diff --git a/packages/api/src/mcp/__tests__/handler.test.ts b/packages/api/src/mcp/__tests__/handler.test.ts
index 8ab6999775..d73a66a87b 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/mcp/__tests__/handler.test.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/mcp/__tests__/handler.test.ts
@@ -291,6 +291,79 @@ describe('MCPOAuthHandler - Configurable OAuth Metadata', () => {
       );
     });
 
+    it('should not send custom headers during pre-configured metadata discovery', async () => {
+      const discoveryRequests: Array<{ url: string; method: string; headers: Headers }> = [];
+      const originalFetch = global.fetch;
+      global.fetch = (async (url, init) => {
+        discoveryRequests.push({
+          url: url.toString(),
+          method: init?.method ?? 'GET',
+          headers: new Headers(init?.headers),
+        });
+        return new Response('{}');
+      }) as typeof fetch;
+
+      mockProbeResourceMetadataHint.mockImplementationOnce(async (url, fetchFn) => {
+        await fetchFn?.(url, { method: 'HEAD' });
+        await fetchFn?.(url, {
+          method: 'POST',
+          headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+          body: '{}',
+        });
+        return { bearerChallenge: false, headAuthChallenge: false };
+      });
+      mockDiscoverOAuthProtectedResourceMetadata.mockImplementationOnce(async (_, __, fetchFn) => {
+        await fetchFn?.('https://example.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource');
+        return {
+          resource: mockServerUrl,
+          authorization_servers: ['https://auth.example.com'],
+        };
+      });
+      mockDiscoverAuthorizationServerMetadata.mockImplementationOnce(async (_, options) => {
+        await options?.fetchFn?.('https://auth.example.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server');
+        return {
+          issuer: 'https://auth.example.com',
+          authorization_endpoint: baseConfig.authorization_url,
+          token_endpoint: baseConfig.token_url,
+          token_endpoint_auth_methods_supported: ['client_secret_post'],
+          response_types_supported: ['code'],
+        } as AuthorizationServerMetadata;
+      });
+
+      try {
+        await MCPOAuthHandler.initiateOAuthFlow(
+          mockServerName,
+          mockServerUrl,
+          mockUserId,
+          {
+            Authorization: 'Bearer admin-runtime-token',
+            'X-API-Key': 'gateway-api-key-secret',
+          },
+          baseConfig,
+          ['example.com', 'auth.example.com'],
+        );
+      } finally {
+        global.fetch = originalFetch;
+      }
+
+      expect(discoveryRequests.map(({ url, method }) => ({ url, method }))).toEqual([
+        { url: mockServerUrl, method: 'HEAD' },
+        { url: mockServerUrl, method: 'POST' },
+        {
+          url: 'https://example.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource',
+          method: 'GET',
+        },
+        {
+          url: 'https://auth.example.com/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server',
+          method: 'GET',
+        },
+      ]);
+      for (const { headers } of discoveryRequests) {
+        expect(headers.get('Authorization')).toBeNull();
+        expect(headers.get('X-API-Key')).toBeNull();
+      }
+    });
+
     it('should use default values when OAuth metadata fields are not configured', async () => {
       await MCPOAuthHandler.initiateOAuthFlow(
         mockServerName,
@@ -1422,7 +1495,7 @@ describe('MCPOAuthHandler - Configurable OAuth Metadata', () => {
       expect(headers.get('foo')).toBe('bar');
     });
 
-    it('passes headers to discovery operations', async () => {
+    it('passes headers to auto-discovery operations', async () => {
       mockDiscoverOAuthProtectedResourceMetadata.mockImplementation(async (_, __, fetchFn) => {
         await fetchFn?.('http://example.com/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource', {});
         return {
diff --git a/packages/api/src/mcp/oauth/handler.ts b/packages/api/src/mcp/oauth/handler.ts
index f26d508456..d0c55c662a 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/mcp/oauth/handler.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/mcp/oauth/handler.ts
@@ -236,9 +236,9 @@ export class MCPOAuthHandler {
      * other way round — or a split deployment can serve stale/wrong metadata at the
      * path-aware endpoint and strand the flow at a defunct authorization server.
      *
-     * Reuse `fetchFn` so admin-configured `oauthHeaders` (e.g. a gateway API key
-     * required to reach the MCP endpoint at all) are attached to the probe — without
-     * them, the probe would 401 for the wrong reason and never see the real challenge.
+     * Reuse the caller's `fetchFn` so discovery shares its hardened transport and timeout.
+     * Auto-discovery callers may attach gateway headers, while pre-configured discovery
+     * deliberately uses a headerless fetch because these URLs are not trusted yet.
      */
     const hint = await probeResourceMetadataHint(serverUrl, fetchFn);
     /**
@@ -368,7 +368,6 @@ export class MCPOAuthHandler {
     serverUrl: string,
     authorizationUrl: string,
     discoverCapabilities: boolean,
-    oauthHeaders: Record<string, string>,
     allowedDomains?: string[] | null,
     allowedAddresses?: string[] | null,
   ): Promise<PreconfiguredOAuthDiscoveryResult> {
@@ -385,7 +384,7 @@ export class MCPOAuthHandler {
       }, PRECONFIGURED_DISCOVERY_TIMEOUT_MS);
 
       const fetchFn = this.createOAuthFetch(
-        oauthHeaders,
+        {},
         undefined,
         allowedDomains,
         allowedAddresses,
@@ -652,7 +651,6 @@ export class MCPOAuthHandler {
             serverUrl,
             config.authorization_url,
             shouldDiscoverCapabilities,
-            oauthHeaders,
             allowedDomains,
             allowedAddresses,
           );