diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ClassificationMethodConfig.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ClassificationMethodConfig.tsx
index edc9ab8c88d..b1488e105be 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ClassificationMethodConfig.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ClassificationMethodConfig.tsx
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ interface ClassificationMethodConfigProps {
   customTechnicalKeywords?: string[];
   onCustomTechnicalKeywordsChange?: (keywords: string[]) => void;
   showValidationErrors?: boolean;
-  /** Enables the default-model fallback, which the backend rejects without a default model. */
-  hasDefaultModel?: boolean;
+  /** The resolved default model - see resolveComplexityDefaultModel. Names and gates the radio. */
+  defaultModel?: string;
 }
 
 const ClassificationMethodConfig: React.FC<ClassificationMethodConfigProps> = ({
@@ -65,8 +65,9 @@ const ClassificationMethodConfig: React.FC<ClassificationMethodConfigProps> = ({
   customTechnicalKeywords,
   onCustomTechnicalKeywordsChange,
   showValidationErrors = false,
-  hasDefaultModel = false,
+  defaultModel,
 }) => {
+  const hasDefaultModel = Boolean(defaultModel);
   const classifierModelMissing =
     showValidationErrors && value.classifier_type === "llm" && !value.classifier_llm_config?.model;
   const usesCustomPrompt = Boolean(value.classifier_llm_config?.system_prompt?.trim());
@@ -277,10 +278,14 @@ const ClassificationMethodConfig: React.FC<ClassificationMethodConfigProps> = ({
                 </Radio>
                 <Radio value="default_model" disabled={!hasDefaultModel}>
                   <Tooltip
-                    title={hasDefaultModel ? undefined : "Set a default model on this router to use this option"}
+                    title={
+                      hasDefaultModel
+                        ? "Change it from the Default Model select."
+                        : "Set a default model on this router to use this option"
+                    }
                   >
                     <span>
-                      <Text>Route to the default model</Text>{" "}
+                      <Text>Route to the default model{defaultModel ? ` (${defaultModel})` : ""}</Text>{" "}
                       <Text type="secondary">— right when your prompt grades something other than complexity</Text>
                     </span>
                   </Tooltip>
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.test.tsx
index 030b41f634d..9ef8350553b 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.test.tsx
@@ -706,3 +706,76 @@ describe("ComplexityRouterConfig affinity panel", () => {
     expect(screen.getByRole("switch", { name: "Pin a session to one deployment per model group" })).not.toBeChecked();
   });
 });
+
+describe("ComplexityRouterConfig default model", () => {
+  const getDefaultModelSelect = () => screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+
+  it("shows what the tiers currently imply, so an untouched router still names its default", () => {
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText("Derived from tiers: gpt-3.5-turbo")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("asks for a model rather than naming a derived one when no tier holds one", () => {
+    const noTiers: ComplexityRouterConfigValue = {
+      ...defaultValue,
+      tiers: { SIMPLE: [], MEDIUM: [], COMPLEX: [], REASONING: [] },
+    };
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} value={noTiers} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText("Add a model to the Simple or Medium tier")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("records a pinned model", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    const onChange = vi.fn();
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} onChange={onChange} />);
+
+    await user.click(getDefaultModelSelect());
+    await user.click((await screen.findAllByTitle("claude-3-opus")).slice(-1)[0]);
+
+    expect(onChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ default_model: "claude-3-opus" }));
+  });
+
+  it("drops the key when the pin is cleared, so an emptied select reads as tier-tracking", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    const onChange = vi.fn();
+    const pinned: ComplexityRouterConfigValue = { ...defaultValue, default_model: "claude-3-opus" };
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} value={pinned} onChange={onChange} />);
+
+    await user.click(document.querySelector(".ant-select-clear") as HTMLElement);
+
+    expect(onChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ default_model: undefined }));
+  });
+
+  it("shows a pinned model as the selection instead of the tier-derived one", () => {
+    const pinned: ComplexityRouterConfigValue = { ...defaultValue, default_model: "claude-3-opus" };
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} value={pinned} />);
+    expect(
+      within(getDefaultModelSelect().closest(".ant-select") as HTMLElement).getByTitle("claude-3-opus"),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it("unlocks the default model fallback on a pin alone, with no tier to derive from", () => {
+    const pinnedNoTiers: ComplexityRouterConfigValue = {
+      ...defaultValue,
+      classifier_type: "llm",
+      classifier_llm_config: { model: "gpt-3.5-turbo", timeout_ms: 3000 },
+      tiers: { SIMPLE: [], MEDIUM: [], COMPLEX: [], REASONING: [] },
+      default_model: "claude-3-opus",
+    };
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} value={pinnedNoTiers} />);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("Advanced: Classification Method"));
+    expect(screen.getByRole("radio", { name: /Route to the default model/ })).toBeEnabled();
+  });
+
+  it("names the resolved default on the fallback option, so the destination is not a guess", () => {
+    const pinned: ComplexityRouterConfigValue = {
+      ...defaultValue,
+      classifier_type: "llm",
+      classifier_llm_config: { model: "gpt-3.5-turbo", timeout_ms: 3000 },
+      default_model: "claude-3-opus",
+    };
+    renderWithProviders(<ComplexityRouterConfig {...baseProps} value={pinned} />);
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("Advanced: Classification Method"));
+    expect(screen.getByRole("radio", { name: /Route to the default model \(claude-3-opus\)/ })).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.tsx
index 5c9c5e248e6..cc9f3146a3a 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/ComplexityRouterConfig.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import React from "react";
 import { ModelGroup } from "@/components/llm_calls/fetch_models";
 import AdaptiveRoutingConfig from "./AdaptiveRoutingConfig";
 import ClassificationMethodConfig from "./ClassificationMethodConfig";
+import { resolveComplexityDefaultModel } from "./complexity_router_tiers";
 import EscalationKeywords from "./EscalationKeywords";
 import KeywordTierRules, { KeywordTierRule } from "./KeywordTierRules";
 import SemanticKeywordMatching from "./SemanticKeywordMatching";
@@ -89,6 +90,8 @@ export type ComplexityTierLabels = Partial<Record<keyof ComplexityTiers, string>
 export interface ComplexityRouterConfigValue {
   tiers: ComplexityTiers;
   tier_labels?: ComplexityTierLabels;
+  /** An explicit pin. Unset means the default tracks the tiers - see resolveComplexityDefaultModel. */
+  default_model?: string;
   classifier_type: ClassifierType;
   classifier_llm_config?: ClassifierLLMConfig;
   classifier_context_window_size?: number;
@@ -174,11 +177,8 @@ const ComplexityRouterConfig: React.FC<ComplexityRouterConfigProps> = ({
   onEscalationKeywordsChange,
   showValidationErrors = false,
 }) => {
-  // The deployment's default model is derived from the tiers on submit, mirroring the order
-  // add_auto_router_tab uses, so the fallback option is offered exactly when one will exist.
-  const hasDefaultModel = Boolean(
-    value.tiers.MEDIUM[0] || value.tiers.SIMPLE[0] || value.tiers.COMPLEX[0] || value.tiers.REASONING[0],
-  );
+  const derivedDefaultModel = resolveComplexityDefaultModel(value.tiers);
+  const defaultModel = resolveComplexityDefaultModel(value.tiers, value.default_model);
 
