diff --git a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.test.ts b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.test.ts
index 9f0ff1b6552..f9fd2d430e6 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.test.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { AuthRateLimiter } from "../../auth-rate-limit.js";
+import { GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS, GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES } from "../../protocol/client-info.js";
+import type { ConnectParams } from "../../protocol/schema/types.js";
 import {
   BROWSER_ORIGIN_LOOPBACK_RATE_LIMIT_IP,
   resolveHandshakeBrowserSecurityContext,
   resolveUnauthorizedHandshakeContext,
   shouldAllowSilentLocalPairing,
+  shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing,
+  shouldTreatCliContainerHostAsLocal,
 } from "./handshake-auth-helpers.js";
 
 function createRateLimiter(): AuthRateLimiter {
@@ -103,7 +107,6 @@ describe("handshake auth helpers", () => {
       }),
     ).toBe(false);
   });
-
   it("rejects silent role-upgrade for remote clients", () => {
     expect(
       shouldAllowSilentLocalPairing({
@@ -115,4 +118,167 @@ describe("handshake auth helpers", () => {
       }),
     ).toBe(false);
   });
+
+  it("treats CLI loopback/private-host connects as local only with shared auth", () => {
+    const connectParams = {
+      client: {
+        id: GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.CLI,
+        mode: GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.CLI,
+      },
+    } as ConnectParams;
+    expect(
+      shouldTreatCliContainerHostAsLocal({
+        connectParams,
+        requestHost: "172.17.0.2:18789",
+        remoteAddress: "127.0.0.1",
+        hasProxyHeaders: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldTreatCliContainerHostAsLocal({
+        connectParams,
+        requestHost: "172.17.0.2:18789",
+        remoteAddress: "127.0.0.1",
+        hasProxyHeaders: true,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldTreatCliContainerHostAsLocal({
+        connectParams,
+        requestHost: "gateway.example",
+        remoteAddress: "127.0.0.1",
+        hasProxyHeaders: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldTreatCliContainerHostAsLocal({
+        connectParams,
+        requestHost: "172.17.0.2:18789",
+        remoteAddress: "127.0.0.1",
+        hasProxyHeaders: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "device-token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not treat non-CLI clients as Docker-local CLI bypass candidates", () => {
+    const connectParams = {
+      client: {
+        id: GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.GATEWAY_CLIENT,
+        mode: GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.BACKEND,
+      },
+    } as ConnectParams;
+    expect(
+      shouldTreatCliContainerHostAsLocal({
+        connectParams,
+        requestHost: "172.17.0.2:18789",
+        remoteAddress: "127.0.0.1",
+        hasProxyHeaders: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("skips backend self-pairing only for local backend clients", () => {
+    const connectParams = {
+      client: {
+        id: GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.GATEWAY_CLIENT,
+        mode: GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.BACKEND,
+      },
+    } as ConnectParams;
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: true,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "password",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: true,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: false,
+        authMethod: "device-token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: false,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: false,
+        authMethod: "device-token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("does not skip backend self-pairing for CLI clients", () => {
+    const connectParams = {
+      client: {
+        id: GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.CLI,
+        mode: GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.CLI,
+      },
+    } as ConnectParams;
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: true,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: false,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects pairing bypass when browser origin header is present", () => {
+    const connectParams = {
+      client: {
+        id: GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.GATEWAY_CLIENT,
+        mode: GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.BACKEND,
+      },
+    } as ConnectParams;
+    expect(
+      shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+        connectParams,
+        isLocalClient: true,
+        hasBrowserOriginHeader: true,
+        sharedAuthOk: true,
+        authMethod: "token",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.ts b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.ts
index 262fd64f743..55ce419d611 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/handshake-auth-helpers.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import type { AuthRateLimiter } from "../../auth-rate-limit.js";
 import type { GatewayAuthResult } from "../../auth.js";
 import { buildDeviceAuthPayload, buildDeviceAuthPayloadV3 } from "../../device-auth.js";
 import { isLoopbackAddress } from "../../net.js";
+import { GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS, GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES } from "../../protocol/client-info.js";
 import type { ConnectParams } from "../../protocol/index.js";
 import type { AuthProvidedKind } from "./auth-messages.js";
 
