diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/13689-openrouter-free-tier-1000-day.md b/changelog.d/fixes/13689-openrouter-free-tier-1000-day.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5401e3b4eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/13689-openrouter-free-tier-1000-day.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- **fix(openrouter):** sync the `:free` 1000/day tier from `/credits` lifetime purchases instead of staying stuck at 50/day for $10+ accounts
diff --git a/open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts b/open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts
index 4f05061a18..e14e62911b 100644
--- a/open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts
+++ b/open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts
@@ -119,6 +119,14 @@ function pruneRpmWindow(state: AccountWindowState, now: number): void {
   state.requestTimestamps = state.requestTimestamps.filter((ts) => ts > cutoff);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Lifetime-purchase threshold (USD) unlocking OpenRouter's 1000/day
+ * `:free`-model tier instead of the 50/day base tier.
+ * See https://openrouter.ai/docs/limits (`GET /api/v1/key` -> `is_free_tier`,
+ * `GET /api/v1/credits` -> `total_credits`/`total_usage`).
+ */
+export const OPENROUTER_PURCHASED_TIER_THRESHOLD = 10;
+
 /**
  * Operator override: declare whether $10+ has been purchased all-time on this
  * account, unlocking the 1000/day tier instead of the 50/day default.
@@ -128,6 +136,40 @@ export function setPurchasedTier(accountKey: string, purchasedAtLeast10: boolean
   state.purchasedAtLeast10 = purchasedAtLeast10;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Sync the 50-vs-1000/day tier from OpenRouter quota signals.
+ *
+ * Primary signal is `total_credits` (`GET /api/v1/credits` ->
+ * `data.total_credits`, lifetime USD purchased): a finite value sets the tier
+ * to `totalCredits >= OPENROUTER_PURCHASED_TIER_THRESHOLD`.
+ *
+ * `is_free_tier` (`GET /api/v1/key`) alone is deliberately NOT enough to
+ * unlock the tier — it only means "has paid something before", not
+ * ">= $10 lifetime", so an account that paid e.g. $1 would be wrongly
+ * promoted. When `total_credits` is absent the state is left untouched
+ * (fail open) so a partial quota response can never downgrade an already
+ * unlocked bucket.
+ *
+ * @returns true when the tier was set from `total_credits`, false otherwise.
+ */
+export function syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(
+  accountKey: string,
+  signals:
+    | {
+        totalCredits?: number | null;
+        isFreeTier?: boolean | null;
+      }
+    | null
+    | undefined
+): boolean {
+  const totalCredits = signals?.totalCredits;
+  if (typeof totalCredits === "number" && Number.isFinite(totalCredits)) {
+    setPurchasedTier(accountKey, totalCredits >= OPENROUTER_PURCHASED_TIER_THRESHOLD);
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 /**
  * Record a `:free`-variant request attempt against the account bucket.
  * Failed attempts count toward the daily cap too (per OpenRouter's own
diff --git a/open-sse/services/openrouterQuotaFetcher.ts b/open-sse/services/openrouterQuotaFetcher.ts
index 54d2c80231..2fc7a94422 100644
--- a/open-sse/services/openrouterQuotaFetcher.ts
+++ b/open-sse/services/openrouterQuotaFetcher.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ import {
   getFreeWindowStatus,
   isFreeVariantModel,
   resolveAccountKey,
+  syncPurchasedTierFromQuota,
   type FreeWindowStatus,
 } from "./openrouterFreeWindow.ts";
 
@@ -313,6 +314,30 @@ function rememberQuota(connectionId: string, quota: OpenrouterQuota): Openrouter
   return quota;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Feed the quota's purchase-history signals into the `:free`-window tier
+ * state so the local 50-vs-1000/day limit tracks OpenRouter's documented
+ * $10 lifetime-purchase tier (https://openrouter.ai/docs/limits) instead of
+ * staying stuck at the 50/day default. Never throws — tier sync must never
+ * break quota fetching.
+ */
+function syncTierFromQuota(
+  connectionId: string,
+  connection: Record<string, unknown> | undefined,
+  quota: Pick<OpenrouterQuota, "totalCredits" | "isFreeTier"> | null | undefined
+): void {
+  if (!quota) return;
+  try {
+    const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, connection);
+    syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, {
+      totalCredits: quota.totalCredits,
+      isFreeTier: quota.isFreeTier,
+    });
+  } catch {
+    // Fail open: a tier-sync problem must not fail the quota fetch.
+  }
+}
+
 function mergeOpenrouterResults(
   keyResult: EndpointResult,
   creditsResult: EndpointResult
@@ -346,6 +371,7 @@ export async function fetchOpenrouterQuota(
 ): Promise<QuotaInfo | null> {
   const cached = quotaCache.get(connectionId);
   if (cached && Date.now() - cached.fetchedAt < CACHE_TTL_MS) {
+    syncTierFromQuota(connectionId, connection, cached.quota);
     return cached.quota;
   }
 