   // Embedding models can't serve a chat-completion role, so they're excluded here.
   const modelOptions = modelInfo
@@ -195,6 +195,12 @@ const ComplexityRouterConfig: React.FC<ComplexityRouterConfigProps> = ({
     });
   };
 
+  // Clearing the select drops the key entirely rather than storing "", so an emptied pin reads as
+  // "track the tiers" everywhere downstream instead of as a blank model name.
+  const handleDefaultModelChange = (model: string | undefined) => {
+    onChange({ ...value, default_model: model || undefined });
+  };
+
   const handleTierLabelChange = (tier: keyof ComplexityTiers, label: string) => {
     onChange({
       ...value,
@@ -281,6 +287,36 @@ const ComplexityRouterConfig: React.FC<ComplexityRouterConfigProps> = ({
             </div>
           );
         })}
+        <Divider style={{ margin: "16px 0" }} />
+
+        <div className="mb-2">
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-2 mb-2">
+            <Text strong style={{ fontSize: 16 }}>
+              Default Model
+            </Text>
+            <Tooltip title="Leave empty to follow the tiers. A model chosen here is pinned: it stays the default however the tiers change.">
+              <InfoCircleOutlined className="text-gray-400" />
+            </Tooltip>
+          </div>
+          <AntdSelect
+            value={value.default_model || undefined}
+            onChange={handleDefaultModelChange}
+            placeholder={
+              derivedDefaultModel
+                ? `Derived from tiers: ${derivedDefaultModel}`
+                : "Add a model to the Simple or Medium tier"
+            }
+            aria-label="Default model"
+            showSearch
+            allowClear
+            style={{ width: "100%" }}
+            options={modelOptions}
+          />
+          <Text type="secondary" style={{ display: "block", marginTop: 4, fontSize: 12 }}>
+            Used when the tier the request lands in has no model, and when the classifier fails with &quot;Route to the
+            default model&quot; selected.
+          </Text>
+        </div>
       </Card>
 
       <Divider />
@@ -304,7 +340,7 @@ const ComplexityRouterConfig: React.FC<ComplexityRouterConfigProps> = ({
                 customTechnicalKeywords={customTechnicalKeywords}
                 onCustomTechnicalKeywordsChange={onCustomTechnicalKeywordsChange}
                 showValidationErrors={showValidationErrors}
-                hasDefaultModel={hasDefaultModel}
+                defaultModel={defaultModel}
               />
             ),
           },
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.test.tsx
index 7d42d85ccfb..4c834022291 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.test.tsx
@@ -600,6 +600,71 @@ describe("AddAutoRouterTab", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  describe("default model pin", () => {
+    const PINNED_MODEL = "pinned-default-model";
+
+    const waitForPresetEnabled = async (label: string) => {
+      openTemplateDropdown();
+      await waitFor(() => {
+        expect(isOptionDisabled(optionByLabel(label)!)).toBe(false);
+      });
+    };
+
+    const applyPresetAndPin = async (user: ReturnType<typeof userEvent.setup>) => {
+      await waitForPresetEnabled("Anthropic Family");
+      fireEvent.click(optionByLabel("Anthropic Family")!);
+
+      // Applying a preset collapses Detailed Configuration, so the default model row is behind it.
+      expandDetailedConfiguration();
+      await user.click(screen.getByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" }));
+      await user.click((await screen.findAllByTitle(PINNED_MODEL)).slice(-1)[0]);
+    };
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      mockFetchAvailableModels.mockResolvedValue([...ALL_FAMILY_MODELS, { model_group: PINNED_MODEL, mode: "chat" }]);
+    });
+
+    it("submits the pinned model in place of the one the tiers derive", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      renderWithProviders(<Harness />);
+
+      await applyPresetAndPin(user);
+      await user.type(screen.getByPlaceholderText(/smart_router/i), "pinned-router");
+      await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /add auto router/i }));
+
+      await waitFor(() => expect(handleAddAutoRouterSubmit).toHaveBeenCalled());
+      const submitted = vi.mocked(handleAddAutoRouterSubmit).mock.calls.at(-1)?.[0];
+      // The pin rides on litellm_params for the backend and is recorded in the config so the edit
+      // modal can read it back as a pin rather than guessing from the tiers.
+      expect(submitted).toMatchObject({
+        auto_router_default_model: PINNED_MODEL,
+        complexity_router_config: { tiers: ANTHROPIC_TIERS, default_model: PINNED_MODEL },
+      });
+      expect(PINNED_MODEL).not.toBe(ANTHROPIC_TIERS.MEDIUM[0]);
+    });
+
+    it("blocks a submit whose pinned model is no longer available", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const { container } = renderWithProviders(<Harness />);
+
+      await applyPresetAndPin(user);
+      fireEvent.change(screen.getByPlaceholderText(/smart_router/i), { target: { value: "stale-pin-router" } });
+      expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /add auto router/i })).toBeEnabled();
+
+      // Only the pinned model disappears - the tier models all survive, so nothing but the pin can
+      // be what blocks the submit.
+      testQueryClient.setQueryData(["availableModels", "autoRouter", "token"], ALL_FAMILY_MODELS);
+      await waitFor(() => expect(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /add auto router/i })).toBeDisabled());
+
+      fireEvent.submit(container.querySelector("form")!);
+
+      await waitFor(() =>
+        expect(NotificationManager.fromBackend).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining(PINNED_MODEL)),
+      );
+      expect(handleAddAutoRouterSubmit).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe("deployment-matched presets", () => {
     const renamedDeploymentsFor = (presetKey: string) =>
       [...getRequiredModelsInPreset(getPresetByKey(presetKey)!)].map((model, index) => ({
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.tsx
index 7b6403f250c..e4c8b9ac1f4 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/add_auto_router_tab.tsx
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ import {
   getSemanticConfigError,
   getTierLabelsError,
 } from "./build_complexity_router_config";
+import { resolveComplexityDefaultModel } from "./complexity_router_tiers";
 import { buildAutoRouterTestTargets, AutoRouterTestTarget } from "./build_auto_router_test_targets";
 import AutoRouterConnectionTest from "./auto_router_connection_test";
 import AutoRouterRoutingTest from "./AutoRouterRoutingTest";
@@ -89,9 +90,6 @@ const isPresetHintAlarming = (availability: PresetAvailability): boolean => avai
 // this is resolved once at import time rather than re-called from inside the component every render.
 const presets = getAllPresets();
 
