diff --git a/gateway/run.py b/gateway/run.py
index c4cc9d5ddb..87465dd524 100644
--- a/gateway/run.py
+++ b/gateway/run.py
@@ -918,8 +918,9 @@ def _warm_turn_machinery_sync() -> int:
     """Synchronously initialize first-turn prerequisites (executor thread); returns the schema count.
 
     Covers the lazy init seen in skeleton turns: ``run_agent`` import graph, tool schemas (+ ``check_fn``
-    TTL cache), and the local Python toolchain probe (#106064). Context files remain lazy because they
-    need the active turn's agent and model context."""
+    TTL cache), the local Python toolchain probe (#106064), and the default route's context-window
+    metadata (#105986) — a catalog HTTP probe that must not sit between the first inbound turn and its
+    inference request. Context files remain lazy because they need the active turn's agent."""
     import run_agent  # noqa: F401  # heavy import graph, cached in sys.modules
     import model_tools
 
@@ -933,6 +934,13 @@ def _warm_turn_machinery_sync() -> int:
         from tools.env_probe import get_environment_probe_line
 
         get_environment_probe_line()
+    try:
+        # Same route/credential/profile rules as the turn itself; primes the process-local catalog
+        # caches (codex OAuth, OpenRouter) so AIAgent construction on the first turn is a cache hit.
+        ctx = _resolve_gateway_model_context()
+        logger.info("Model context warmed: %s -> %d tokens (%s)", ctx.model, ctx.context_length, ctx.context_source)
+    except Exception:
+        logger.debug("model-context warm-up failed (non-fatal)", exc_info=True)
     return len(tool_defs)
 
 
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_startup_model_context_warmup.py b/tests/gateway/test_startup_model_context_warmup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9ba2102ba4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_startup_model_context_warmup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+"""Model-context warm-up inside the gateway boot warm-up (#105986).
+
+The startup warm-up primed the import graph and tool schemas, but the default
+route's context-window metadata was only resolved on the first inbound turn —
+a blocking catalog HTTP probe (codex OAuth, OpenRouter metadata) inside AIAgent
+construction, between the submit ACK and the inference request. The warm-up now
+resolves the default route's model context up front with the same route /
+credential rules as the turn itself, so the probe's caches are primed before
+the inbound gate opens.
+"""
+
+import gateway.run as gateway_run
+
+
+def _quiet_tool_side(monkeypatch, tool_count):
+    import model_tools
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(model_tools, "get_tool_definitions", lambda quiet_mode=False: ["t"] * tool_count)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "hermes_cli.config.load_config_readonly", lambda: {"agent": {"environment_probe": False}})
+
+
+def test_model_context_warmup_primes_default_route(monkeypatch):
+    """Warm-up resolves the default gateway route's model context exactly once."""
+    resolved: list = []
+
+    def fake_resolve(model=None, route=None):
+        resolved.append((model, route))
+        return gateway_run._GatewayModelContext(
+            model="m", provider="p", base_url="", context_length=128000, context_source="detected")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_run, "_resolve_gateway_model_context", fake_resolve)
+    _quiet_tool_side(monkeypatch, 3)
+
+    assert gateway_run._warm_turn_machinery_sync() == 3
+    assert resolved == [(None, None)]
+
+
+def test_model_context_warmup_failure_is_non_fatal(monkeypatch):
+    """A resolver failure degrades to lazy init — warm-up still returns the tool count."""
+
+    def boom(model=None, route=None):
+        raise RuntimeError("catalog unreachable")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_run, "_resolve_gateway_model_context", boom)
+    _quiet_tool_side(monkeypatch, 7)
+
+    assert gateway_run._warm_turn_machinery_sync() == 7