diff --git a/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py b/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
index b1e8bdbe787..5862dbef712 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/auth/user_api_key_auth.py
@@ -2759,6 +2759,23 @@ async def user_api_key_auth_builder(
         if (
             prisma_client is None
         ):  # if both master key + user key submitted, and user key != master key, and no db connected, raise an error
+            if (
+                not PrismaDBExceptionHandler.is_database_configured()
+                and PrismaDBExceptionHandler.should_allow_request_on_db_unavailable()
+            ):
+                # No database was ever configured, so there is no outage to
+                # ride out. ``allow_requests_on_db_unavailable`` must not fail
+                # open here: a non-master key cannot be verified and is
+                # rejected, instead of being admitted via the
+                # ``no_db_connection`` fallback token. See #47119. When the
+                # flag is off no fallback token is issued anyway, so the
+                # established ``no_db_connection`` error below stands.
+                raise ProxyException(
+                    message="Authentication Error - No database configured. Virtual keys require a configured database; only the master key can be used without one.",
+                    type=ProxyErrorTypes.auth_error,
+                    code=status.HTTP_401_UNAUTHORIZED,
+                    param=None,
+                )
             raise ProxyException(
                 message="No connected db.",
                 type=ProxyErrorTypes.no_db_connection,
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/db/exception_handler.py b/litellm/proxy/db/exception_handler.py
index 5dfcaa4b2f8..75c85815915 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/db/exception_handler.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/db/exception_handler.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
+import os
 import re
+import sys
 from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable, Iterator
 from http import HTTPStatus
 from typing import Final, Protocol, TypeVar
@@ -24,6 +26,7 @@ _TRANSIENT_DB_UNAVAILABLE_MESSAGE: Final = (
 )
 
 _DATABASE_ERROR_META: Final = TypeAdapter(dict[str, object])
+_GENERAL_SETTINGS_ADAPTER: Final = TypeAdapter(dict[str, object])
 _BATCH_POSTGRES_ERROR_CODE: Final = re.compile(r'PostgresError \{ code: "([0-9A-Z]{5})"')
 _CONNECTION_CAPACITY_PHRASES: Final = (
     "too many clients already",
@@ -91,6 +94,39 @@ class PrismaDBExceptionHandler:
             return True
         return False
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def is_database_configured() -> bool:
+        """True when a database was configured for this proxy.
+
+        A database is configured when ``DATABASE_URL`` (or ``DIRECT_URL``)
+        is present in the environment, or a ``database_url`` is present in
+        ``general_settings``. The CLI / entrypoints assemble ``DATABASE_URL``
+        into ``os.environ`` from discrete ``DATABASE_*`` settings before the
+        proxy starts, so the environment is the canonical signal by request
+        time. When neither is present there is no database to be
+        ``unavailable``: that state never resolves by itself and must not be
+        treated as a transient outage by
+        ``allow_requests_on_db_unavailable``.
+        """
+        if os.getenv("DATABASE_URL") or os.getenv("DIRECT_URL"):
+            return True
+        # Read ``general_settings`` through ``sys.modules``: importing
+        # ``proxy_server`` here could fail or recurse while it is still
+        # being imported, and a proxy server that has not been imported
+        # yet has not configured a database through it either. The raw
+        # value is ``object`` until validated into a typed dict, because
+        # ``general_settings`` is declared as a bare ``dict`` and reading
+        # it directly surfaces as partially unknown to basedpyright.
+        proxy_server_module: Final = sys.modules.get("litellm.proxy.proxy_server")
+        raw_settings: Final[object] = getattr(proxy_server_module, "general_settings", None)
+        if not isinstance(raw_settings, dict):
+            return False
+        try:
+            settings: Final = _GENERAL_SETTINGS_ADAPTER.validate_python(raw_settings)
+        except ValidationError:
+            return False
+        return bool(settings.get("database_url"))
+
     @staticmethod
     def is_database_connection_error(e: Exception) -> bool:
         """True only for a database that is temporarily unreachable and is
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..3e370bd7229 100644
--- a/tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
+++ b/tests/unit/proxy/auth/test_user_api_key_auth.py
@@ -476,9 +476,10 @@ def test_is_api_route_allowed(route, user_role, expected_result):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_auth_not_connected_to_db():
+async def test_auth_not_connected_to_db(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
     """
-    ensure requests don't fail when `prisma_client` = None
+    ensure requests don't fail when `prisma_client` = None but a database
+    IS configured (configured-but-unreachable / transient outage)
     """
     from fastapi import Request
     from starlette.datastructures import URL
@@ -486,6 +487,7 @@ async def test_auth_not_connected_to_db():
     from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth
     from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import hash_token, user_api_key_cache
 