-const resolveDefaultModel = (tiers: ComplexityTiers): string | undefined =>
-  tiers.MEDIUM[0] || tiers.SIMPLE[0] || tiers.COMPLEX[0] || tiers.REASONING[0];
-
 // A one-line summary of what's configured, shown when the detailed section is collapsed so a
 // caller can see the shape of the config without opening it.
 const tierConfigSummary = (tiers: ComplexityTiers): string => {
@@ -272,6 +270,7 @@ const AddAutoRouterTab: React.FC<AddAutoRouterTabProps> = ({
     classifierLlmConfig: complexityRouterConfig.classifier_llm_config,
     semanticMatchingEnabled,
     embeddingModel,
+    defaultModel: complexityRouterConfig.default_model,
   };
 
   const submitBlockedReason = getSubmitBlockedReason(
@@ -283,6 +282,7 @@ const AddAutoRouterTab: React.FC<AddAutoRouterTabProps> = ({
 
   const complexityRouterConfigParams: BuildComplexityRouterConfigParams = {
     tiers: complexityRouterConfig.tiers,
+    defaultModel: complexityRouterConfig.default_model,
     tierLabels: complexityRouterConfig.tier_labels,
     classifierType: complexityRouterConfig.classifier_type,
     classifierLlmConfig: complexityRouterConfig.classifier_llm_config,
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ const AddAutoRouterTab: React.FC<AddAutoRouterTabProps> = ({
       return;
     }
 
-    const defaultModel = resolveDefaultModel(tiers);
+    const defaultModel = resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers, complexityRouterConfig.default_model);
 
     form.setFieldsValue({
       custom_llm_provider: "auto_router",
@@ -365,6 +365,10 @@ const AddAutoRouterTab: React.FC<AddAutoRouterTabProps> = ({
     form
       .validateFields(requiresTeamScope ? ["auto_router_name", "team_id"] : ["auto_router_name"])
       .then((values) => {
+        // auto_router_default_model (-> litellm_params, read by the backend at init) and
+        // complexity_router_config.default_model (-> the pin marker read back on edit, see
+        // hydratePinnedDefaultModel in edit_auto_router_modal.tsx) must both come from the same
+        // `defaultModel`, or the two fields diverge and hydration's divergence check misfires.
         const submitValues = {
           ...values,
           auto_router_name: name,
@@ -395,11 +399,13 @@ const AddAutoRouterTab: React.FC<AddAutoRouterTabProps> = ({
   };
 
   const handleTestConnection = () => {
-    const targets = buildAutoRouterTestTargets({
+    const testTargetParams = {
       tiers: complexityRouterConfig.tiers,
       semanticMatchingEnabled,
       embeddingModel,
-    });
+      defaultModel: resolveComplexityDefaultModel(complexityRouterConfig.tiers, complexityRouterConfig.default_model),
+    };
+    const targets = buildAutoRouterTestTargets(testTargetParams);
 
