diff --git a/agent/background_review.py b/agent/background_review.py
index 065c18624e..9627bc92bc 100644
--- a/agent/background_review.py
+++ b/agent/background_review.py
@@ -844,7 +844,27 @@ def _detach_fork_compression(review_agent: Any) -> None:
         review_agent._review_defer_compaction_before_first_response = True
 
 
-def _fork_init_kwargs(agent: Any, rt: Dict[str, Any], routed: bool, max_iterations: int) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+def _routed_reasoning_config(task_cfg: Optional[Dict[str, Any]]) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
+    """``reasoning_config`` for a ROUTED fork from ``auxiliary.background_review.reasoning_effort``
+    (#94825). The routed branch never inherits the parent's effort (its vocabulary may be invalid for
+    the routed provider), but an explicit per-task pin is the user's choice for THAT model and must
+    win over provider defaults, as every other aux task already does via ``_get_task_extra_body``.
+    None = unset (provider default); an unknown level warns and falls through to the default."""
+    effort = _background_review_task_config(task_cfg).get("reasoning_effort")
+    if effort is None or effort == "":
+        return None
+    from hermes_constants import VALID_REASONING_EFFORTS, parse_reasoning_effort
+    parsed = parse_reasoning_effort(effort)
+    if parsed is None:
+        logger.warning(
+            "auxiliary.background_review.reasoning_effort %r is not a valid level (none, %s) — using "
+            "the routed provider's default", effort, ", ".join(VALID_REASONING_EFFORTS),
+        )
+    return parsed
+
+
+def _fork_init_kwargs(agent: Any, rt: Dict[str, Any], routed: bool, max_iterations: int,
+                      task_cfg: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """AIAgent constructor kwargs for the review fork. skip_memory=True: an external memory plugin
     scoped to the parent's session_id would leak the harness prompt into the user's real memory
     namespace; built-in MEMORY.md/USER.md state is re-bound by the caller. Toolsets match the
@@ -865,6 +885,8 @@ def _fork_init_kwargs(agent: Any, rt: Dict[str, Any], routed: bool, max_iteratio
         kwargs.update(acp_command=rt["command"], acp_args=rt.get("args") or [])
     if not routed:
         kwargs.update(_same_model_parity_kwargs(agent))
+    elif (routed_cfg := _routed_reasoning_config(task_cfg)) is not None:
+        kwargs["reasoning_config"] = routed_cfg
     return kwargs
 
 
@@ -906,7 +928,7 @@ def build_cache_parity_fork(
     # separate, tracked issue (#94825) and are left alone.
     if not _routed and write_origin == "background_review":
         _warn_ignored_reasoning_effort(agent, task_cfg)
-    review_agent = AIAgent(**_fork_init_kwargs(agent, _rt, _routed, max_iterations))
+    review_agent = AIAgent(**_fork_init_kwargs(agent, _rt, _routed, max_iterations, task_cfg))
     review_agent._memory_write_origin = review_agent._memory_write_context = write_origin
     review_agent._memory_store = agent._memory_store
     review_agent._memory_enabled = agent._memory_enabled
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_background_review_routed_effort.py b/tests/agent/test_background_review_routed_effort.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8435ae5f3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/agent/test_background_review_routed_effort.py
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+"""Routed background reviews honor ``auxiliary.background_review.reasoning_effort`` (#94825).
+
+The review fork is a full AIAgent, not an auxiliary_client call. The routed branch deliberately
+skips the PARENT's reasoning_config (its effort vocabulary may be invalid for the routed model),
+but an explicitly configured per-task effort must win over provider defaults — mirroring how every
+other auxiliary task folds the same key into ``extra_body.reasoning``.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import run_agent
+import agent.background_review as bg_review
+from agent.background_review import build_cache_parity_fork
+
+from tests.agent.test_background_review_cache_parity import _make_agent_stub, _make_recorder_class
+
+ROUTED_RUNTIME = {
+    "provider": "openrouter", "model": "aux-cheap-model", "api_key": "test-key",
+    "base_url": None, "api_mode": None, "credential_pool": None, "request_overrides": {},
+    "max_tokens": None, "command": None, "args": [], "routed": True,
+}
+
+
+def _routed_fork_kwargs(task_cfg):
+    captured = {}
+    agent = _make_agent_stub(run_agent.AIAgent)
+    agent.reasoning_config = {"enabled": True, "effort": "high"}
+    with patch.object(run_agent, "AIAgent", _make_recorder_class(captured)), \
+            patch.object(bg_review, "_resolve_review_runtime", return_value=ROUTED_RUNTIME):
+        _fork, _rt, routed = build_cache_parity_fork(agent, task_cfg, max_iterations=5)
+    assert routed
+    return captured["init_kwargs"]
+
+
+def test_routed_review_applies_configured_effort_not_parents():
+    kwargs = _routed_fork_kwargs({"reasoning_effort": "xhigh"})
+    assert kwargs["reasoning_config"] == {"enabled": True, "effort": "xhigh"}
+    # ``none`` disables thinking on the routed fork, same vocabulary as every other aux task.
+    assert _routed_fork_kwargs({"reasoning_effort": "none"})["reasoning_config"] == {"enabled": False}
+
+
+def test_routed_review_falls_back_to_provider_default(caplog):
+    # Unset: provider default, and the parent's ``high`` is NOT smuggled across the route.
+    assert "reasoning_config" not in _routed_fork_kwargs({"reasoning_effort": ""})
+    assert "reasoning_config" not in _routed_fork_kwargs({})
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.WARNING):
+        assert "reasoning_config" not in _routed_fork_kwargs({"reasoning_effort": "ludicrous"})
+    assert "ludicrous" in caplog.text