@@ -375,6 +401,7 @@ export async function fetchOpenrouterQuota(
     }
 
     const quota = mergeOpenrouterResults(keyResult, creditsResult);
+    if (quota) syncTierFromQuota(connectionId, connection, quota);
     return quota ? rememberQuota(connectionId, quota) : null;
   } catch {
     // Network error, timeout, etc. — fail open (graceful "unknown").
@@ -399,12 +426,33 @@ export async function fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight(
   connectionId: string,
   connection?: Record<string, unknown>
 ): Promise<QuotaInfo | null> {
-  const freeWindowExhausted = checkFreeWindowExhausted(
+  const initiallyExhausted = checkFreeWindowExhausted(
     connectionId,
     connection,
     connection?.requestedModel
   );
-  return freeWindowExhausted ?? fetchOpenrouterQuota(connectionId, connection);
+  if (!initiallyExhausted) {
+    return fetchOpenrouterQuota(connectionId, connection);
+  }
+  // The local daily counter says exhausted, but it may be enforcing a stale
+  // 50/day tier: fetchOpenrouterQuota() syncs the 1000/day tier from
+  // /credits as a side effect (cached when fresh, fetched otherwise), so
+  // re-evaluate after the refresh instead of returning the stale verdict.
+  // Without this, an exhausted 50-counter short-circuits before the fetch
+  // that would prove the $10+ tier — stuck until UTC midnight.
+  try {
+    const quota = await fetchOpenrouterQuota(connectionId, connection);
+    const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, connection);
+    const status = getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey);
+    if (status.dailyRemaining > 0) {
+      // Tier refresh unlocked headroom (e.g. 50 -> 1000/day): allow the
+      // request by returning the fresh quota (null = unknown = fail open).
+      return quota;
+    }
+    return buildFreeWindowExhaustedQuota(status);
+  } catch {
+    return initiallyExhausted;
+  }
 }
 
 // ─── Registration ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/open-sse/services/usage/openrouter.ts b/open-sse/services/usage/openrouter.ts
index 2dcb05f42a..4fce98ec18 100644
--- a/open-sse/services/usage/openrouter.ts
+++ b/open-sse/services/usage/openrouter.ts
@@ -7,7 +7,11 @@
  */
 
 import { fetchOpenrouterQuota, type OpenrouterQuota } from "../openrouterQuotaFetcher.ts";
-import { getFreeWindowStatus, resolveAccountKey } from "../openrouterFreeWindow.ts";
+import {
+  getFreeWindowStatus,
+  resolveAccountKey,
+  syncPurchasedTierFromQuota,
+} from "../openrouterFreeWindow.ts";
 import { type UsageQuota } from "./quota.ts";
 
 function buildCreditsQuota(quota: OpenrouterQuota): UsageQuota | null {
@@ -63,6 +67,20 @@ export async function getOpenrouterUsage(
   const connection = { apiKey, providerSpecificData: providerSpecificData ?? {} };
   const quota = (await fetchOpenrouterQuota(connectionId, connection)) as OpenrouterQuota | null;
 
