diff --git a/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py b/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
index 27fa4731baf..aa9d33d445b 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
@@ -1200,7 +1200,11 @@ def _has_required_baggage_tag_mapping() -> bool:
 
 
 async def user_api_key_auth_websocket_for_model(
-    websocket: WebSocket, model: str | None, *, close_on_auth_error: bool = True
+    websocket: WebSocket,
+    model: str | None,
+    *,
+    close_on_auth_error: bool = True,
+    api_key_headers: tuple[str, ...] = ("api-key",),
 ) -> UserAPIKeyAuth:
     ws_scope: Final = websocket.scope or {}
     scope_headers: Final = list(ws_scope.get("headers") or [])
@@ -1232,7 +1236,7 @@ async def user_api_key_auth_websocket_for_model(
     authorization: Final = websocket.headers.get("authorization")
     # If no Authorization header, try the api-key header
     if not authorization:
-        api_key = websocket.headers.get("api-key")
+        api_key = next((value for header in api_key_headers if (value := websocket.headers.get(header))), None)
         if not api_key:
             # Try extracting from WebSocket subprotocol (browser clients)
             for protocol in websocket.headers.get("sec-websocket-protocol", "").split(","):
diff --git a/tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py b/tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
index 60a8dd73a34..c5da44bcc2f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
+++ b/tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 import litellm.proxy
 import litellm.proxy.proxy_server
 
+from types import SimpleNamespace
 from typing import Dict, Final, List, Optional
 from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock, patch
 
@@ -931,6 +932,57 @@ async def test_user_api_key_auth_live_websocket_ignores_query_model():
     mock_user_api_key_auth.assert_called_once()
 
 
+def _header_websocket(headers: dict[str, str]) -> MagicMock:
+    websocket = MagicMock(spec=WebSocket)
+    websocket.headers = headers
+    websocket.scope = {"headers": [(name.encode(), value.encode()) for name, value in headers.items()]}
+    websocket.url = URL(url="/elevenlabs/v1/text-to-speech/voice1/stream-input")
+    websocket.close = AsyncMock()
+    return websocket
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("headers", "api_key_headers", "expected"),
+    [
+        pytest.param({"api-key": "sk-a"}, ("api-key",), "Bearer sk-a", id="default header"),
+        pytest.param({"xi-api-key": "sk-x"}, ("api-key", "xi-api-key"), "Bearer sk-x", id="route header"),
+        pytest.param(
+            {"api-key": "sk-a", "xi-api-key": "sk-x"}, ("api-key", "xi-api-key"), "Bearer sk-a", id="first header wins"
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            {"api-key": "", "xi-api-key": "sk-x"}, ("api-key", "xi-api-key"), "Bearer sk-x", id="blank skipped"
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+async def test_websocket_auth_reads_the_key_from_the_headers_the_route_names(headers, api_key_headers, expected):
+    from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth_websocket_for_model
+
+    async def authenticate(request, api_key):
+        return SimpleNamespace(presented_key=api_key)
+
+    with patch("litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth.user_api_key_auth", side_effect=authenticate):
+        authorized = await user_api_key_auth_websocket_for_model(
+            _header_websocket(headers), "eleven_flash_v2_5", api_key_headers=api_key_headers
+        )
+
+    assert authorized.presented_key == expected
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_websocket_auth_refuses_a_key_in_a_header_the_route_did_not_name():
+    from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth_websocket_for_model
+
+    websocket = _header_websocket({"xi-api-key": "sk-x"})
+    with patch("litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth.user_api_key_auth", autospec=True) as mock_user_api_key_auth:
+        with pytest.raises(HTTPException) as refusal:
+            await user_api_key_auth_websocket_for_model(websocket, "gpt-realtime")
+
+    assert refusal.value.status_code == 403
+    websocket.close.assert_awaited_once_with(code=status.WS_1008_POLICY_VIOLATION)
+    mock_user_api_key_auth.assert_not_called()
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_accepted_websocket_reauthorizes_the_frame_model_without_closing():
     from litellm.proxy._types import ProxyException