     if (targets.length === 0) {
       NotificationManager.fromBackend("Please select at least one model for a complexity tier");
@@ -621,7 +627,10 @@ const AddAutoRouterTab: React.FC<AddAutoRouterTabProps> = ({
           <AutoRouterRoutingTest
             accessToken={accessToken}
             config={buildComplexityRouterConfig(complexityRouterConfigParams)}
-            defaultModel={resolveDefaultModel(complexityRouterConfig.tiers)}
+            defaultModel={resolveComplexityDefaultModel(
+              complexityRouterConfig.tiers,
+              complexityRouterConfig.default_model,
+            )}
             routerName={form.getFieldValue("auto_router_name")}
             teamId={requiresTeamScope ? form.getFieldValue("team_id") : undefined}
           />
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.test.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.test.ts
index f8ab4bab903..85fd846ddbc 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.test.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.test.ts
@@ -77,4 +77,46 @@ describe("buildAutoRouterTestTargets", () => {
     });
     expect(targets).toEqual([{ labels: ["SIMPLE"], modelGroup: "gpt-4o-mini", mode: "chat" }]);
   });
+
+  // A pin outside every tier is still a live fallback destination (empty-tier landings, and a
+  // failed LLM classifier routing to it), so a passing test must reach it too or it is only
+  // proving the tiers are reachable, not the router.
+  it("appends the default model as its own target when it is not already in a tier", () => {
+    const targets = buildAutoRouterTestTargets({
+      tiers,
+      semanticMatchingEnabled: false,
+      embeddingModel: undefined,
+      defaultModel: "claude-3-opus",
+    });
+    expect(targets).toEqual([
+      { labels: ["SIMPLE"], modelGroup: "gpt-4o-mini", mode: "chat" },
+      { labels: ["MEDIUM", "COMPLEX"], modelGroup: "claude-sonnet-4", mode: "chat" },
+      { labels: ["REASONING"], modelGroup: "o3", mode: "chat" },
+      { labels: ["Default"], modelGroup: "claude-3-opus", mode: "chat" },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("does not duplicate a default model that a tier already covers", () => {
+    const targets = buildAutoRouterTestTargets({
+      tiers,
+      semanticMatchingEnabled: false,
+      embeddingModel: undefined,
+      defaultModel: "claude-sonnet-4",
+    });
+    expect(targets).toEqual([
+      { labels: ["SIMPLE"], modelGroup: "gpt-4o-mini", mode: "chat" },
+      { labels: ["MEDIUM", "COMPLEX"], modelGroup: "claude-sonnet-4", mode: "chat" },
+      { labels: ["REASONING"], modelGroup: "o3", mode: "chat" },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it.each([[undefined], [""], ["   "]])("adds no default target for %o", (defaultModel) => {
+    const targets = buildAutoRouterTestTargets({
+      tiers: { SIMPLE: ["gpt-4o-mini"], MEDIUM: [], COMPLEX: [], REASONING: [] },
+      semanticMatchingEnabled: false,
+      embeddingModel: undefined,
+      defaultModel,
+    });
+    expect(targets).toEqual([{ labels: ["SIMPLE"], modelGroup: "gpt-4o-mini", mode: "chat" }]);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.ts
index 708a25c16f0..471552fc84f 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ export interface BuildAutoRouterTestTargetsParams {
   tiers: ComplexityTiers;
   semanticMatchingEnabled: boolean;
   embeddingModel: string | undefined;
+  /** The resolved default model - see resolveComplexityDefaultModel. A live fallback destination,
+   * so it is probed even when no tier lists it. */
+  defaultModel?: string;
 }
 
 // Keys drive iteration order; `satisfies Record<keyof ComplexityTiers, null>` makes it a
@@ -27,8 +30,9 @@ export const buildAutoRouterTestTargets = ({
   tiers,
   semanticMatchingEnabled,
   embeddingModel,
+  defaultModel,
 }: BuildAutoRouterTestTargetsParams): AutoRouterTestTarget[] => {
-  const groupedByModel = TIER_ORDER.reduce<Record<string, string[]>>((acc, tier) => {
+  const tieredByModel = TIER_ORDER.reduce<Record<string, string[]>>((acc, tier) => {
     return (tiers[tier] ?? []).reduce((tierAcc, rawModel) => {
       const modelGroup = rawModel?.trim();
       if (!modelGroup) return tierAcc;
@@ -36,6 +40,15 @@ export const buildAutoRouterTestTargets = ({
     }, acc);
   }, {});
 
+  // The default is a live destination whenever the chosen tier has no model, and when an LLM
+  // classifier fails with "Route to the default model", so a green test that skipped it would be
+  // reporting on a router it had not fully reached.
+  const resolvedDefault = defaultModel?.trim();
+  const groupedByModel =
+    resolvedDefault && !(resolvedDefault in tieredByModel)
+      ? { ...tieredByModel, [resolvedDefault]: ["Default"] }
+      : tieredByModel;
+
   const tierTargets: AutoRouterTestTarget[] = Object.entries(groupedByModel).map(([modelGroup, labels]) => ({
     labels,
     modelGroup,
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_complexity_router_config.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_complexity_router_config.ts
index d55057416c6..a6dcb9a61cf 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_complexity_router_config.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/build_complexity_router_config.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ export const normalizeClassifierLlmConfig = ({
 
 export interface BuildComplexityRouterConfigParams {
   tiers: ComplexityTiers;
+  defaultModel: string | undefined;
   tierLabels: ComplexityTierLabels | undefined;
   classifierType: ClassifierType;
   classifierLlmConfig: ClassifierLLMConfig | undefined;
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ export interface BuildComplexityRouterConfigParams {
 
 export interface ComplexityRouterConfigPayload {
   tiers: ComplexityTiers;
+  default_model?: string;
   tier_labels?: ComplexityTierLabels;
   classifier_type: ClassifierType;
   classifier_llm_config?: ClassifierLLMConfig;
@@ -120,6 +122,12 @@ export const getTierLabelsError = (tierLabels: ComplexityTierLabels | undefined)
   return null;
 };
 
+// Requires all 4 tiers non-empty, so the create form can never reach the
+// resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers, ...) === undefined case — MEDIUM (or SIMPLE) is always
+// populated. The edit modal has no equivalent of this check (it allows saving with only some
+// tiers filled), which is why it needs its own explicit `!defaultModel` guard after deriving —
+// see edit_auto_router_modal.tsx's save handler. A future contributor copying this form's submit
+// handler elsewhere should not assume the same guarantee holds without this check.
 export const getMissingTiersError = (tiers: ComplexityTiers): string | null => {
   const missing = TIER_KEYS.filter((tier) => tiers[tier].length === 0);
   if (missing.length === 0) return null;
@@ -147,6 +155,7 @@ export const getSemanticConfigError = ({
 
 export const buildComplexityRouterConfig = ({
   tiers,
+  defaultModel,
   tierLabels,
   classifierType,
   classifierLlmConfig,
@@ -174,6 +183,7 @@ export const buildComplexityRouterConfig = ({
 
   return {
     tiers,
+    ...(defaultModel?.trim() && { default_model: defaultModel }),
     ...(cleanedTierLabels && { tier_labels: cleanedTierLabels }),
     classifier_type: classifierType,
     ...(classifierType === "llm" &&
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.test.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.test.ts
index d4604265d3a..8f75b26f250 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.test.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { normalizeTierModels } from "./complexity_router_tiers";
+import { normalizeTierModels, resolveComplexityDefaultModel } from "./complexity_router_tiers";
+
+import type { ComplexityTiers } from "./ComplexityRouterConfig";
 