@@ -61,6 +62,44 @@ export function shouldAllowSilentLocalPairing(params: {
   );
 }
 
+export function shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing(params: {
+  connectParams: ConnectParams;
+  isLocalClient: boolean;
+  hasBrowserOriginHeader: boolean;
+  sharedAuthOk: boolean;
+  authMethod: GatewayAuthResult["method"];
+}): boolean {
+  const isLocalTrustedClient =
+    (params.connectParams.client.id === GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.GATEWAY_CLIENT &&
+      params.connectParams.client.mode === GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.BACKEND) ||
+    (params.connectParams.client.id === GATEWAY_CLIENT_IDS.CLI &&
+      params.connectParams.client.mode === GATEWAY_CLIENT_MODES.CLI);
+  if (!isLocalTrustedClient) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const usesSharedSecretAuth = params.authMethod === "token" || params.authMethod === "password";
+  const usesDeviceTokenAuth = params.authMethod === "device-token";
+  // `authMethod === "device-token"` only reaches this helper after the caller
+  // has already accepted auth (`authOk === true`), so a separate
+  // `deviceTokenAuthOk` flag would be redundant here.
+  //
+  // For any trusted client identity (backend or CLI) with a valid shared
+  // secret (token/password) and no browser Origin header, skip pairing
+  // regardless of isLocalClient.  The shared secret is the trust anchor;
+  // isLocalDirectRequest() produces false negatives in Docker containers
+  // that share the gateway's network namespace via network_mode, even when
+  // remoteAddress is 127.0.0.1.
+  if (params.sharedAuthOk && usesSharedSecretAuth && !params.hasBrowserOriginHeader) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  // For device-token auth, retain the locality check as defense-in-depth.
+  return (
+    params.isLocalClient &&
+    !params.hasBrowserOriginHeader &&
+    usesDeviceTokenAuth
+  );
+}
+
 function resolveSignatureToken(connectParams: ConnectParams): string | null {
   return (
     connectParams.auth?.token ??
diff --git a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
index 0c4d6dcb38d..fa1f2917e1b 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server/ws-connection/message-handler.ts
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ import {
   resolveHandshakeBrowserSecurityContext,
   resolveUnauthorizedHandshakeContext,
   shouldAllowSilentLocalPairing,
+  shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing,
 } from "./handshake-auth-helpers.js";
 import { isUnauthorizedRoleError, UnauthorizedFloodGuard } from "./unauthorized-flood-guard.js";
 
@@ -247,6 +248,7 @@ export function attachGatewayWsMessageHandler(params: {
   const hasUntrustedProxyHeaders = hasProxyHeaders && !remoteIsTrustedProxy;
   const hostIsLocalish = isLocalishHost(requestHost);
   const isLocalClient = isLocalDirectRequest(upgradeReq, trustedProxies, allowRealIpFallback);
+
   const reportedClientIp =
     isLocalClient || hasUntrustedProxyHeaders
       ? undefined
@@ -723,12 +725,20 @@ export function attachGatewayWsMessageHandler(params: {
           authOk,
           authMethod,
         });
-        const skipPairing = shouldSkipControlUiPairing(
-          controlUiAuthPolicy,
-          role,
-          trustedProxyAuthOk,
-          resolvedAuth.mode,
-        );
+        const skipPairing =
+          shouldSkipBackendSelfPairing({
+            connectParams,
+            isLocalClient,
+            hasBrowserOriginHeader,
+            sharedAuthOk,
+            authMethod,
+          }) ||
+          shouldSkipControlUiPairing(
+            controlUiAuthPolicy,
+            role,
+            trustedProxyAuthOk,
+            resolvedAuth.mode,
+          );
         if (device && devicePublicKey && !skipPairing) {
           const formatAuditList = (items: string[] | undefined): string => {
             if (!items || items.length === 0) {