diff --git a/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go b/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
index fd9bf1e81..48b11c237 100644
--- a/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
+++ b/pkg/providers/error_classifier.go
@@ -50,6 +50,21 @@ var (
 		substr("context deadline exceeded"),
 	}
 
+	// Transport layer error patterns that should trigger fallback.
+	transportPatterns = []errorPattern{
+		substr("connection reset by peer"),
+		substr("connection refused"),
+		substr("no route to host"),
+		substr("unexpected eof"),
+		substr("broken pipe"),
+		substr("connection closed"),
+		substr("connection reset"),
+		substr("eof"),
+		substr("network is unreachable"),
+		substr("temporary failure in name resolution"),
+		substr("dial tcp"),
+	}
+
 	billingPatterns = []errorPattern{
 		rxp(`\b402\b`),
 		substr("payment required"),
@@ -195,6 +210,9 @@ func classifyByMessage(msg string) FailoverReason {
 	if matchesAny(msg, timeoutPatterns) {
 		return FailoverTimeout
 	}
+	if matchesAny(msg, transportPatterns) {
+		return FailoverTimeout // Transport errors treated as timeout (retriable)
+	}
 	if matchesAny(msg, authPatterns) {
 		return FailoverAuth
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/providers/error_classifier_test.go b/pkg/providers/error_classifier_test.go
index 67d9af62b..8806572ef 100644
--- a/pkg/providers/error_classifier_test.go
+++ b/pkg/providers/error_classifier_test.go
@@ -336,3 +336,35 @@ func TestIsImageSizeError(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("should not match normal error")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestClassifyError_TransportPatterns(t *testing.T) {
+	patterns := []string{
+		"connection reset by peer",
+		"connection refused",
+		"no route to host",
+		"unexpected EOF",
+		"broken pipe",
+		"connection closed",
+		"connection reset",
+		"EOF",
+		"network is unreachable",
+		"temporary failure in name resolution",
+		"dial tcp: lookup api.openrouter.ai: no such host",
+		"read tcp 10.0.0.1:12345->10.0.0.2:443: connection reset by peer",
+	}
+
+	for _, msg := range patterns {
+		err := errors.New(msg)
+		result := ClassifyError(err, "openrouter", "claude-3-opus")
+		if result == nil {
+			t.Errorf("pattern %q: expected non-nil", msg)
+			continue
+		}
+		if result.Reason != FailoverTimeout {
+			t.Errorf("pattern %q: reason = %q, want timeout", msg, result.Reason)
+		}
+		if !result.IsRetriable() {
+			t.Errorf("pattern %q: should be retriable", msg)
+		}
+	}
+}