diff --git a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
index 08bf56e3773..801f39de4a0 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/proxy_server.py
@@ -13,6 +13,14 @@ import time
 import traceback
 import warnings
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
+
+# Patch Uvicorn so scope gets _uvicorn_received_at (request ready → app entry timing)
+try:
+    from litellm.proxy.uvicorn_handoff_patch import apply_uvicorn_handoff_patch
+
+    apply_uvicorn_handoff_patch()
+except Exception:
+    pass
 from typing import (
     TYPE_CHECKING,
     Any,
@@ -1222,8 +1230,8 @@ current_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))
 # app.add_middleware(PrometheusAuthMiddleware)
 
 
-class _UvicornHandoffTimingMiddleware:
-    """Raw ASGI middleware to timestamp when Uvicorn hands request to our app."""
+class _UvicornHandoffLoggingMiddleware:
+    """ASGI middleware: log time from Uvicorn request ready → app entry (when patch applied)."""
 
     def __init__(self, app: Any) -> None:
         self.app = app
@@ -1232,7 +1240,13 @@ class _UvicornHandoffTimingMiddleware:
         self, scope: dict, receive: Any, send: Any
     ) -> None:
         if scope.get("type") == "http":
-            scope["_uvicorn_handoff_at"] = time.perf_counter()
+            t_received = scope.get("_uvicorn_received_at")
+            if t_received is not None:
+                delta_ms = (time.perf_counter() - t_received) * 1000
+                print(
+                    f"[proxy] uvicorn receive → app entry: {delta_ms:.2f}ms",
+                    flush=True,
+                )
         await self.app(scope, receive, send)
 
 
@@ -1242,14 +1256,6 @@ class _ChatCompletionsEarlyReturnMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
     async def dispatch(self, request: Request, call_next):
         path = request.scope.get("path", "")
         if "chat/completions" in path and request.method == "POST":
-            t_handoff = request.scope.get("_uvicorn_handoff_at")
-            if t_handoff is not None:
-                delta_ms = (time.perf_counter() - t_handoff) * 1000
-                print(
-                    f"[proxy] Uvicorn handoff → middleware: {delta_ms:.2f}ms",
-                    flush=True,
-                )
-            print("[proxy] _ChatCompletionsEarlyReturnMiddleware: early return", flush=True)
             return JSONResponse(
                 content={"message": "Hello, world!", "status": "success"},
                 status_code=200,
@@ -1258,6 +1264,7 @@ class _ChatCompletionsEarlyReturnMiddleware(BaseHTTPMiddleware):
 
 
 app.add_middleware(_ChatCompletionsEarlyReturnMiddleware)
+app.add_middleware(_UvicornHandoffLoggingMiddleware)
 
 
 def mount_swagger_ui():
@@ -11889,5 +11896,3 @@ app.mount(path=BASE_MCP_ROUTE, app=mcp_app)
 app.include_router(mcp_rest_endpoints_router)
 app.include_router(mcp_discoverable_endpoints_router)
 
-# Wrap app so Uvicorn's handoff to our ASGI stack is timestamped for perf tracing
-app = _UvicornHandoffTimingMiddleware(app)
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/uvicorn_handoff_patch.py b/litellm/proxy/uvicorn_handoff_patch.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c9929c72f0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/litellm/proxy/uvicorn_handoff_patch.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+"""
+Monkey-patch Uvicorn to record when a request is ready (headers complete)
+so LiteLLM middleware can measure "Uvicorn receive → app entry" latency.
+
+Applied when litellm.proxy.proxy_server is imported (so it runs in the process
+that serves requests, including gunicorn workers). Sets scope["_uvicorn_received_at"]
+(perf_counter) in both httptools and h11 protocol paths when the request
+scope is built and before the ASGI app is invoked.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import time
+
+
+def _patch_httptools_impl() -> None:
+    import uvicorn.protocols.http.httptools_impl as m  # noqa: PLC0415
+
+    _orig_on_headers_complete = m.HttpToolsProtocol.on_headers_complete
+
+    def on_headers_complete(self: m.HttpToolsProtocol) -> None:
+        _orig_on_headers_complete(self)
+        # Scope is the same dict passed to RequestResponseCycle; stamp it so
+        # middleware can measure receive → app entry (timestamp is just after
+        # request was ready and task was scheduled).
+        self.scope["_uvicorn_received_at"] = time.perf_counter()  # type: ignore[typeddict-unknown-key]
+
+    m.HttpToolsProtocol.on_headers_complete = on_headers_complete  # type: ignore[method-assign]
+
+
+def _patch_h11_impl() -> None:
+    import uvicorn.protocols.http.h11_impl as m  # noqa: PLC0415
+
+    # In h11, scope is built inside data_received; we stamp at start of run_asgi
+    # so "received" = when ASGI task began (slightly later than headers-complete).
+    _orig_run_asgi = m.RequestResponseCycle.run_asgi
+
+    async def run_asgi(self: m.RequestResponseCycle, app: m.ASGI3Application) -> None:
+        if "_uvicorn_received_at" not in self.scope:
+            self.scope["_uvicorn_received_at"] = time.perf_counter()  # type: ignore[typeddict-unknown-key]
+        await _orig_run_asgi(self, app)
+
+    m.RequestResponseCycle.run_asgi = run_asgi  # type: ignore[method-assign]
+
+
+def apply_uvicorn_handoff_patch() -> None:
+    """Apply patches so scope gets _uvicorn_received_at for handoff timing."""
+    _patch_httptools_impl()
+    _patch_h11_impl()