 // The backend types a tier as `str | list[str]` and widens with
 // `models if isinstance(models, list) else [models]`
@@ -28,3 +30,43 @@ describe("normalizeTierModels", () => {
     expect(normalizeTierModels(value)).toEqual([]);
   });
 });
+
+// router.py derives the default as `MEDIUM or SIMPLE` and raises when neither holds a model, so
+// the resolver must not invent a COMPLEX/REASONING fallthrough the backend would never take.
+describe("resolveComplexityDefaultModel", () => {
+  const tiers: ComplexityTiers = {
+    SIMPLE: ["simple-model"],
+    MEDIUM: ["medium-model"],
+    COMPLEX: ["complex-model"],
+    REASONING: ["reasoning-model"],
+  };
+  const noTiers: ComplexityTiers = { SIMPLE: [], MEDIUM: [], COMPLEX: [], REASONING: [] };
+
+  it("derives from MEDIUM first when nothing is pinned", () => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers)).toBe("medium-model");
+  });
+
+  it("falls back to SIMPLE when MEDIUM is empty", () => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel({ ...tiers, MEDIUM: [] })).toBe("simple-model");
+  });
+
+  it("derives nothing from COMPLEX or REASONING, which the backend never falls through to", () => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel({ ...tiers, MEDIUM: [], SIMPLE: [] })).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("lets a pin beat the tiers rather than merely filling in for them", () => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers, "pinned-model")).toBe("pinned-model");
+  });
+
+  it("stands alone as the default when no tier holds a model", () => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel(noTiers, "pinned-model")).toBe("pinned-model");
+  });
+
+  it.each([[""], ["   "], [undefined]])("reads %o as no pin and goes back to the tiers", (pinned) => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers, pinned)).toBe("medium-model");
+  });
+
+  it("resolves to nothing when neither a pin nor a tier offers a model", () => {
+    expect(resolveComplexityDefaultModel(noTiers)).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.ts
index bb34d221b2d..2e7859964bc 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/add_model/complexity_router_tiers.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import type { ComplexityTiers } from "./ComplexityRouterConfig";
+
 /**
  * A complexity tier maps to `str | list[str]` on the backend
  * (litellm/router_strategy/complexity_router/config.py: "string = pin; list = random pick"),
@@ -12,3 +14,11 @@ export const normalizeTierModels = (value: unknown): string[] => {
   if (typeof value === "string" && value) return [value];
   return [];
 };
+
+/**
+ * Mirrors `init_complexity_router_deployment` (litellm/router.py): an explicit pin wins, otherwise
+ * the default is `MEDIUM or SIMPLE`. Deriving past SIMPLE would name a model the backend never
+ * picks, and it raises rather than falling through to COMPLEX/REASONING.
+ */
+export const resolveComplexityDefaultModel = (tiers: ComplexityTiers, pinned?: string): string | undefined =>
+  pinned?.trim() || tiers.MEDIUM[0] || tiers.SIMPLE[0];
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.test.tsx
index 74dea8cc2ed..b38d5492a45 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.test.tsx
@@ -548,3 +548,197 @@ describe("EditAutoRouterModal custom classifier prompt and fallback", () => {
     expect(savedConfig().classifier_llm_config).not.toHaveProperty("system_prompt");
   });
 });
+
+describe("EditAutoRouterModal default model", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    modelPatchUpdateCall.mockClear();
+  });
+
+  const savedDefaultModel = () => {
+    const [, payload] = modelPatchUpdateCall.mock.calls.at(-1) ?? [];
+    return payload?.litellm_params?.complexity_router_default_model;
+  };
+
+  const renderWithStoredPin = (default_model?: string) =>
+    renderWithProviders(
+      <EditAutoRouterModal
+        isVisible
+        onCancel={vi.fn()}
+        onSuccess={vi.fn()}
+        modelData={{
+          ...MODEL_DATA,
+          litellm_params: {
+            ...MODEL_DATA.litellm_params,
+            complexity_router_config: { ...STORED_CONFIG, ...(default_model && { default_model }) },
+          },
+        }}
+        accessToken="token"
+        userRole="Admin"
+      />,
+    );
+
+  // No config blob marker — only litellm_params.complexity_router_default_model, as an untouched
+  // router looked before this PR's marker existed, or one an external API call wrote directly to.
+  const renderWithLitellmParamsDefaultOnly = (complexityRouterDefaultModel: string) =>
+    renderWithProviders(
+      <EditAutoRouterModal
+        isVisible
+        onCancel={vi.fn()}
+        onSuccess={vi.fn()}
+        modelData={{
+          ...MODEL_DATA,
+          litellm_params: {
+            ...MODEL_DATA.litellm_params,
+            complexity_router_config: STORED_CONFIG,
+            complexity_router_default_model: complexityRouterDefaultModel,
+          },
+        }}
+        accessToken="token"
+        userRole="Admin"
+      />,
+    );
+
+  it("preserves a stored pin through an untouched open-and-save", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithStoredPin("out-of-band-default");
+
+    await user.click(await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+
+    await waitFor(() => expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(savedDefaultModel()).toBe("out-of-band-default");
+    expect(savedConfig()).toMatchObject({ default_model: "out-of-band-default" });
+  });
+
+  it("shows a stored pin as the selection, so the saved value is not a hidden one", async () => {
+    renderWithStoredPin("out-of-band-default");
+
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+    expect(within(select.closest(".ant-select") as HTMLElement).getByTitle("out-of-band-default")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  // The pin is recorded in the config rather than inferred by comparing the stored default to a
+  // re-derivation, so pinning the model the tiers already imply still reads back as a pin.
+  it("keeps a pin that matches what the tiers derive", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithStoredPin(STORED_CONFIG.tiers.MEDIUM[0]);
+
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+    expect(
+      within(select.closest(".ant-select") as HTMLElement).getByTitle(STORED_CONFIG.tiers.MEDIUM[0]),
+    ).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(savedConfig()).toMatchObject({ default_model: STORED_CONFIG.tiers.MEDIUM[0] });
+  });
+
+  // Greptile P1 on #36615: with no config blob marker, a litellm_params default that merely
+  // matches what the tiers derive is indistinguishable from the pre-PR auto-derive-and-write
+  // behavior (main always wrote a tier-derived value there on every save). Treating it as a pin
+  // would freeze every pre-existing router's default away from its tiers, so it stays unpinned.
+  it("treats a litellm_params default matching tier-derivation as unpinned, not a frozen-in pin", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithLitellmParamsDefaultOnly(STORED_CONFIG.tiers.MEDIUM[0]);
+
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+    expect(select.closest(".ant-select")?.querySelector(".ant-select-selection-item")).toBeNull();
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(savedConfig()).not.toHaveProperty("default_model");
+    expect(savedDefaultModel()).toBe(STORED_CONFIG.tiers.MEDIUM[0]);
+  });
+
+  // Greptile P1 on #36615: a litellm_params default that diverges from tier-derivation could only
+  // have gotten there via an explicit override — set by the API directly, since this UI's own
+  // save path keeps it in sync with tiers whenever there's no pin. That divergence must survive
+  // the next save instead of being silently recomputed away.
+  it("treats a diverging litellm_params default as an external pin and preserves it", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithLitellmParamsDefaultOnly("claude-sonnet-4");
+
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+    expect(within(select.closest(".ant-select") as HTMLElement).getByTitle("claude-sonnet-4")).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(savedConfig()).toMatchObject({ default_model: "claude-sonnet-4" });
+    expect(savedDefaultModel()).toBe("claude-sonnet-4");
+  });
+
+  // The config blob marker is this UI's own authoritative record of intent (see
+  // hydratePinnedDefaultModel), so it wins even over a litellm_params value that disagrees —
+  // e.g. a stale value from before the operator most recently changed the pin.
+  it("prefers the config blob marker over a diverging litellm_params value", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithProviders(
+      <EditAutoRouterModal
+        isVisible
+        onCancel={vi.fn()}
+        onSuccess={vi.fn()}
+        modelData={{
+          ...MODEL_DATA,
+          litellm_params: {
+            ...MODEL_DATA.litellm_params,
+            complexity_router_config: { ...STORED_CONFIG, default_model: "blob-pin" },
+            complexity_router_default_model: "stale-litellm-params-value",
+          },
+        }}
+        accessToken="token"
+        userRole="Admin"
+      />,
+    );
+
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+    expect(within(select.closest(".ant-select") as HTMLElement).getByTitle("blob-pin")).toBeInTheDocument();
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(savedConfig()).toMatchObject({ default_model: "blob-pin" });
+  });
+
+  // This modal only requires one non-empty tier, so a COMPLEX-only router is reachable here even
+  // though the backend raises on it. The block keeps that failure at save time instead of init.
+  it("blocks a save when neither the tiers nor a pin give the backend a default", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithProviders(
+      <EditAutoRouterModal
+        isVisible
+        onCancel={vi.fn()}
+        onSuccess={vi.fn()}
+        modelData={{
+          ...MODEL_DATA,
+          litellm_params: {
+            ...MODEL_DATA.litellm_params,
+            complexity_router_config: {
+              ...STORED_CONFIG,
+              tiers: { SIMPLE: [], MEDIUM: [], COMPLEX: ["complex-model"], REASONING: [] },
+            },
+          },
+        }}
+        accessToken="token"
+        userRole="Admin"
+      />,
+    );
+
+    await user.click(await screen.findByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+
+    await waitFor(() =>
+      expect(NotificationsManager.fromBackend).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringContaining("Simple or Medium tier")),
+    );
+    expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("leaves a router with no stored pin tracking its tiers", async () => {
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+    renderWithStoredPin();
+
+    const select = await screen.findByRole("combobox", { name: "Default model" });
+    expect(select.closest(".ant-select")?.querySelector(".ant-select-selection-item")).toBeNull();
+
+    await user.click(screen.getByRole("button", { name: /save changes/i }));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(modelPatchUpdateCall).toHaveBeenCalled());
+    expect(savedDefaultModel()).toBe(STORED_CONFIG.tiers.MEDIUM[0]);
+    expect(savedConfig()).not.toHaveProperty("default_model");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.tsx
index 6818d3b850c..ae01584e174 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/edit_auto_router/edit_auto_router_modal.tsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import { TextInput } from "@tremor/react";
 import { modelAvailableCall, modelPatchUpdateCall } from "../networking";
 import { fetchAvailableModels, ModelGroup } from "@/components/llm_calls/fetch_models";
 import RouterConfigBuilder from "../add_model/RouterConfigBuilder";
-import { normalizeTierModels } from "../add_model/complexity_router_tiers";
+import { normalizeTierModels, resolveComplexityDefaultModel } from "../add_model/complexity_router_tiers";
 import { isComplexityRouter } from "../add_model/auto_router_strategies";
 import {
   getKeywordTierRulesError,
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import { DEFAULT_MATCH_THRESHOLD } from "../add_model/SemanticKeywordMatching";
 import { hydrateKeywordTierRules, serializeKeywordTierRules } from "../add_model/complexity_router_keywords";
 import ComplexityRouterConfig, {
   ComplexityRouterConfigValue,
+  ComplexityTiers,
   DEFAULT_ADAPTIVE_WEIGHTS,
   DEFAULT_SESSION_AFFINITY,
   DEFAULT_DEPLOYMENT_AFFINITY,
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@ interface EditAutoRouterModalProps {
 // actually renders a control that can set it.
 const MANAGED_COMPLEXITY_ROUTER_KEYS = new Set([
   "tiers",
+  "default_model",
   "tier_labels",
   "classifier_type",
   "classifier_llm_config",
@@ -81,6 +83,24 @@ const toRecord = (value: unknown): Record<string, unknown> => {
     : {};
 };
 
