BerriAI/litellm · error · HTTPException

🚨🚨🚨 DISABLING LLM API ENDPOINTS is an Enterprise feature

Error message

🚨🚨🚨 DISABLING LLM API ENDPOINTS is an Enterprise feature
🚨 You must be a LiteLLM Enterprise user to use this feature. If you have a license please set `LITELLM_LICENSE` in your env. Get a 7 day trial key here: https://www.litellm.ai/enterprise#trial. 
Pricing: https://www.litellm.ai/#pricing

What it means

HTTP 500 raised by EnterpriseRouteChecks.is_llm_api_route_disabled: the environment variable DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS is set, but premium_user is False. Disabling LLM API endpoints is an enterprise-only control, so OSS/unlicensed instances that set the env var get this error when the check runs.

Source

Thrown at enterprise/litellm_enterprise/proxy/auth/route_checks.py:19

import os

from fastapi import HTTPException, status


class EnterpriseRouteChecks:
    @staticmethod
    def is_llm_api_route_disabled() -> bool:
        """
        Check if llm api route is disabled
        """
        from litellm.proxy._types import CommonProxyErrors
        from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import premium_user
        from litellm.secret_managers.main import get_secret_bool

        ## Check if DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS is set
        if "DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS" in os.environ:
            if not premium_user:
                raise HTTPException(
                    status_code=status.HTTP_500_INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR,
                    detail=f"🚨🚨🚨 DISABLING LLM API ENDPOINTS is an Enterprise feature\n🚨 {CommonProxyErrors.not_premium_user.value}",
                )

        return get_secret_bool("DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS") is True

    @staticmethod
    def is_management_routes_disabled() -> bool:
        """
        Check if management route is disabled
        """
        from litellm.proxy._types import CommonProxyErrors
        from litellm.proxy.proxy_server import premium_user
        from litellm.secret_managers.main import get_secret_bool

        if "DISABLE_ADMIN_ENDPOINTS" in os.environ:
            if not premium_user:
                raise HTTPException(

View on GitHub (pinned to 6c2dcb801b)

Solutions

Remove DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS from the environment if you have no enterprise license (enforce equivalent restrictions with a firewall/reverse-proxy rule instead)
Or set a valid LITELLM_LICENSE and restart to make the feature available
Audit container/systemd env files for leftover enterprise env vars when downgrading from enterprise to OSS

Example fix

# before
ENV DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS=true
# no license -> HTTP 500 on route checks

# after: pick one
# (a) remove the var, restrict at the gateway:
#   deny /v1/chat/completions in nginx
# (b) export LITELLM_LICENSE=<valid-key>

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import os
assert not (os.environ.get('DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS') and not os.environ.get('LITELLM_LICENSE')), \
    'DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS requires an enterprise license'

Try / catch

resp = httpx.get(f'{PROXY_URL}/health', headers=h)
if resp.status_code == 500 and 'DISABLING LLM API ENDPOINTS' in resp.text:
    fail_deploy('license/env mismatch: DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS without license')

Prevention

Add a deploy-time env linter: enterprise-only flags require LITELLM_LICENSE
Keep enterprise and OSS env templates in separate files

When it happens

Trigger: Setting DISABLE_LLM_API_ENDPOINTS=true in the environment of a proxy without a valid LITELLM_LICENSE; any subsequent route check (should_call_route) evaluates is_llm_api_route_disabled and raises immediately.

Common situations: Hardening attempt on an OSS deployment (lock proxy to management-only) using an enterprise knob; license expired or missing in the container while the env var persists from a previous enterprise setup.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of BerriAI/litellm@6c2dcb801b (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/63648261b3ef550d. Report an issue: GitHub.