diff --git a/litellm/proxy/auth/auth_utils.py b/litellm/proxy/auth/auth_utils.py
index 3372145e66c..cbae3bdaa8b 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/auth/auth_utils.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/auth/auth_utils.py
@@ -371,6 +371,17 @@ _BANNED_REQUEST_BODY_PARAMS: Final[tuple[str, ...]] = (
 )
 
 
+# The banned params that actually describe a CONNECTION — the tuple above minus
+# the custom-pricing fields. Pricing fields are banned from a request body
+# because they poison the shared model-cost registry, not because they retarget
+# or re-authenticate the outbound call. A caller that needs to reason about
+# "did this request bring its own connection?" must use this list; the full
+# tuple would treat `input_cost_per_token` as a credential.
+_CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS: Final[tuple[str, ...]] = tuple(
+    param for param in _BANNED_REQUEST_BODY_PARAMS if param not in CustomPricingLiteLLMParams.model_fields
+)
+
+
 def _check_banned_params(
     body: dict,
     general_settings: dict,
diff --git a/litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/_health_endpoints.py b/litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/_health_endpoints.py
index 64fd59bbe44..b03af69176e 100644
--- a/litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/_health_endpoints.py
+++ b/litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/_health_endpoints.py
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ from litellm.proxy.auth.auth_checks import (
     _resolve_key_models_for_auth_check,  # pyright: ignore[reportPrivateUsage]  # the auth layer's sentinel resolution, reused so /health scopes exactly like a request
 )
 from litellm.proxy.auth.auth_utils import (
-    _BANNED_REQUEST_BODY_PARAMS,  # pyright: ignore[reportPrivateUsage]  # one canonical list, shared with the request-body check
+    _CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS,  # pyright: ignore[reportPrivateUsage]  # one canonical list, shared with the request-body check
 )
 from litellm.proxy.auth.model_checks import get_key_models
 from litellm.proxy.auth.user_api_key_auth import user_api_key_auth
@@ -139,13 +139,21 @@ def _request_inherits_config_credentials(
     name is no name: ``load_credentials_from_list`` resolves nothing from it, so
     it must not cost the request the credentials it would otherwise be probed
     with.
+
+    The trigger is ``_CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS``, not the full banned
+    list: the custom-pricing fields are banned from a request body for a
+    different reason (they poison the shared model-cost registry) and say
+    nothing about which connection a test describes. Treating them as a
+    connection override empties the configuration under a request that only
+    named a model and its price, which reports a healthy deployment as
+    "Missing credentials".
     """
     requested_credential: Final = request_params.get("litellm_credential_name")
     if requested_credential and requested_credential != config_params.get("litellm_credential_name"):
         return False
     if allow_client_side_credentials:
         return True
-    return not any(param in request_params for param in _BANNED_REQUEST_BODY_PARAMS)
+    return not any(param in request_params for param in _CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS)
 
 
 def _config_base_for_health_check(
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/test_health_endpoints.py b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/test_health_endpoints.py
index 761cd0685f2..e330d628ac7 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/test_health_endpoints.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/proxy/health_endpoints/test_health_endpoints.py
@@ -3680,6 +3680,50 @@ class TestConfigBaseForHealthCheck:
         assert "litellm_credential_name" not in base
         assert "api_key" not in base
 
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "pricing_field,value",
+        [
+            ("input_cost_per_token", 1e-9),
+            ("output_cost_per_token", 2e-9),
+            ("cache_read_input_token_cost", 5e-10),
+        ],
+    )
+    def test_pricing_field_is_not_a_connection_override(self, pricing_field, value):
+        """Pricing fields are banned from a request body because they poison the
+        shared model-cost registry, not because they describe a connection. A
+        connection test that carries one still gets the configured credentials —
+        otherwise a healthy deployment reports "Missing credentials"."""
+        base = self._base(self.CONFIG, {"model": "openai/gpt-4o", pricing_field: value})
+        assert base["api_key"] == "sk-configured"
+        assert base["api_base"] == "https://configured.example/v1"
+
+    def test_pricing_field_alongside_a_real_override_still_drops_credentials(self):
+        """The pricing field is neutral, so the api_base beside it still decides."""
+        base = self._base(
+            self.CONFIG,
+            {"api_base": "https://caller.example/v1", "input_cost_per_token": 1e-9},
+        )
+        assert "api_key" not in base
+        assert "sk-configured" not in str(base)
+
+    def test_every_custom_pricing_field_is_excluded_from_the_connection_list(self):
+        from litellm.proxy.auth.auth_utils import _CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS
+        from litellm.types.utils import CustomPricingLiteLLMParams
+
+        connection_params = set(_CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS)
+        for field in CustomPricingLiteLLMParams.model_fields:
+            assert field not in connection_params, (
+                f"CustomPricingLiteLLMParams.{field} is treated as a connection override, "
+                "so a connection test that sets it loses the configured credentials."
+            )
+
+    def test_connection_list_keeps_the_real_credential_and_endpoint_fields(self):
+        from litellm.proxy.auth.auth_utils import _CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS
+
+        connection_params = set(_CONNECTION_OVERRIDE_REQUEST_PARAMS)
+        for field in ("api_base", "base_url", "azure_ad_token", "vertex_credentials", "user_config"):
+            assert field in connection_params
+
     def test_stored_credential_reference_kept_when_request_sets_no_connection(self):
         """The Admin UI tests a configured model by naming it plus its stored
         credential and nothing else; that keeps working."""