+// A pin lives in two places: complexity_router_config.default_model (this UI's own marker, added
+// by PR #36615) and litellm_params.complexity_router_default_model (what the backend reads). Only
+// the marker proves an operator picked it, because before #36615 every save wrote a tier-derived
+// value into litellm_params. So with no marker, a litellm_params value counts as a pin only when
+// it diverges from what the tiers alone derive; a match stays unpinned and keeps tracking tiers.
+export const hydratePinnedDefaultModel = (
+  storedConfigDefaultModel: unknown,
+  litellmParamsDefaultModel: string | null | undefined,
+  tiers: ComplexityTiers,
+): string | undefined => {
+  if (typeof storedConfigDefaultModel === "string" && storedConfigDefaultModel.trim()) {
+    return storedConfigDefaultModel;
+  }
+  const tierDerived = resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers);
+  const externalOverride = litellmParamsDefaultModel?.trim();
+  return externalOverride && externalOverride !== tierDerived ? externalOverride : undefined;
+};
+
 export interface KeywordMatchingState {
   keywordTierRules: KeywordTierRule[];
   escalationKeywords: string[];
@@ -109,6 +129,7 @@ export const buildUpdatedComplexityRouterConfig = (
   return {
     ...preservedConfig,
     tiers: value.tiers,
+    ...(value.default_model?.trim() && { default_model: value.default_model }),
     ...(serializedTierLabels && { tier_labels: serializedTierLabels }),
     classifier_type: value.classifier_type,
     ...(value.classifier_type === "llm" && value.classifier_llm_config
@@ -236,13 +257,20 @@ const EditAutoRouterModal: React.FC<EditAutoRouterModalProps> = ({
           parsedConfig = JSON.parse(parsedConfig);
         }
 
