diff --git a/litellm/litellm_core_utils/realtime_streaming.py b/litellm/litellm_core_utils/realtime_streaming.py
index b448cb7c9ff..c670278d3fb 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 _redact_string, verbose_logger
+from litellm._logging import redact_internal_details_from_client_message, 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 (
@@ -1567,8 +1567,8 @@ 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)
+        redacted_message: Final = redact_internal_details_from_client_message(close.message)
+        redacted_reason: Final = redact_internal_details_from_client_message(close.reason)
         try:
             if close.code != 1000:
                 await self.websocket.send_text(realtime_error_event(redacted_message, error_type="server_error"))
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
index 61bcdea94d4..06cfee45918 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
@@ -11453,6 +11453,16 @@ def _realtime_query_params_template(model: str | None, intent: str | None) -> tu
     return tuple(params)
 
 
+async def _release_realtime_budget_reservation(user_api_key_dict: UserAPIKeyAuth) -> None:
+    from litellm.proxy.spend_tracking.budget_reservation import (
+        release_or_invalidate_budget_reservation,
+    )
+
+    await release_or_invalidate_budget_reservation(
+        budget_reservation=user_api_key_dict.budget_reservation,
+    )
+
+
 @app.websocket("/openai/v1/realtime")
 @app.websocket("/v1/realtime")
 @app.websocket("/realtime")
@@ -11592,6 +11602,8 @@ async def realtime_websocket_endpoint(
             )
         except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001  # the lower layer may have closed the socket already; closing twice is not an error
             verbose_proxy_logger.debug("Could not close realtime client websocket; it is already gone")
+    finally:
+        await _release_realtime_budget_reservation(user_api_key_dict)
 
 
 ######################################################################
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/budget_reservation.py b/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/budget_reservation.py
index 91d2ece7a51..2ee7320b82c 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/budget_reservation.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/spend_tracking/budget_reservation.py
@@ -373,6 +373,31 @@ async def invalidate_budget_reservation_counters(
         await _invalidate_spend_counter(counter_key=counter_key)
 
 
+async def release_or_invalidate_budget_reservation(
+    budget_reservation: dict | None,  # mutable-ok: stamps finalized on the caller's shared reservation dict
+) -> None:
+    """Reconcile a still-open reservation on a terminal path that settles no cost.
+
+    A failed or upstream-refused request never runs the success cost callback, so
+    its pre-call reservation stays open and keeps the spend counter pinned above
+    real spend until the counter's TTL expires, 429ing later requests on the same
+    key. Release it to zero; if the release itself fails (e.g. the counter store is
+    unreachable) drop the reserved counters directly and mark the reservation
+    finalized so nothing reprocesses it. Idempotent: the finalized guard makes a
+    second call a no-op once success or failure handling already reconciled.
+    """
+    if budget_reservation is None or budget_reservation.get("finalized") is True:
+        return
+    try:
+        await release_budget_reservation(budget_reservation=budget_reservation)
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001  # a cleanup failure must not pin the counter; drop it directly instead
+        verbose_proxy_logger.exception("Failed to release budget reservation; invalidating counters")
+        try:
+            await invalidate_budget_reservation_counters(budget_reservation=budget_reservation)
+        finally:
+            budget_reservation["finalized"] = True
+
+
 async def _get_budget_counters(
     request_body: dict,
     valid_token: UserAPIKeyAuth,
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 bcfacf16205..5352c894f87 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/litellm_core_utils/test_realtime_streaming.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/litellm_core_utils/test_realtime_streaming.py
@@ -3229,21 +3229,28 @@ 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.parametrize(
+    "leaked_detail",
+    (
+        pytest.param("sk-live-abcdef0123456789abcdef0123", id="credential"),
+        pytest.param("vertex-int.svc.cluster.local", id="internal-hostname"),
+        pytest.param("/etc/litellm/service-account.json", id="filesystem-path"),
+    ),
+)
 @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"
+async def test_upstream_close_details_are_scrubbed_before_reaching_the_client(leaked_detail: str):
+    """LIT-6973: the relayed close goes through the proxy's client-facing redaction, so an upstream
+    error echoing a credential, an internal host, or a server path never reaches the client verbatim."""
     client_ws: Final = _client_ws_that_never_sends()
-    upstream_close: Final = ConnectionClosed(Close(1008, f"auth failed for {secret}"), None)
+    upstream_close: Final = ConnectionClosed(Close(1008, f"upstream rejected: {leaked_detail}"), 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"]
+    assert leaked_detail not in error_event["error"]["message"]
     relayed_reason: Final = client_ws.close.await_args.kwargs["reason"]
-    assert secret not in relayed_reason
+    assert leaked_detail not in relayed_reason
     assert "REDACTED" in relayed_reason
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
index d91928a203e..57e2cfc3332 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/test_proxy_server.py
@@ -9521,6 +9521,89 @@ def test_realtime_websocket_route_aliases_registered():
         )
 
