diff --git a/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts b/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts
index 24532fda14..3f796d71c5 100644
--- a/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts
+++ b/open-sse/handlers/chatCore.ts
@@ -910,8 +910,21 @@ export async function handleChatCore({
   }
 
   // ── Common input sanitization (runs for ALL paths including passthrough) ──
-  // #994: Normalize max_output_tokens to max_tokens for universal compatibility
-  if (body.max_output_tokens !== undefined) {
+  // #994: Normalize between max_output_tokens and max_tokens for universal compatibility.
+  // For Responses API targets, max_output_tokens is the canonical field. For others,
+  // max_tokens is preferred. We handle normalization here to support passthrough
+  // paths where the translator is skipped.
+  if (targetFormat === FORMATS.OPENAI_RESPONSES) {
+    if (body.max_output_tokens === undefined) {
+      if (body.max_completion_tokens !== undefined) {
+        body.max_output_tokens = body.max_completion_tokens;
+        delete body.max_completion_tokens;
+      } else if (body.max_tokens !== undefined) {
+        body.max_output_tokens = body.max_tokens;
+        delete body.max_tokens;
+      }
+    }
+  } else if (body.max_output_tokens !== undefined) {
     if (body.max_tokens === undefined) {
       body.max_tokens = body.max_output_tokens;
     }
diff --git a/tests/unit/chatcore-sanitization.test.ts b/tests/unit/chatcore-sanitization.test.ts
index 3f56eadda6..b4ebe8653a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/chatcore-sanitization.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/chatcore-sanitization.test.ts
@@ -179,6 +179,90 @@ test("chatCore sanitization normalizes max_output_tokens into max_tokens", async
   assert.equal("max_tokens" in untouched.call.body, false);
 });
 
+test("chatCore sanitization preserves max_output_tokens for openai-responses targets", async () => {
+  // When the target provider uses openai-responses format (e.g. Codex),
+  // max_output_tokens is the canonical field and must NOT be normalized to
+  // max_tokens. Normalizing it breaks Responses→Responses passthrough because
+  // the translator (which converts max_tokens back) is skipped for same-format.
+  const { call } = await invokeChatCore({
+    endpoint: "/v1/responses",
+    body: {
+      model: "gpt-5.4",
+      max_output_tokens: 4096,
+      input: [{ role: "user", content: "hello" }],
+    },
+    responseFactory: () =>
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          id: "resp_test",
+          object: "response",
+          status: "completed",
+          model: "gpt-5.4",
+          output: [
+            { type: "message", role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "output_text", text: "ok" }] },
+          ],
+          usage: { input_tokens: 1, output_tokens: 1, total_tokens: 2 },
+        }),
+        { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
+      ),
+  });
+
+  // max_output_tokens should survive sanitization for Responses targets
+  assert.equal("max_tokens" in call.body, false, "max_tokens must not be injected for Responses targets");
+
+  // Reverse normalization: max_tokens → max_output_tokens for Responses targets
+  const fromMaxTokens = await invokeChatCore({
+    endpoint: "/v1/responses",
+    body: {
+      model: "gpt-5.4",
+      max_tokens: 2048,
+      input: [{ role: "user", content: "hello" }],
+    },
+    responseFactory: () =>
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          id: "resp_test2",
+          object: "response",
+          status: "completed",
+          model: "gpt-5.4",
+          output: [
+            { type: "message", role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "output_text", text: "ok" }] },
+          ],
+          usage: { input_tokens: 1, output_tokens: 1, total_tokens: 2 },
+        }),
+        { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
+      ),
+  });
+
+  assert.equal("max_tokens" in fromMaxTokens.call.body, false, "max_tokens should be converted to max_output_tokens");
+
+  // Reverse normalization: max_completion_tokens → max_output_tokens for Responses targets
+  const fromMaxCompletion = await invokeChatCore({
+    endpoint: "/v1/responses",
+    body: {
+      model: "gpt-5.4",
+      max_completion_tokens: 8192,
+      input: [{ role: "user", content: "hello" }],
+    },
+    responseFactory: () =>
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          id: "resp_test3",
+          object: "response",
+          status: "completed",
+          model: "gpt-5.4",
+          output: [
+            { type: "message", role: "assistant", content: [{ type: "output_text", text: "ok" }] },
+          ],
+          usage: { input_tokens: 1, output_tokens: 1, total_tokens: 2 },
+        }),
+        { status: 200, headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
+      ),
+  });
+
+  assert.equal("max_completion_tokens" in fromMaxCompletion.call.body, false, "max_completion_tokens should be converted to max_output_tokens");
+});
+
 test("chatCore sanitization strips empty message names and filters empty tool names", async () => {
   // Note: `input` field is tested separately because its presence triggers
   // Responses format detection (PR #1002), which changes message handling.