+        const hydratedTiers: ComplexityTiers = {
+          SIMPLE: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.SIMPLE),
+          MEDIUM: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.MEDIUM),
+          COMPLEX: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.COMPLEX),
+          REASONING: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.REASONING),
+        };
+
         const hydratedComplexityRouterConfig: ComplexityRouterConfigValue = {
-          tiers: {
-            SIMPLE: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.SIMPLE),
-            MEDIUM: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.MEDIUM),
-            COMPLEX: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.COMPLEX),
-            REASONING: normalizeTierModels(parsedConfig.tiers?.REASONING),
-          },
+          tiers: hydratedTiers,
+          default_model: hydratePinnedDefaultModel(
+            parsedConfig.default_model,
+            modelData.litellm_params?.complexity_router_default_model,
+            hydratedTiers,
+          ),
           tier_labels: hydrateTierLabels(parsedConfig.tier_labels),
           classifier_type: parsedConfig.classifier_type || "heuristic",
           classifier_llm_config: parsedConfig.classifier_llm_config,
@@ -362,7 +390,23 @@ const EditAutoRouterModal: React.FC<EditAutoRouterModalProps> = ({
           return;
         }
 
-        const defaultModel = tiers.MEDIUM[0] || tiers.SIMPLE[0] || tiers.COMPLEX[0] || tiers.REASONING[0];
+        // Unlike the create form, this modal only requires one non-empty tier, so a router can reach
+        // here with nothing the backend would pick as a default (see getMissingTiersError in
+        // build_complexity_router_config.ts for why create never can). init_complexity_router_deployment
+        // raises in that case (litellm/router.py), so block it rather than saving a router that
+        // fails at init.
+        const defaultModel = resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers, complexityRouterConfig.default_model);
+        if (!defaultModel) {
+          setShowValidationErrors(true);
+          NotificationsManager.fromBackend(
+            "Add a model to the Simple or Medium tier, or pin a default model, so requests have somewhere to route.",
+          );
+          return;
+        }
+
+        // Dual write: complexity_router_config.default_model (the pin marker hydratePinnedDefaultModel
+        // reads back) and complexity_router_default_model (what the backend routes on) must always be
+        // written together from the same value. Same pairing in add_auto_router_tab.tsx.
         const updatedLitellmParams = {
           ...modelData.litellm_params,
           complexity_router_config: buildUpdatedComplexityRouterConfig(
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.test.tsx
index 5eb17fee2c4..46bd80a0bc5 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.test.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.test.tsx
@@ -1056,6 +1056,44 @@ describe("ModelInfoView", () => {
     expect(mockTestModelGroupConnection).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
+  // Bugbot finding on #36615: complexity_router_config.default_model is a UI-only bookkeeping
+  // marker — init_complexity_router_deployment (litellm/router.py) never reads it, falling back
+  // to tier-derivation instead when litellm_params.complexity_router_default_model is absent.
+  // Probing the blob field here would test a model the running router never calls.
+  it("ignores an unused config blob pin when litellm_params has no default, matching the backend's own tier-derivation fallback", async () => {
+    const complexityRouterModelData = {
+      ...defaultModelData,
+      litellm_params: {
+        ...defaultModelData.litellm_params,
+        model: "auto_router/complexity_router",
+        complexity_router_config: {
+          tiers: { SIMPLE: ["gpt-4o-mini"], MEDIUM: [], COMPLEX: [], REASONING: [] },
+          default_model: "unused-blob-pin",
+        },
+        // no complexity_router_default_model
+      },
+    };
+
+    mockUseModelsInfo.mockReturnValue({
+      data: {
+        data: [complexityRouterModelData],
+      },
+      isLoading: false,
+      error: null,
+    });
+    mockTestModelGroupConnection.mockResolvedValue({ status: "success" });
+
+    render(<ModelInfoView {...DEFAULT_ADMIN_PROPS} />, { wrapper });
+    const testConnectionButton = await screen.findByTestId("test-connection-button");
+    await userEvent.click(testConnectionButton);
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(mockTestModelGroupConnection).toHaveBeenCalledWith("test-token", "gpt-4o-mini", "chat");
+    });
+    expect(mockTestModelGroupConnection).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith("test-token", "unused-blob-pin", "chat");
+    expect(mockTestModelGroupConnection).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
   it("should display model access groups field", async () => {
     render(<ModelInfoView {...DEFAULT_ADMIN_PROPS} />, { wrapper });
     await waitFor(() => {
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.tsx
index a0c545e17aa..0532238b872 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/model_info_view.tsx
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ import { isMaskedSecret, stripMaskedSecrets } from "../utils/maskedSecretUtils";
 import { formItemValidateJSON, truncateString } from "../utils/textUtils";
 import AutoRouterConnectionTest from "./add_model/auto_router_connection_test";
 import { AutoRouterTestTarget, buildAutoRouterTestTargets } from "./add_model/build_auto_router_test_targets";
-import { normalizeTierModels } from "./add_model/complexity_router_tiers";
+import { normalizeTierModels, resolveComplexityDefaultModel } from "./add_model/complexity_router_tiers";
 import {
   hasAutoRouterEditor,
   isAutoRouterDeployment,
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@ interface ComplexityRouterTierConfig {
   };
   semantic_keyword_matching?: boolean;
   embedding_model?: string;
+  default_model?: string;
 }
 
