diff --git a/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.test.ts b/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.test.ts
index 4bfffc4..817b83f 100644
--- a/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.test.ts
+++ b/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.test.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ function makeDeps() {
     repo,
     config: { reflection: {}, userFolderRoot: 'data/users' } as unknown as AppConfig,
     llmEndpoint: 'http://localhost:1',
+    llmApiKey: 'sk-reflection-test',
     llmModel: 'test-model',
   };
 }
@@ -170,3 +171,14 @@ describe('runReflectionJob', () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe('LLM credential propagation', () => {
+  it('passes the worker apiKey into the reflection LLM config (401 regression)', async () => {
+    vi.mocked(callReflectionLlm).mockResolvedValue(LLM_RESULT as never);
+    const deps = makeDeps();
+    await runReflectionJob(deps, makeJob());
+    expect(callReflectionLlm).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const cfg = vi.mocked(callReflectionLlm).mock.calls[0]![0] as { apiKey?: string };
+    expect(cfg.apiKey).toBe('sk-reflection-test');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.ts b/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.ts
index ce883c2..bd1de90 100644
--- a/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.ts
+++ b/src/engine/reflection/reflection-runner.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ export interface RunReflectionDeps {
   config: AppConfig;
   llmEndpoint: string;
   llmModel: string | undefined;
+  /**
+   * Worker's API key for the LLM endpoint. Without it, a gateway that
+   * enforces virtual keys rejects every reflection call with 401
+   * (normal task calls always send the worker's key — reflection must too).
+   */
+  llmApiKey?: string;
 }
 
 export async function runReflectionJob(
@@ -79,6 +85,7 @@ export async function runReflectionJob(
   const llmCfg = {
     endpoint: deps.llmEndpoint,
     model: deps.llmModel,
+    apiKey: deps.llmApiKey,
   };
 
   let llmResult;
diff --git a/src/worker.ts b/src/worker.ts
index b98a9f3..c2e2e6d 100644
--- a/src/worker.ts
+++ b/src/worker.ts
@@ -1776,6 +1776,9 @@ export class Worker {
           config: this.config,
           llmEndpoint: this.endpoint,
           llmModel: reflectionRoutingKey,
+          // Same credential as normal task LLM calls — a key-enforcing
+          // gateway 401s reflection without it.
+          llmApiKey: this.getWorkerDef().apiKey,
         },
         job
       );