diff --git a/routstr/core/admin.py b/routstr/core/admin.py
index 957684af..8de51de7 100644
--- a/routstr/core/admin.py
+++ b/routstr/core/admin.py
@@ -1733,8 +1733,9 @@ async def certify_upstream_provider(
                 provider.provider_fee,
                 sats_to_usd,
             )
-        # The timeout applies per upstream call. The run makes up to five
-        # calls, so the request can stay open for up to five times it.
+        # The timeout applies per upstream call. The run makes up to six
+        # calls (models, two short probes after a max_completion_tokens retry,
+        # three cache probes), so the request can stay open for six times it.
         live_rows = await run_live_checks(
             provider.base_url,
             provider.api_key,
diff --git a/routstr/payment/models.py b/routstr/payment/models.py
index 731c6de5..0120e26e 100644
--- a/routstr/payment/models.py
+++ b/routstr/payment/models.py
@@ -689,7 +689,8 @@ def _model_test_target(
         upstream.build_request_url(path, model_obj),
         upstream.prepare_headers({"content-type": "application/json"}),
         dict(upstream.prepare_params(path, None)),
-        upstream.transform_model_name(model_id),
+        # The proxy forwards ``model.id``, not the row's client alias.
+        upstream.transform_model_name(model_obj.id),
     )
 
 
diff --git a/routstr/upstream/certification.py b/routstr/upstream/certification.py
index cb4d83e4..fc345f33 100644
--- a/routstr/upstream/certification.py
+++ b/routstr/upstream/certification.py
@@ -247,17 +247,14 @@ def shape_body(
 ) -> Any:
     """The JSON body the proxy would forward, model-name transforms included.
 
-    ``prepare_request_body`` rewrites ``model`` from ``model.id``; the probe
-    keeps the id it chose (``forwarded_model_id`` first) and only applies the
-    provider's own name transform to it.
+    ``prepare_request_body`` sets ``model`` from ``model.id``, exactly as
+    ``forward_request`` does, so an alias row's ``forwarded_model_id`` never
+    reaches the upstream here either.
     """
     if upstream is None or model is None:
         return body
     shaped = upstream.prepare_request_body(json.dumps(body).encode(), model)
-    data = json.loads(shaped) if shaped else dict(body)
-    if isinstance(data, dict) and isinstance(body.get("model"), str):
-        data["model"] = upstream.transform_model_name(body["model"])
-    return data
+    return json.loads(shaped) if shaped else body
 
 
 async def probe_upstream(
@@ -876,7 +873,7 @@ async def run_live_checks(
     probe = await probe_upstream(
         base_url,
         api_key,
-        model.forwarded_model_id or model.id,
+        model.id,
         endpoint_tag=endpoint_tag,
         client=client,
         timeout=timeout,
diff --git a/routstr/upstream/certification_cache.py b/routstr/upstream/certification_cache.py
index a7459683..fef1d8a4 100644
--- a/routstr/upstream/certification_cache.py
+++ b/routstr/upstream/certification_cache.py
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ async def run_cache_checks(
     probe = await probe_cache(
         base_url,
         api_key,
-        model.forwarded_model_id or model.id,
+        model.id,
         endpoint_tag=endpoint_tag,
         client=client,
         timeout=timeout,
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_certify_alias_paths.py b/tests/integration/test_certify_alias_paths.py
index 6786a8a6..98b35bfd 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_certify_alias_paths.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_certify_alias_paths.py
@@ -106,7 +106,9 @@ async def test_certify_forwarded_alias_listed_path_succeeds(
         assert response.status_code == 200, response.text
         assert chat.call_count == 1
         body: dict[str, Any] = json.loads(chat.calls[0].request.content)
-        assert body["model"] == forwarded
+        # The path is keyed by the exposed id, but the upstream gets what the
+        # proxy sends for this row: transform_model_name(model.id).
+        assert body["model"] == "local-alias"
         assert body["provider"] == {"order": ["endpoint"], "allow_fallbacks": False}
         mismatch = await integration_client.post(
             f"/admin/api/upstream-providers/{provider.id}/certify",
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_certify_matches_proxy_model.py b/tests/integration/test_certify_matches_proxy_model.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d36357bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/test_certify_matches_proxy_model.py
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+"""Certification must send the upstream the model id the proxy sends.
+
+An admin alias row has ``id`` and ``forwarded_model_id`` that differ. The
+proxy forwards ``transform_model_name(model.id)`` (``prepare_request_body``),
+so a probe that sends the forwarded id certifies a request no client can make.
+"""
+
+import json
+import time
+from typing import Any
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import pytest
+import respx
+from httpx import AsyncClient, Response
+from sqlmodel.ext.asyncio.session import AsyncSession
+
+from routstr.core.db import ApiKey
+from routstr.proxy import reinitialize_upstreams
+
+from .test_certify_endpoint import _admin_headers, _make_provider, _model_row
+
+
+@pytest.mark.integration
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@respx.mock
+async def test_certify_and_proxy_send_the_same_model(
+    integration_session: AsyncSession,
+    integration_client: AsyncClient,
+) -> None:
+    base_url = "https://certify-upstream.example/v1"
+    respx.get(f"{base_url}/models").mock(return_value=Response(200, json={"data": []}))
+    chat = respx.post(f"{base_url}/chat/completions").mock(
+        return_value=Response(
+            200,
+            json={
+                "id": "x",
+                "object": "chat.completion",
+                "model": "m",
+                "choices": [
+                    {
+                        "index": 0,
+                        "message": {"role": "assistant", "content": "ok"},
+                        "finish_reason": "stop",
+                    }
+                ],
+                "usage": {"prompt_tokens": 5, "completion_tokens": 1},
+            },
+        )
+    )
+    provider = await _make_provider(integration_session)
+    model = _model_row(provider.id, model_id="row-id")  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+    model.forwarded_model_id = "client-alias"
+    integration_session.add(model)
+    integration_session.add(
+        ApiKey(
+            hashed_key="certify-contract", balance=10**9, created_at=int(time.time())
+        )
+    )
+    await integration_session.commit()
+
+    with (
+        patch("routstr.payment.models.sats_usd_price", return_value=0.0005),
+        patch("routstr.payment.cost_calculation.sats_usd_price", return_value=0.0005),
+        patch("routstr.payment.price.SATS_USD_PRICE", 0.0005),
+    ):
+        await reinitialize_upstreams()
+        proxied = await integration_client.post(
+            "/v1/chat/completions",
+            headers={"Authorization": "Bearer sk-certify-contract"},
+            json={
+                "model": "client-alias",
+                "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}],
+                "max_tokens": 1,
+            },
+        )
+        assert proxied.status_code == 200, proxied.text
+        certified = await integration_client.post(
+            f"/admin/api/upstream-providers/{provider.id}/certify",
+            headers=_admin_headers(),
+            json={"model_id": "row-id", "check_cache": False},
+        )
+        assert certified.status_code == 200, certified.text
+
+    bodies: list[dict[str, Any]] = [
+        json.loads(call.request.content) for call in chat.calls
+    ]
+    assert len(bodies) == 2
+    proxy_model, certify_model = bodies[0]["model"], bodies[1]["model"]
+    assert certify_model == proxy_model