+  // Belt-and-suspenders: fetchOpenrouterQuota() already syncs the tier as a
+  // side effect, but re-apply here so the dashboard payload and the
+  // quota-preflight enforcement always agree even on cache-hit paths.
+  if (quota) {
+    try {
+      syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(resolveAccountKey(connectionId, connection), {
+        totalCredits: quota.totalCredits,
+        isFreeTier: quota.isFreeTier,
+      });
+    } catch {
+      // Fail open: tier sync must never break the usage payload.
+    }
+  }
+
   const quotas: Record<string, UsageQuota> = {};
   const { dailyQuota, rpmQuota } = buildFreeWindowQuota(connectionId, connection);
   quotas.free_daily = dailyQuota;
diff --git a/tests/unit/openrouter-free-tier-1000-day.test.ts b/tests/unit/openrouter-free-tier-1000-day.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c4ed8a2668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/openrouter-free-tier-1000-day.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+/**
+ * OpenRouter `:free` daily tier — $10+ lifetime purchases unlock 1000/day.
+ *
+ * Regression guard for the stuck-at-50 bug: `setPurchasedTier()` had zero
+ * production callers, so any account with >= $10 lifetime purchases was still
+ * displayed and enforced as 50/day until a 429 happened to correct it.
+ * Quota fetching (`GET /api/v1/key` + `GET /api/v1/credits`, see
+ * https://openrouter.ai/docs/limits) must feed `total_credits` into the
+ * free-window tier, and the preflight short-circuit must not hide the signal
+ * that would un-exhaust it.
+ */
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+
+import {
+  clearFreeWindowState,
+  getFreeWindowStatus,
+  recordFreeWindowAttempt,
+  resolveAccountKey,
+  setPurchasedTier,
+  syncPurchasedTierFromQuota,
+} from "../../open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts";
+import {
+  fetchOpenrouterQuota,
+  fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight,
+  invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache,
+} from "../../open-sse/services/openrouterQuotaFetcher.ts";
+
+const originalFetch = globalThis.fetch;
+
+test.afterEach(() => {
+  globalThis.fetch = originalFetch;
+  clearFreeWindowState();
+});
+
+function mockQuotaFetch(totalCredits: number | null, isFreeTier = false): void {
+  globalThis.fetch = async (url) => {
+    if (String(url).endsWith("/key")) {
+      return new Response(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          data: {
+            limit: null,
+            limit_remaining: null,
+            limit_reset: null,
+            is_free_tier: isFreeTier,
+          },
+        }),
+        { status: 200 }
+      );
+    }
+    return new Response(JSON.stringify({ data: { total_credits: totalCredits, total_usage: 0 } }), {
+      status: 200,
+    });
+  };
+}
+
+// ─── syncPurchasedTierFromQuota unit behavior ─────────────────────────────
+
+test("syncPurchasedTierFromQuota: total_credits >= 10 unlocks the 1000/day tier", () => {
+  const accountKey = `acct-sync-1000-${Date.now()}`;
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 50);
+  assert.equal(syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, { totalCredits: 10 }), true);
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 1000);
+});
+
+test("syncPurchasedTierFromQuota: total_credits < 10 keeps the 50/day tier", () => {
+  const accountKey = `acct-sync-50-${Date.now()}`;
+  setPurchasedTier(accountKey, true); // start unlocked to prove a downgrade applies
+  assert.equal(syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, { totalCredits: 9.99 }), true);
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 50);
+});
+
+test("syncPurchasedTierFromQuota: missing signals leave state untouched (fail open)", () => {
+  const accountKey = `acct-sync-missing-${Date.now()}`;
+  assert.equal(syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, { totalCredits: null }), false);
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 50);
+
+  setPurchasedTier(accountKey, true);
+  // is_free_tier=false alone only means "has paid something", not ">= $10" —
+  // must not touch the tier either way.
+  assert.equal(
+    syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, { totalCredits: null, isFreeTier: false }),
+    false
+  );
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 1000);
+
+  assert.equal(syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, null), false);
+  assert.equal(syncPurchasedTierFromQuota(accountKey, undefined), false);
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 1000);
+});
+
+// ─── fetchOpenrouterQuota feeds the tier ──────────────────────────────────
+
+test("fetchOpenrouterQuota with total_credits >= 10 unlocks the 1000/day window", async () => {
+  const connectionId = `openrouter-tier-1000-${Date.now()}`;
+  mockQuotaFetch(25);
+  const quota = await fetchOpenrouterQuota(connectionId, { apiKey: "test-key" });
+  assert.ok(quota);
+  const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, { apiKey: "test-key" });
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 1000);
+  invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache(connectionId);
+});
+
+test("fetchOpenrouterQuota with total_credits < 10 keeps the 50/day window", async () => {
+  const connectionId = `openrouter-tier-50-${Date.now()}`;
+  mockQuotaFetch(2);
+  const quota = await fetchOpenrouterQuota(connectionId, { apiKey: "test-key" });
+  assert.ok(quota);
+  const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, { apiKey: "test-key" });
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 50);
+  invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache(connectionId);
+});
+
+// ─── Preflight trap: exhausted-at-50 refreshes to 1000 and allows ─────────
+
+test("preflight exhausted at 50/50 refreshes to the 1000 tier and allows the request", async () => {
+  const connectionId = `openrouter-preflight-unstick-${Date.now()}`;
+  const connection = { apiKey: "or-test-key", requestedModel: "x-ai/grok-4-fast:free" };
+  const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, connection);
+
+  // Exhaust the base-tier window (50/50) — the stale state that used to stick
+  // until UTC midnight because the short-circuit skipped the quota fetch.
+  for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) recordFreeWindowAttempt(accountKey);
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyRemaining, 0);
+
+  // Upstream proves >= $10 lifetime purchases.
+  mockQuotaFetch(25);
+
+  const quota = await fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight(connectionId, connection);
+
+  assert.equal(
+    getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit,
+    1000,
+    "tier refresh must promote the bucket before the exhausted verdict"
+  );
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyRemaining, 950);
+  assert.ok(quota, "request must be allowed, not short-circuited as exhausted");
+  assert.equal(quota!.limitReached, false);
+  invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache(connectionId);
+});
+
+test("preflight still short-circuits without network when quota confirms the base tier", async () => {
+  const connectionId = `openrouter-preflight-still-50-${Date.now()}`;
+  const connection = { apiKey: "or-test-key", requestedModel: "x-ai/grok-4-fast:free" };
+  const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, connection);
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) recordFreeWindowAttempt(accountKey);
+  mockQuotaFetch(2); // < $10: genuinely still 50/day
+
+  let fetchCalls = 0;
+  const innerFetch = globalThis.fetch;
+  globalThis.fetch = async (...args) => {
+    fetchCalls += 1;
+    return (innerFetch as typeof fetch)(...args);
+  };
+
+  const quota = await fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight(connectionId, connection);
+
+  assert.ok(fetchCalls > 0, "tier refresh needs the quota fetch to confirm the base tier");
+  assert.ok(quota);
+  assert.equal(quota!.limitReached, true, "genuinely exhausted base tier must still block");
+  assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyLimit, 50);
+  invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache(connectionId);
+});
diff --git a/tests/unit/openrouter-free-window-wiring-6842.test.ts b/tests/unit/openrouter-free-window-wiring-6842.test.ts
index ec357da6a2..234ba9e431 100644
--- a/tests/unit/openrouter-free-window-wiring-6842.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/openrouter-free-window-wiring-6842.test.ts
@@ -127,21 +127,24 @@ test("DefaultExecutor(openrouter) self-corrects the free window from X-RateLimit
   });
 