+    monkeypatch.setenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/litellm")
     user_key = "sk-98765678"
 
     setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "user_api_key_cache", user_api_key_cache)
@@ -506,6 +508,71 @@ async def test_auth_not_connected_to_db():
     assert valid_token.token == "failed-to-connect-to-db"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_auth_no_db_configured_rejects_non_master_key(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+    """Regression for #47119: with no database configured,
+    `allow_requests_on_db_unavailable` must not accept any API key.
+
+    There is no outage to ride out, so a non-master key is rejected (401)
+    instead of receiving the DB-unavailable fallback token.
+    """
+    from fastapi import Request
+    from starlette.datastructures import URL
+
+    from litellm.proxy._types import ProxyException
+    from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth
+    from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import user_api_key_cache
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DATABASE_URL", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DIRECT_URL", raising=False)
+
+    setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "user_api_key_cache", user_api_key_cache)
+    setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "master_key", MASTER_KEY)
+    setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "prisma_client", None)
+    setattr(
+        litellm.proxy.proxy_server,
+        "general_settings",
+        {"allow_requests_on_db_unavailable": True},
+    )
+
+    request = Request(scope={"type": "http", "method": "POST", "path": "/chat/completions", "headers": []})
+    request._url = URL(url="/chat/completions")
+
+    with pytest.raises(ProxyException) as exc_info:
+        await user_api_key_auth(request=request, api_key="Bearer sk-anything-1234")
+
+    assert str(exc_info.value.code) == "401"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_auth_no_db_configured_master_key_still_works(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+    """With no database configured, the master key still authenticates."""
+    from fastapi import Request
+    from starlette.datastructures import URL
+
+    from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth
+    from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import user_api_key_cache
+
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DATABASE_URL", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DIRECT_URL", raising=False)
+
+    setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "user_api_key_cache", user_api_key_cache)
+    setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "master_key", MASTER_KEY)
+    setattr(litellm.proxy.proxy_server, "prisma_client", None)
+    setattr(
+        litellm.proxy.proxy_server,
+        "general_settings",
+        {"allow_requests_on_db_unavailable": True},
+    )
+
+    request = Request(scope={"type": "http", "method": "POST", "path": "/chat/completions", "headers": []})
+    request._url = URL(url="/chat/completions")
+
+    valid_token = await user_api_key_auth(request=request, api_key="Bearer " + MASTER_KEY)
+    assert valid_token is not None
+    assert valid_token.key_name != "failed-to-connect-to-db"
+
+
 def _assert_api_key_from_custom_header(headers, custom_header_name, expected_api_key):
     verbose_proxy_logger.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
     request = MagicMock(spec=Request)
diff --git a/tests/unit/proxy/db/test_exception_handler.py b/tests/unit/proxy/db/test_exception_handler.py
index 75346ca08a6..a0391781cd5 100644
--- a/tests/unit/proxy/db/test_exception_handler.py
+++ b/tests/unit/proxy/db/test_exception_handler.py
@@ -951,3 +951,22 @@ def test_is_lock_timeout_error_recognises_a_statement_cancelled_under_lock_timeo
 )
 def test_is_lock_timeout_error_excludes_other_failures(error: Exception) -> None:
     assert PrismaDBExceptionHandler.is_lock_timeout_error(error) is False
+
+
+def test_is_database_configured(monkeypatch):
+    """No DATABASE_URL/DIRECT_URL and no general_settings database_url
+    means no database was configured (#47119); setting DATABASE_URL means
+    a database is configured even if it is currently unreachable."""
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DATABASE_URL", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DIRECT_URL", raising=False)
+    with patch("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.general_settings", {}):
+        assert PrismaDBExceptionHandler.is_database_configured() is False
+    monkeypatch.setenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/litellm")
+    with patch("litellm.proxy.proxy_server.general_settings", {}):
+        assert PrismaDBExceptionHandler.is_database_configured() is True
+    monkeypatch.delenv("DATABASE_URL", raising=False)
+    with patch(
+        "litellm.proxy.proxy_server.general_settings",
+        {"database_url": "postgresql://localhost:5432/litellm"},
+    ):
+        assert PrismaDBExceptionHandler.is_database_configured() is True