str)
-            ),
-        }
-        for content in contents
-        if isinstance(content, Mapping)
+            "role": "user",
+            "content": json.dumps(_elide_binary_blobs(contents), default=str),
+        },
     )
-    return tuple(message for message in messages if message["content"]) or None
+    return fallback
 
 
 @router.post(
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/proxy_server/test_routes_utils.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/proxy_server/test_routes_utils.py
index d45c64bdd79..fd67e97427a 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/proxy_server/test_routes_utils.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/proxy_server/test_routes_utils.py
@@ -423,5 +423,32 @@ def test_token_counter_contents_only_request_counts_text_parts(client, auth_as,
     assert response.status_code == 200, response.text
     assert response.json()["total_tokens"] == litellm.token_counter(
         model="claude-fable-5",
-        messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "hello world"}, {"role": "assistant", "content": "hi there"}],
+        messages=[
+            {"role": "user", "content": 'hello world\n{"inline_data": {"data": "<binary>"}}'},
+            {"role": "assistant", "content": "hi there"},
+            {"role": "user", "content": '{"inline_data": {"data": "<binary>"}}'},
+        ],
+    )
+
+
+def test_token_counter_media_only_contents_falls_back_instead_of_500(client, auth_as, monkeypatch):
+    """Regression: contents carrying only media or function-call parts (no text)
+    still produce a local count, because their JSON frames serialize to text."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(proxy_server, "llm_router", None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(litellm, "disable_token_counter", False, raising=False)
+    contents = [
+        {"role": "user", "parts": [{"inline_data": {"mime_type": "image/png", "data": "aGVsbG8="}}]},
+        {"role": "model", "parts": [{"function_call": {"name": "get_weather", "args": {"city": "sf"}}}]},
+    ]
+
+    with auth_as():
+        response = client.post("/utils/token_counter", json={"model": "claude-fable-5", "contents": contents})
+
+    assert response.status_code == 200, response.text
+    assert response.json()["total_tokens"] == litellm.token_counter(
+        model="claude-fable-5",
+        messages=[
+            {"role": "user", "content": '{"inline_data": {"mime_type": "image/png", "data": "<binary>"}}'},
+            {"role": "assistant", "content": '{"function_call": {"name": "get_weather", "args": {"city": "sf"}}}'},
+        ],
     )