   const status = getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey);
-  assert.equal(status.dailyRemaining, 0, "server-reported remaining should override the local count");
+  assert.equal(
+    status.dailyRemaining,
+    0,
+    "server-reported remaining should override the local count"
+  );
   assert.equal(status.dailyLimit, 50, "server-reported limit should be adopted");
 });
 
 // ─── 2. ENFORCE: exhausted free window short-circuits the quota preflight ─
 
-test("fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight returns limitReached for an exhausted :free model WITHOUT calling fetch (RED without wiring)", async () => {
+test("fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight returns limitReached for an exhausted :free model after a tier-refresh fetch (RED without wiring)", async () => {
   const connectionId = `openrouter-enforce-${Date.now()}`;
   const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, {});
 
   // Exhaust the daily window (default cap: 50/day at $0 purchased-tier).
   for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
-    const { recordFreeWindowAttempt } = await import(
-      "../../open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts"
-    );
+    const { recordFreeWindowAttempt } =
+      await import("../../open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts");
     recordFreeWindowAttempt(accountKey);
   }
   assert.equal(getFreeWindowStatus(accountKey).dailyRemaining, 0, "precondition: window exhausted");
@@ -157,9 +160,21 @@ test("fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight returns limitReached for an ex
     requestedModel: "x-ai/grok-4-fast:free",
   });
 
-  assert.equal(fetchCalls, 0, "an exhausted free window must short-circuit BEFORE any /key or /credits call");
+  // Tier-refresh behavior: an exhausted window refreshes the $10+ purchase
+  // tier from quota (cached when fresh, fetched otherwise) before verdict —
+  // otherwise a stale 50-counter hides the signal that would un-exhaust it
+  // (stuck until UTC midnight). This mock returns no purchase signal, so the
+  // verdict stays exhausted after the refresh round-trip.
+  assert.ok(
+    fetchCalls > 0,
+    "an exhausted free window must refresh the purchase tier from quota before verdict"
+  );
   assert.ok(quota, "quota should be a limitReached result, not null");
-  assert.equal(quota!.limitReached, true, "combo preflight must see limitReached to skip this target");
+  assert.equal(
+    quota!.limitReached,
+    true,
+    "combo preflight must see limitReached to skip this target"
+  );
   invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache(connectionId);
 });
 
@@ -193,9 +208,8 @@ test("fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight proceeds to the normal /key+/c
 test("fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight ignores free-window state for non-:free requestedModel", async () => {
   const connectionId = `openrouter-enforce-nonfree-${Date.now()}`;
   const accountKey = resolveAccountKey(connectionId, {});
-  const { recordFreeWindowAttempt } = await import(
-    "../../open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts"
-  );
+  const { recordFreeWindowAttempt } =
+    await import("../../open-sse/services/openrouterFreeWindow.ts");
   for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) recordFreeWindowAttempt(accountKey);
 
   let fetchCalls = 0;
@@ -217,7 +231,10 @@ test("fetchOpenrouterQuotaWithFreeWindowPreflight ignores free-window state for
     requestedModel: "x-ai/grok-4-fast", // paid variant — exhausted free window is irrelevant
   });
 
-  assert.ok(fetchCalls > 0, "a paid model must never be short-circuited by the free-window counter");
+  assert.ok(
+    fetchCalls > 0,
+    "a paid model must never be short-circuited by the free-window counter"
+  );
   assert.ok(quota);
   invalidateOpenrouterQuotaCache(connectionId);
 });