 
+def _lit6973_fake_realtime_ws() -> MagicMock:
+    ws = MagicMock()
+    ws.headers = {}
+    ws.scope = {"headers": [], "type": "websocket"}
+    ws.url = "ws://testserver/v1/realtime"
+    ws.accept = AsyncMock()
+    ws.send_text = AsyncMock()
+    ws.close = AsyncMock()
+    return ws
+
+
+async def _lit6973_drive_refused_realtime_session(reservation: dict) -> None:
+    """Drive realtime_websocket_endpoint through a session the upstream refused.
+
+    route_request resolves normally because the relay handles the refusal
+    internally (sends the error event, closes the client), so neither the
+    success cost callback nor a failure hook runs on _ProxyDBLogger. The
+    endpoint itself must reconcile the pre-call budget reservation, so the
+    real release runs (entries is empty, so it touches no counter store) and
+    the caller asserts on the observable reservation state afterwards."""
+    from litellm.proxy import proxy_server as ps
+
+    user_api_key_dict: Final = UserAPIKeyAuth(api_key="sk-test", token="hashed-token")
+    user_api_key_dict.budget_reservation = reservation
+
+    completed: Final = asyncio.get_running_loop().create_future()
+    completed.set_result(None)
+
+    pre_call: Final = AsyncMock(return_value=({"model": "vertex_ai/gemini-live-2.5-flash"}, MagicMock()))
+    can_call = patch.object(ps, "can_key_call_resolved_model", new=AsyncMock())  # test-quality-ok: no HTTP boundary; fakes in-process auth to reach the finally under test
+    pre = patch.object(ps.ProxyBaseLLMRequestProcessing, "common_processing_pre_call_logic", new=pre_call)  # test-quality-ok: fakes phase-1 wiring; assertion checks observable reservation state
+    route = patch.object(ps, "route_request", new=AsyncMock(return_value=completed))  # test-quality-ok: fakes the relay that already handled the refusal so the session returns normally
+    with can_call, pre, route:
+        await ps.realtime_websocket_endpoint(
+            websocket=_lit6973_fake_realtime_ws(),
+            model="vertex_ai/gemini-live-2.5-flash",
+            intent=None,
+            guardrails=None,
+            user_api_key_dict=user_api_key_dict,
+        )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_refused_realtime_session_releases_the_budget_reservation():
+    """LIT-6973: reclassifying a refused realtime session as a failure removed the
+    success-path reservation release, so the pre-call reservation stayed open and
+    pinned the key/team/user spend counters, locking the key after a couple of
+    refusals. The endpoint must reconcile it: the reservation ends up finalized."""
+    reservation: Final = {"reserved_cost": 0.55, "input_cost": 0.0, "finalized": False, "entries": []}
+
+    await _lit6973_drive_refused_realtime_session(reservation)
+
+    assert reservation["finalized"] is True
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_release_or_invalidate_falls_back_to_invalidating_the_counters():
+    """If releasing the reservation itself fails (e.g. the counter store is down),
+    the reserved counters must be invalidated directly so the estimate does not
+    stay pinned, and the reservation is finalized so nothing reprocesses it."""
+    from litellm.proxy import proxy_server as ps
+    from litellm.proxy.spend_tracking import budget_reservation as br
+
+    reservation: Final = {
+        "reserved_cost": 0.55,
+        "input_cost": 0.0,
+        "finalized": False,
+        "entries": [{"counter_key": "spend:key:hashed-token"}],
+    }
+    invalidated: Final[list[str]] = []
+
+    async def _record(counter_key: str) -> None:
+        invalidated.append(counter_key)
+
+    failing_release = patch.object(br, "release_budget_reservation", new=AsyncMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("counter store down")))  # test-quality-ok: forces the failure branch; assertion observes which counter key got invalidated
+    sink = patch.object(ps, "_invalidate_spend_counter", new=_record)  # test-quality-ok: fakes the counter-store sink so the invalidated key is observable
+    with failing_release, sink:
+        await br.release_or_invalidate_budget_reservation(budget_reservation=reservation)
+
+    assert invalidated == ["spend:key:hashed-token"]
+    assert reservation["finalized"] is True
+
+
 class TestTransformRequestBannedParams:
     """
     /utils/transform_request applies the same banned-param check as LLM endpoints.