diff --git a/roles/litellm/defaults/main.yaml b/roles/litellm/defaults/main.yaml
index 8bb44b9..4b4dd0e 100644
--- a/roles/litellm/defaults/main.yaml
+++ b/roles/litellm/defaults/main.yaml
@@ -6,12 +6,13 @@
 # spend tracking, rate limiting, and model routing on top of inference backends.
 #
 # When auth_provider=litellm:
-#   - Envoy Gateway uses LiteLLM's /key/verify as extAuth (replaces Keycloak JWT)
+#   - The gateway does TLS + routing only; LiteLLM is the sole auth boundary
+#     and validates its own virtual keys (no gateway JWT, no extAuth)
 #   - Keycloak is disabled (not deployed)
 #   - Virtual keys are the auth mechanism (Bearer <litellm-virtual-key>)
 #
 # LiteLLM sits in front of KServe inference endpoints:
-#   Client → Envoy Gateway (extAuth→LiteLLM) → LiteLLM proxy → KServe
+#   Client → Envoy Gateway (TLS+routing) → LiteLLM proxy (auth) → KServe
 # =============================================================================
 
 litellm_version: "v1.83.14-stable.patch.2"     # Docker image tag to deploy
@@ -22,6 +23,18 @@ litellm_valkey_tag: "8.0-alpine"                # valkey/valkey (official upstre
 gateway_create: "{{ envoy_gateway_enabled | default(false) }}"
 litellm_hostname: "litellm.{{ base_domain_name | default('inference-example.com') }}"
 
+# Edge protection on the public LiteLLM route (litellm.<domain>).
+# HSTS forces HTTPS so the UI login password / virtual key is never sent on :80.
+litellm_hsts_enabled: true
+litellm_hsts_max_age: 31536000                    # 1 year (seconds)
+# Local per-client-IP rate limit (no Redis). Generous enough for legitimate
+# inference, low enough to blunt automated brute-force; tune per deployment.
+# Note: clients behind a shared NAT/egress IP share one counter.
+litellm_rate_limit_enabled: true
+litellm_rate_limit_requests: 600                  # requests per unit, per client IP
+litellm_rate_limit_unit: "Minute"                 # Second | Minute | Hour | Day
+litellm_rate_limit_client_header: "x-forwarded-for"
+
 # PostgreSQL — stores virtual keys, spend logs, team/org data
 litellm_db_name: "litellm"
 litellm_db_user: "litellm"
diff --git a/roles/litellm/tasks/install.yaml b/roles/litellm/tasks/install.yaml
index 79aef0c..dcf948d 100644
--- a/roles/litellm/tasks/install.yaml
+++ b/roles/litellm/tasks/install.yaml
@@ -382,6 +382,20 @@
 
 # ── Gateway integration (runs even on re-runs to stay idempotent) ─────────────
 
+# HSTS on the public LiteLLM host: browsers/SDKs must never send the UI login
+# password or a virtual key over plaintext :80 before the 301 to HTTPS. Built
+# as a fact so disabling it re-renders the route with no filter (self-healing).
+- name: "litellm | Build HTTPRoute response filters (HSTS)"
+  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+    _litellm_route_filters: >-
+      {{
+        [{'type': 'ResponseHeaderModifier',
+          'responseHeaderModifier': {'set': [{
+            'name': 'Strict-Transport-Security',
+            'value': 'max-age=' ~ (litellm_hsts_max_age | int) ~ '; includeSubDomains'}]}}]
+        if litellm_hsts_enabled | default(true) | bool else []
+      }}
+
 - name: "litellm | Create HTTPRoute"
   when: gateway_create | bool
   kubernetes.core.k8s:
@@ -404,6 +418,7 @@
               - path:
                   type: PathPrefix
                   value: /
+            filters: "{{ _litellm_route_filters }}"
             backendRefs:
               - name: litellm
                 port: 4000
@@ -424,6 +439,49 @@
             kind: HTTPRoute
             name: litellm
 
+# ── Edge rate limit ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Local (per-gateway) rate limit — no external ratelimit service or Redis. A
+# Distinct match on the client-IP header gives each source IP its own counter,
+# blunting brute-force against the internet-facing UI login/admin API and capping
+# runaway abuse. Coarse by design; per-identity limits come with the auth work.
+- name: "litellm | Create edge rate-limit BackendTrafficPolicy"
+  when: gateway_create | bool and litellm_rate_limit_enabled | default(true) | bool
+  kubernetes.core.k8s:
+    state: present
+    definition:
+      apiVersion: gateway.envoyproxy.io/v1alpha1
+      kind: BackendTrafficPolicy
+      metadata:
+        name: litellm-rate-limit
+        namespace: "{{ litellm_namespace }}"
+      spec:
+        targetRefs:
+          - group: gateway.networking.k8s.io
+            kind: HTTPRoute
+            name: litellm
+        rateLimit:
+          type: Local
+          local:
+            rules:
+              - clientSelectors:
+                  - headers:
+                      - name: "{{ litellm_rate_limit_client_header | default('x-forwarded-for') }}"
+                        type: Distinct
+                limit:
+                  requests: "{{ litellm_rate_limit_requests | int }}"
+                  unit: "{{ litellm_rate_limit_unit | default('Minute') }}"
+
+# Remove the policy if rate limiting is turned off on a re-run (drift cleanup).
+- name: "litellm | Remove edge rate-limit BackendTrafficPolicy when disabled"
+  when: gateway_create | bool and not (litellm_rate_limit_enabled | default(true) | bool)
+  kubernetes.core.k8s:
+    state: absent
+    api_version: gateway.envoyproxy.io/v1alpha1
+    kind: BackendTrafficPolicy
+    name: litellm-rate-limit
+    namespace: "{{ litellm_namespace }}"
+  failed_when: false
+
 # ── Print credentials ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 - name: "litellm | Store credentials summary"
@@ -450,4 +508,4 @@
       - "UI: https://{{ litellm_hostname }}"
       - "Admin username: admin"
       - "Master key: kubectl get secret litellm-master-key -n {{ litellm_namespace }} -o jsonpath='{.data.master_key}' | base64 -d"
-      - "Auth mode: extAuth via /key/verify (virtual keys required for all inference requests)"
+      - "Auth mode: LiteLLM virtual keys (Bearer <key>); LiteLLM is the sole auth boundary"
diff --git a/roles/litellm/tasks/teardown.yaml b/roles/litellm/tasks/teardown.yaml
index 5470623..3cb9b2b 100644
--- a/roles/litellm/tasks/teardown.yaml
+++ b/roles/litellm/tasks/teardown.yaml
@@ -29,6 +29,15 @@
     namespace: "{{ litellm_namespace }}"
   failed_when: false
 
+- name: "litellm | teardown | Remove rate-limit BackendTrafficPolicy"
+  kubernetes.core.k8s:
+    state: absent
+    api_version: gateway.envoyproxy.io/v1alpha1
+    kind: BackendTrafficPolicy
+    name: litellm-rate-limit
+    namespace: "{{ litellm_namespace }}"
+  failed_when: false
+
 - name: "litellm | teardown | Remove ConfigMaps"
   kubernetes.core.k8s:
     state: absent