diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
index 3c79c48689b..5ce22c366f8 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
@@ -11075,6 +11075,78 @@ async def login_v2(request: Request):  # noqa: PLR0915
             )
 
 
+@router.post(
+    "/v3/login", include_in_schema=False
+)  # control-plane login — always returns token in body for cross-origin use
+async def login_v3(request: Request):  # noqa: PLR0915
+    global premium_user, general_settings, master_key
+    from litellm.proxy.auth.login_utils import authenticate_user, create_ui_token_object
+    from litellm.proxy.utils import get_custom_url
+
+    try:
+        body = await request.json()
+        username = str(body.get("username"))
+        password = str(body.get("password"))
+
+        login_result = await authenticate_user(
+            username=username,
+            password=password,
+            master_key=master_key,
+            prisma_client=prisma_client,
+        )
+
+        returned_ui_token_object = create_ui_token_object(
+            login_result=login_result,
+            general_settings=general_settings,
+            premium_user=premium_user,
+        )
+
+        import jwt
+
+        jwt_token = jwt.encode(
+            cast(dict, returned_ui_token_object),
+            cast(str, master_key),
+            algorithm="HS256",
+        )
+
+        litellm_dashboard_ui = get_custom_url(str(request.base_url))
+        if litellm_dashboard_ui.endswith("/"):
+            litellm_dashboard_ui += "ui/"
+        else:
+            litellm_dashboard_ui += "/ui/"
+        litellm_dashboard_ui += "?login=success"
+
+        json_response = JSONResponse(
+            content={"redirect_url": litellm_dashboard_ui, "token": jwt_token},
+            status_code=status.HTTP_200_OK,
+        )
+        json_response.set_cookie(key="token", value=jwt_token)
+        return json_response
+    except Exception as e:
+        verbose_proxy_logger.exception(
+            "litellm.proxy.proxy_server.login_v3(): Exception occurred - {}".format(
+                str(e)
+            )
+        )
+        if isinstance(e, ProxyException):
+            raise e
+        elif isinstance(e, HTTPException):
+            raise ProxyException(
+                message=getattr(e, "detail", str(e)),
+                type=ProxyErrorTypes.auth_error,
+                param=getattr(e, "param", "None"),
+                code=getattr(e, "status_code", status.HTTP_500_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR),
+            )
+        else:
+            error_msg = f"{str(e)}"
+            raise ProxyException(
+                message=error_msg,
+                type=ProxyErrorTypes.auth_error,
+                param="None",
+                code=status.HTTP_500_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
+            )
+
+
 @app.get("/onboarding/get_token", include_in_schema=False)
 async def onboarding(invite_link: str, request: Request):
     """
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
index 219a0ca7825..ab6396a43e8 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
@@ -277,6 +277,75 @@ def test_login_v2_returns_json_on_invalid_json_body(monkeypatch):
     assert isinstance(data["error"], dict)
 
 
+def test_login_v3_always_includes_token_in_body(monkeypatch):
+    """v3/login always returns token in body, even without worker_registry."""
+    mock_prisma_client = MagicMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "litellm.proxy.auth.login_utils.authenticate_user",
+        AsyncMock(return_value={"user_id": "test-user"}),
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "litellm.proxy.auth.login_utils.create_ui_token_object",
+        MagicMock(return_value={"user_id": "test-user"}),
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr("jwt.encode", MagicMock(return_value="signed-token"))
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.master_key", "test-master-key")
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.general_settings", {})
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.premium_user", False)
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.prisma_client", mock_prisma_client)
+    mock_config = MagicMock()
+    mock_config.worker_registry = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.proxy_config", mock_config)
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.utils.get_server_root_path", lambda: "")
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.utils.get_proxy_base_url", lambda: None)
+
+    client = TestClient(app)
+    response = client.post(
+        "/v3/login",
+        json={"username": "alice", "password": "secret"},
+    )
+
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert response.json()["token"] == "signed-token"
+    assert response.json()["redirect_url"] == "http://testserver/ui/?login=success"
+    assert response.cookies.get("token") == "signed-token"
+
+
+def test_login_v3_returns_json_on_proxy_exception(monkeypatch):
+    """Test that /v3/login returns JSON error when ProxyException is raised"""
+    from litellm.proxy._types import ProxyErrorTypes, ProxyException
+
+    mock_prisma_client = MagicMock()
+    mock_authenticate_user = AsyncMock(
+        side_effect=ProxyException(
+            message="Invalid credentials",
+            type=ProxyErrorTypes.auth_error,
+            param="password",
+            code=401,
+        )
+    )
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "litellm.proxy.auth.login_utils.authenticate_user",
+        mock_authenticate_user,
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.master_key", "test-master-key")
+    monkeypatch.setattr("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.prisma_client", mock_prisma_client)
+
+    client = TestClient(app)
+    response = client.post(
+        "/v3/login",
+        json={"username": "alice", "password": "wrong"},
+    )
+
+    assert response.status_code == 401
+    assert response.headers["content-type"] == "application/json"
+    data = response.json()
+    assert "error" in data
+    assert data["error"]["message"] == "Invalid credentials"
+    assert data["error"]["type"] == "auth_error"
+
+
 def test_fallback_login_has_no_deprecation_banner(client_no_auth):
     response = client_no_auth.get("/fallback/login")