 interface ComplexityRouterModelData {
@@ -177,25 +178,26 @@ const buildComplexityRouterTestTargets = (
     config = rawConfig;
   }
 
-  const tierTargets = buildAutoRouterTestTargets({
-    tiers: {
-      SIMPLE: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.SIMPLE),
-      MEDIUM: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.MEDIUM),
-      COMPLEX: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.COMPLEX),
-      REASONING: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.REASONING),
-    },
+  const tiers = {
+    SIMPLE: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.SIMPLE),
+    MEDIUM: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.MEDIUM),
+    COMPLEX: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.COMPLEX),
+    REASONING: normalizeTierModels(config.tiers?.REASONING),
+  };
+
+  // Mirrors init_complexity_router_deployment (litellm/router.py): litellm_params wins, otherwise
+  // pure tier-derivation. complexity_router_config.default_model is a UI-only marker the backend
+  // never reads — folding it in here could point Test Connection at a model the router never
+  // calls (see PR #36615 discussion).
+  const effectiveDefaultModel = modelData?.litellm_params?.complexity_router_default_model || undefined;
+
+  const testTargetParams = {
+    tiers,
     semanticMatchingEnabled: Boolean(config.semantic_keyword_matching),
     embeddingModel: config.embedding_model,
-  });
-
-  const defaultModel = modelData?.litellm_params?.complexity_router_default_model?.trim();
-  if (!defaultModel || tierTargets.some((target) => target.modelGroup === defaultModel)) {
-    return tierTargets;
-  }
-  return [
-    ...tierTargets,
-    { labels: ["Default (unconfigured tiers)"], modelGroup: defaultModel, mode: "chat" as const },
-  ];
+    defaultModel: resolveComplexityDefaultModel(tiers, effectiveDefaultModel),
+  };
+  return buildAutoRouterTestTargets(testTargetParams);
 };
 
 export default function ModelInfoView({
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/lib/autorouter_presets.ts b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/lib/autorouter_presets.ts
index 5caff6fe714..7ef0e06e2e6 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/lib/autorouter_presets.ts
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/lib/autorouter_presets.ts
@@ -40,10 +40,18 @@ export const getPresetByKey = (key: string): AutoRouterPreset | undefined => PRE
 // bundled config or a caller's actually-built config - the two need to agree, since a preset only
 // prefills once and the config is edited freely after (see AddAutoRouterTab.submitBlockedReason).
 export const getRequiredModels = (
-  config: Pick<ComplexityRouterConfigPayload, "tiers" | "classifier_llm_config" | "embedding_model">,
+  config: Pick<ComplexityRouterConfigPayload, "tiers" | "classifier_llm_config" | "embedding_model" | "default_model">,
 ): Set<string> => {
-  const { tiers, classifier_llm_config: classifier, embedding_model: embedding } = config;
-  const models = [...tiers.SIMPLE, ...tiers.MEDIUM, ...tiers.COMPLEX, ...tiers.REASONING, classifier?.model, embedding];
+  const { tiers, classifier_llm_config: classifier, embedding_model: embedding, default_model: pinned } = config;
+  const models = [
+    ...tiers.SIMPLE,
+    ...tiers.MEDIUM,
+    ...tiers.COMPLEX,
+    ...tiers.REASONING,
+    classifier?.model,
+    embedding,
+    pinned,
+  ];
   // Boolean(), not != null: an empty-string placeholder (e.g. classifier_llm_config seeded before a
   // model is chosen) is never a real model reference either.
   return new Set(models.filter((model): model is string => Boolean(model)));
@@ -164,7 +172,7 @@ const resolveAvailableModel = (requiredModel: string, availability: ModelAvailab
 };
 
 export const getMissingModels = (
-  config: Pick<ComplexityRouterConfigPayload, "tiers" | "classifier_llm_config" | "embedding_model">,
+  config: Parameters<typeof getRequiredModels>[0],
   availability: ModelAvailability,
 ): string[] =>
   [...getRequiredModels(config)].filter((model) => resolveAvailableModel(model, availability) === undefined).sort();
@@ -188,12 +196,14 @@ export const getReferencedModelsError = (
     classifierLlmConfig: ClassifierLLMConfig | undefined;
     semanticMatchingEnabled: boolean;
     embeddingModel: string | undefined;
+    defaultModel?: string;
   },
   availability: ModelAvailability,
 ): string | null => {
   const missing = getMissingModels(
     {
       tiers: params.tiers,
+      default_model: params.defaultModel,
       classifier_llm_config: params.classifierType === "llm" ? params.classifierLlmConfig : undefined,
       embedding_model: params.semanticMatchingEnabled ? params.embeddingModel : undefined,
     },