diff --git a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/realtime_streaming.py b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/realtime_streaming.py
index 984934daaac..b448cb7c9ff 100644
--- a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/realtime_streaming.py
+++ b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/realtime_streaming.py
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Final, NoReturn, Protocol, TypedDict, cas
 from typing_extensions import ReadOnly
 
 import litellm
-from litellm._logging import verbose_logger
+from litellm._logging import _redact_string, verbose_logger
 from litellm.litellm_core_utils.logging_worker import GLOBAL_LOGGING_WORKER
 from litellm.llms.base_llm.realtime.transformation import BaseRealtimeConfig
 from litellm.types.llms.openai import (
@@ -1567,12 +1567,14 @@ class RealTimeStreaming:
             await asyncio.gather(forward_task, client_task, return_exceptions=True)
 
     async def _close_client(self, close: BackendClose) -> None:
+        redacted_message: Final = _redact_string(close.message)
+        redacted_reason: Final = _redact_string(close.reason)
         try:
             if close.code != 1000:
-                await self.websocket.send_text(realtime_error_event(close.message, error_type="server_error"))
+                await self.websocket.send_text(realtime_error_event(redacted_message, error_type="server_error"))
             await self.websocket.close(
                 code=client_close_code(close.code),
-                reason=websocket_close_reason(close.reason, fallback=close.message),
+                reason=websocket_close_reason(redacted_reason, fallback=redacted_message),
             )
         except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001  # the client may already be gone; the session is over either way
             verbose_logger.debug("Could not relay the upstream close to the client: %s", e)
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/litellm_core_utils/test_realtime_streaming.py b/tests/test_litellm/litellm_core_utils/test_realtime_streaming.py
index 09757c35570..bcfacf16205 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/litellm_core_utils/test_realtime_streaming.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/litellm_core_utils/test_realtime_streaming.py
@@ -3229,6 +3229,24 @@ async def test_bidirectional_forward_relays_upstream_policy_close_to_client():
     client_ws.close.assert_awaited_once_with(code=1008, reason=_UPSTREAM_REFUSAL)
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_upstream_close_reason_with_a_secret_is_redacted_before_reaching_the_client():
+    """LIT-6973: the relayed close mirrors the handshake path and scrubs credential
+    patterns, so an upstream error echoing a token never reaches the client verbatim."""
+    secret: Final = "sk-live-abcdef0123456789abcdef0123"
+    client_ws: Final = _client_ws_that_never_sends()
+    upstream_close: Final = ConnectionClosed(Close(1008, f"auth failed for {secret}"), None)
+    session: Final = _relay_session(client_ws, _backend_ws_closing_with(upstream_close))
+
+    await session.run()
+
+    (error_event,) = _error_events_sent_to(client_ws)
+    assert secret not in error_event["error"]["message"]
+    relayed_reason: Final = client_ws.close.await_args.kwargs["reason"]
+    assert secret not in relayed_reason
+    assert "REDACTED" in relayed_reason
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_bidirectional_forward_maps_abnormal_upstream_close_to_internal_error():
     client_ws: Final = _client_ws_that_never_sends()