diff --git a/sdk/cliproxy/auth/conductor.go b/sdk/cliproxy/auth/conductor.go
index 1f055c5c..39721ca7 100644
--- a/sdk/cliproxy/auth/conductor.go
+++ b/sdk/cliproxy/auth/conductor.go
@@ -543,6 +543,20 @@ func (m *Manager) executeStreamWithModelPool(ctx context.Context, executor Provi
 			return m.wrapStreamResult(ctx, auth.Clone(), provider, routeModel, streamResult.Headers, nil, errCh), nil
 		}
 
+		if closed && len(buffered) == 0 {
+			emptyErr := &Error{Code: "empty_stream", Message: "upstream stream closed before first payload", Retryable: true}
+			result := Result{AuthID: auth.ID, Provider: provider, Model: routeModel, Success: false, Error: emptyErr}
+			m.MarkResult(ctx, result)
+			if idx < len(execModels)-1 {
+				lastErr = emptyErr
+				continue
+			}
+			errCh := make(chan cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk, 1)
+			errCh <- cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk{Err: emptyErr}
+			close(errCh)
+			return m.wrapStreamResult(ctx, auth.Clone(), provider, routeModel, streamResult.Headers, nil, errCh), nil
+		}
+
 		remaining := streamResult.Chunks
 		if closed {
 			closedCh := make(chan cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk)
diff --git a/sdk/cliproxy/auth/openai_compat_pool_test.go b/sdk/cliproxy/auth/openai_compat_pool_test.go
index d873fd38..5a5ecb4f 100644
--- a/sdk/cliproxy/auth/openai_compat_pool_test.go
+++ b/sdk/cliproxy/auth/openai_compat_pool_test.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ type openAICompatPoolExecutor struct {
 	executeErrors     map[string]error
 	countErrors       map[string]error
 	streamFirstErrors map[string]error
+	streamPayloads    map[string][]cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk
 }
 
 func (e *openAICompatPoolExecutor) Identifier() string { return e.id }
@@ -46,14 +47,22 @@ func (e *openAICompatPoolExecutor) ExecuteStream(ctx context.Context, auth *Auth
 	e.mu.Lock()
 	e.streamModels = append(e.streamModels, req.Model)
 	err := e.streamFirstErrors[req.Model]
+	payloadChunks, hasCustomChunks := e.streamPayloads[req.Model]
+	chunks := append([]cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk(nil), payloadChunks...)
 	e.mu.Unlock()
-	ch := make(chan cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk, 1)
+	ch := make(chan cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk, max(1, len(chunks)))
 	if err != nil {
 		ch <- cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk{Err: err}
 		close(ch)
 		return &cliproxyexecutor.StreamResult{Headers: http.Header{"X-Model": {req.Model}}, Chunks: ch}, nil
 	}
-	ch <- cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk{Payload: []byte(req.Model)}
+	if !hasCustomChunks {
+		ch <- cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk{Payload: []byte(req.Model)}
+	} else {
+		for _, chunk := range chunks {
+			ch <- chunk
+		}
+	}
 	close(ch)
 	return &cliproxyexecutor.StreamResult{Headers: http.Header{"X-Model": {req.Model}}, Chunks: ch}, nil
 }
@@ -261,6 +270,42 @@ func TestManagerExecute_OpenAICompatAliasPoolFallsBackWithinSameAuth(t *testing.
 	}
 }
 
+func TestManagerExecuteStream_OpenAICompatAliasPoolRetriesOnEmptyBootstrap(t *testing.T) {
+	alias := "claude-opus-4.66"
+	executor := &openAICompatPoolExecutor{
+		id: "pool",
+		streamPayloads: map[string][]cliproxyexecutor.StreamChunk{
+			"qwen3.5-plus": {},
+		},
+	}
+	m := newOpenAICompatPoolTestManager(t, alias, []internalconfig.OpenAICompatibilityModel{
+		{Name: "qwen3.5-plus", Alias: alias},
+		{Name: "glm-5", Alias: alias},
+	}, executor)
+
+	streamResult, err := m.ExecuteStream(context.Background(), []string{"pool"}, cliproxyexecutor.Request{Model: alias}, cliproxyexecutor.Options{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("execute stream: %v", err)
+	}
+	var payload []byte
+	for chunk := range streamResult.Chunks {
+		if chunk.Err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected stream error: %v", chunk.Err)
+		}
+		payload = append(payload, chunk.Payload...)
+	}
+	if string(payload) != "glm-5" {
+		t.Fatalf("payload = %q, want %q", string(payload), "glm-5")
+	}
+	got := executor.StreamModels()
+	want := []string{"qwen3.5-plus", "glm-5"}
+	for i := range want {
+		if got[i] != want[i] {
+			t.Fatalf("stream call %d model = %q, want %q", i, got[i], want[i])
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestManagerExecuteStream_OpenAICompatAliasPoolFallsBackBeforeFirstByte(t *testing.T) {
 	alias := "claude-opus-4.66"
 	executor := &openAICompatPoolExecutor{