diff --git a/litellm/proxy/common_utils/banner.py b/litellm/proxy/common_utils/banner.py
index 25ad5e295f6..dd203352b05 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/common_utils/banner.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/common_utils/banner.py
@@ -17,3 +17,10 @@ def show_banner():
         click.echo(f"\n{LITELLM_BANNER}\n")
     except ImportError:
         print("\n")  # noqa: T201
+    except UnicodeEncodeError:
+        # Reaching here means the import succeeded and only the encode failed, so `click` is
+        # bound and is the same channel the banner just went out on. Using it rather than
+        # `print` keeps the line free of a T201 suppression, which the two ruff configs
+        # disagree about: ruff.toml enables T20 and needs one, ruff-strict.toml does not
+        # enable it and counts one as dead under RUF100.
+        click.echo("\n   LiteLLM\n")
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/common_utils/test_banner.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/common_utils/test_banner.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..ce0915720ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/common_utils/test_banner.py
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import io
+import os
+import sys
+from contextlib import redirect_stdout
+
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.abspath("../../../.."))
+
+from litellm.proxy.common_utils.banner import show_banner
+
+
+def _cp1252_stdout() -> io.TextIOWrapper:
+    """A stdout that cannot encode the banner, like a Windows console on the default code page."""
+    return io.TextIOWrapper(io.BytesIO(), encoding="cp1252", newline="")
+
+
+class TestShowBanner:
+    def test_show_banner_survives_a_stdout_that_cannot_encode_it(self):
+        """The banner is decorative; an unencodable console must not stop the proxy from starting."""
+        stream = _cp1252_stdout()
+
+        with redirect_stdout(stream):
+            show_banner()
+
+        stream.flush()
+        printed = stream.buffer.getvalue().decode("cp1252")
+        assert "LiteLLM" in printed
+
+    def test_show_banner_prints_the_full_banner_when_stdout_can_encode_it(self):
+        stream = io.TextIOWrapper(io.BytesIO(), encoding="utf-8", newline="")
+
+        with redirect_stdout(stream):
+            show_banner()
+
+        stream.flush()
+        printed = stream.buffer.getvalue().decode("utf-8")
+        assert "██" in printed