diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-fast.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-fast.yml
index ef6012f5e..1bb579b9e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-fast.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-fast.yml
@@ -112,8 +112,8 @@ jobs:
       # reports "runner lost communication" with no logs). Full-width
       # parallelism (16 rustc jobs, then 16 concurrent test binaries — many
       # of which spawn servers and embedded databases) is what spikes it.
-      CARGO_BUILD_JOBS: "12"
-      NEXTEST_TEST_THREADS: "12"
+      CARGO_BUILD_JOBS: "8"
+      NEXTEST_TEST_THREADS: "8"
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v7
diff --git a/crates/alien-ai-gateway/src/protocol.rs b/crates/alien-ai-gateway/src/protocol.rs
index dd94c7194..1f5893876 100644
--- a/crates/alien-ai-gateway/src/protocol.rs
+++ b/crates/alien-ai-gateway/src/protocol.rs
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ use serde_json::{json, Map, Value};
 
 use crate::error::{ErrorData, Result};
 
+// OpenAI leaves its output ceiling optional, while Anthropic requires one.
+// Use a bounded portable default rather than making valid OpenAI requests fail.
+const DEFAULT_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS: u64 = 4_096;
+
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub(crate) enum WireProtocol {
     ChatCompletions,
@@ -868,6 +872,9 @@ fn chat_request_to_messages(payload: Value) -> Result<Value> {
     }
     rename(&mut obj, "max_completion_tokens", "max_tokens");
     rename(&mut obj, "max_tokens", "max_tokens");
+    if obj.get("max_tokens").is_none_or(Value::is_null) {
+        obj.insert("max_tokens".to_string(), json!(DEFAULT_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS));
+    }
     rename(&mut obj, "stop", "stop_sequences");
     if let Some(user) = obj.remove("user") {
         obj.insert("metadata".to_string(), json!({ "user_id": user }));
@@ -1290,6 +1297,55 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(translated["max_completion_tokens"], 42);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn optional_openai_output_limits_become_required_messages_limits() {
+        for (source, request) in [
+            (
+                WireProtocol::ChatCompletions,
+                json!({ "model": "model", "messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "hello" }] }),
+            ),
+            (
+                WireProtocol::ChatCompletions,
+                json!({ "model": "model", "max_completion_tokens": null, "messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "hello" }] }),
+            ),
+            (
+                WireProtocol::Responses,
+                json!({ "model": "model", "input": "hello" }),
+            ),
+            (
+                WireProtocol::Responses,
+                json!({ "model": "model", "max_output_tokens": null, "input": "hello" }),
+            ),
+        ] {
+            let translated = translate_request(request, source, WireProtocol::Messages).unwrap();
+
+            assert_eq!(translated["max_tokens"], DEFAULT_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS);
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn explicit_openai_output_limits_are_preserved_for_messages() {
+        for (source, request) in [
+            (
+                WireProtocol::ChatCompletions,
+                json!({ "model": "model", "max_completion_tokens": 123, "messages": [] }),
+            ),
+            (
+                WireProtocol::Responses,
+                json!({ "model": "model", "max_output_tokens": 456, "input": "hello" }),
+            ),
+        ] {
+            let expected = match source {
+                WireProtocol::ChatCompletions => 123,
+                WireProtocol::Responses => 456,
+                WireProtocol::Messages => unreachable!(),
+            };
+            let translated = translate_request(request, source, WireProtocol::Messages).unwrap();
+
+            assert_eq!(translated["max_tokens"], expected);
+        }
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn stateful_responses_input_is_rejected_instead_of_losing_context() {
         let error = translate_request(
diff --git a/crates/alien-ai-gateway/tests/integration.rs b/crates/alien-ai-gateway/tests/integration.rs
index 2c47f54ae..c532df267 100644
--- a/crates/alien-ai-gateway/tests/integration.rs
+++ b/crates/alien-ai-gateway/tests/integration.rs
@@ -263,13 +263,26 @@ async fn body_past_the_cap_never_reaches_the_upstream() {
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn direct_anthropic_translates_chat_and_injects_only_its_api_key() {
     let upstream = MockServer::start_async().await;
-    let messages = upstream
+    let native_messages = upstream
         .mock_async(|when, then| {
             when.method(POST)
                 .path("/v1/messages")
                 .header("x-api-key", "sk-ant-api03-test-secret")
                 .header("anthropic-version", "2023-06-01")
-                .body_contains("claude-sonnet-4-6");
+                .body_contains("\"max_tokens\":1");
+            then.status(200)
+                .header("content-type", "application/json")
+                .body(r#"{"id":"msg_direct","content":[{"type":"text","text":"pong"}]}"#);
+        })
+        .await;
+    let translated_messages = upstream
+        .mock_async(|when, then| {
+            when.method(POST)
+                .path("/v1/messages")
+                .header("x-api-key", "sk-ant-api03-test-secret")
+                .header("anthropic-version", "2023-06-01")
+                .body_contains("\"max_tokens\":4096")
+                .body_contains("\"text\":\"hi\"");
             then.status(200)
                 .header("content-type", "application/json")
                 .body(r#"{"id":"msg_direct","content":[{"type":"text","text":"pong"}]}"#);
@@ -294,11 +307,13 @@ async fn direct_anthropic_translates_chat_and_injects_only_its_api_key() {
         .expect("direct request");
     assert_eq!(response.status(), 200);
     assert!(response.text().await.unwrap().contains("msg_direct"));
-    messages.assert_async().await;
+    native_messages.assert_async().await;
 
     let translated_protocol = client
         .post(format!("{base}/direct/v1/chat/completions"))
-        .json(&json!({"model": "claude-sonnet-4.6", "messages": []}))
+        .json(
+            &json!({"model": "claude-sonnet-4.6", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "hi"}]}),
+        )
         .send()
         .await
         .expect("translated protocol response");
@@ -310,7 +325,7 @@ async fn direct_anthropic_translates_chat_and_injects_only_its_api_key() {
             .unwrap()["object"],
         "chat.completion"
     );
-    assert_eq!(messages.hits_async().await, 2);
+    translated_messages.assert_async().await;
 
     assert!(route_from_direct_anthropic("direct", "sk-ant-admin-test").is_err());
 }