diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6b0ef8d44..a20be9e93 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -55,6 +55,17 @@ Semantic Versioning where the repository publishes a release.
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- Recognize the hyphenated `openai-direct/` fallback alias (pinned verbatim by
+  protected main's own trusted `strix_required_workflow_smoke.sh`, so the
+  `STRIX_FALLBACK_MODELS` string itself cannot change) in
+  `child_model_for_api_base`, alongside the existing underscored
+  `openai_direct/` form. Previously the hyphenated alias passed through
+  unrecognized and unrewritten, so a NIM-exhaustion fallback to
+  `openai-direct/gpt-5.6-luna` reached LiteLLM as a literal, unrecognized
+  provider string (`litellm.BadRequestError: LLM Provider NOT provided`)
+  instead of the intended `openai/gpt-5.6-luna`, observed after NVIDIA NIM
+  rate-limited both the primary and first fallback model in three
+  consecutive Strix runs.
 - Publish only the sanitized cumulative Strix report tree, avoiding a later
   copy of relative scanner output that could reintroduce known internal warning
   text into uploaded security evidence.
diff --git a/scripts/ci/strix_quick_gate.sh b/scripts/ci/strix_quick_gate.sh
index 337373001..fadf3f753 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/strix_quick_gate.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/strix_quick_gate.sh
@@ -2448,8 +2448,8 @@ child_model_for_api_base() {
 	fi
 
 	case "$model" in
-	openai_direct/*)
-		printf 'openai/%s\n' "${model#openai_direct/}"
+	openai_direct/* | openai-direct/*)
+		printf 'openai/%s\n' "${model#*/}"
 		return 0
 		;;
 	esac
diff --git a/tests/test_strix_nvidia_nim_not_found_fallback.py b/tests/test_strix_nvidia_nim_not_found_fallback.py
index 990269725..1ad0e1af8 100644
--- a/tests/test_strix_nvidia_nim_not_found_fallback.py
+++ b/tests/test_strix_nvidia_nim_not_found_fallback.py
@@ -73,6 +73,34 @@ def _classifies_as_nvidia_not_found(log_text: str) -> bool:
     return completed.returncode == 0
 
 
+def _child_model_for_api_base(model: str, llm_api_base_value: str) -> str:
+    """Execute the production model-alias normalizer against one input pair."""
+
+    gate_source = STRIX_GATE.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    function_source = "\n".join(
+        _function_block(gate_source, name)
+        for name in (
+            "is_github_models_api_base",
+            "is_github_models_model",
+            "child_model_for_api_base",
+        )
+    )
+    script = "\n".join(
+        (
+            "set -euo pipefail",
+            function_source,
+            'child_model_for_api_base "$1" "$2"',
+        )
+    )
+    completed = subprocess.run(
+        ["bash", "-c", script, "strix-normalizer", model, llm_api_base_value],
+        check=True,
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+    )
+    return completed.stdout.strip()
+
+
 def _workflow_signal_pattern(workflow: str, variable_name: str) -> str:
     """Extract one single-quoted POSIX ERE assigned in the Strix workflow."""
 
@@ -213,6 +241,29 @@ def test_workflow_uses_available_free_first_nvidia_plan(self) -> None:
         )[0]
         self.assertNotIn(RETIRED_PRIMARY_MODEL, default_gate)
 
+    def test_gate_normalizes_hyphenated_openai_direct_fallback_alias(self) -> None:
+        """Route the NIM-exhaustion fallback alias to a real LiteLLM provider.
+
+        `STRIX_FALLBACK_MODELS`' NVIDIA NIM entry ends in the hyphenated
+        `openai-direct/gpt-5.6-luna` alias (the workflow's user-facing input
+        spelling, also pinned verbatim by protected main's own trusted
+        `strix_required_workflow_smoke.sh`, so this exact string cannot
+        change). The gate must still resolve it to LiteLLM's `openai/`
+        provider -- the same target the underscored `openai_direct/` alias
+        already reaches -- or NVIDIA NIM rate-limiting the primary and first
+        fallback model leaves the run one hop from
+        `litellm.BadRequestError: LLM Provider NOT provided`.
+        """
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            _child_model_for_api_base("openai-direct/gpt-5.6-luna", ""),
+            "openai/gpt-5.6-luna",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(
+            _child_model_for_api_base("openai_direct/gpt-5.6-luna", ""),
+            "openai/gpt-5.6-luna",
+        )
+
     def test_outer_workflow_requires_litellm_context_for_nvidia_404(self) -> None:
         """Reject provider-like target text in the outer neutralization gate."""