diff --git a/pkg/kthena-router/filters/ratelimit/ratelimit.go b/pkg/kthena-router/filters/ratelimit/ratelimit.go
index 1d40d1e7a..155a68f51 100644
--- a/pkg/kthena-router/filters/ratelimit/ratelimit.go
+++ b/pkg/kthena-router/filters/ratelimit/ratelimit.go
@@ -66,7 +66,8 @@ type TokenRateLimiter struct {
 	outputLimiter map[string]Limiter
 
 	// Redis client for global rate limiting
-	redisClient *redis.Client
+	redisClient   *redis.Client
+	appliedLimits map[string]*networkingv1alpha1.RateLimit
 
 	tokenizer tokenizer.Tokenizer
 }
@@ -94,6 +95,7 @@ func NewTokenRateLimiter() *TokenRateLimiter {
 		inputLimiter:  make(map[string]Limiter),
 		outputLimiter: make(map[string]Limiter),
 		tokenizer:     tokenizer.NewSimpleEstimateTokenizer(),
+		appliedLimits: make(map[string]*networkingv1alpha1.RateLimit),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -150,13 +152,15 @@ func (r *TokenRateLimiter) AddOrUpdateLimiter(model string, ratelimit *networkin
 			r.redisClient = redis.NewClient(&redis.Options{
 				Addr: ratelimit.Global.Redis.Address,
 			})
+		}
 
-			// Test connection
-			ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
-			defer cancel()
-			if err := r.redisClient.Ping(ctx).Err(); err != nil {
-				return fmt.Errorf("failed to connect to redis: %w", err)
-			}
+		// Test connection
+		ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 5*time.Second)
+		defer cancel()
+		if err := r.redisClient.Ping(ctx).Err(); err != nil {
+			_ = r.redisClient.Close()
+			r.redisClient = nil
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to connect to redis: %w", err)
 		}
 
 		// Create global rate limiters
@@ -200,6 +204,7 @@ func (r *TokenRateLimiter) AddOrUpdateLimiter(model string, ratelimit *networkin
 		}
 	}
 
+	r.appliedLimits[model] = ratelimit
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -210,6 +215,19 @@ func (r *TokenRateLimiter) DeleteLimiter(model string) {
 
 	delete(r.inputLimiter, model)
 	delete(r.outputLimiter, model)
+	if r.appliedLimits != nil {
+		delete(r.appliedLimits, model)
+	}
+}
+
+// GetAppliedLimiter returns the applied rate limit configuration for a model
+func (r *TokenRateLimiter) GetAppliedLimiter(model string) *networkingv1alpha1.RateLimit {
+	r.mutex.RLock()
+	defer r.mutex.RUnlock()
+	if r.appliedLimits == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return r.appliedLimits[model]
 }
 
 func getTimeUnitDuration(unit networkingv1alpha1.RateLimitUnit) time.Duration {
diff --git a/pkg/kthena-router/router/router.go b/pkg/kthena-router/router/router.go
index 14604d750..71561c893 100644
--- a/pkg/kthena-router/router/router.go
+++ b/pkg/kthena-router/router/router.go
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import (
 	"net"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
+	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -143,8 +144,15 @@ func NewRouter(store datastore.Store, routerConfigPath string) *Router {
 		switch data.EventType {
 		case datastore.EventAdd, datastore.EventUpdate:
 			if data.ModelRoute == nil || data.ModelRoute.Spec.RateLimit == nil {
+				loadRateLimiter.DeleteLimiter(data.ModelName)
 				return
 			}
+
+			appliedLimit := loadRateLimiter.GetAppliedLimiter(data.ModelName)
+			if reflect.DeepEqual(appliedLimit, data.ModelRoute.Spec.RateLimit) {
+				return // RateLimit already successfully applied, nothing to do
+			}
+
 			klog.Infof("add or update rate limit for model %s", data.ModelName)
 
 			// Configure the unified rate limiter for this model
diff --git a/pkg/kthena-router/router/router_test.go b/pkg/kthena-router/router/router_test.go
index 9d71343b5..4c9b97466 100644
--- a/pkg/kthena-router/router/router_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kthena-router/router/router_test.go
@@ -2696,3 +2696,90 @@ type failingEnqueueStore struct {
 func (s *failingEnqueueStore) Enqueue(req *datastore.Request) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("injected enqueue failure")
 }
+
+func TestRouter_RateLimit_ReconciliationIdempotency(t *testing.T) {
+	backendHandler := http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		fmt.Fprint(w, `{"id":"resp"}`)
+	})
+	router, store, backend := setupTestRouter(t, backendHandler)
+	defer backend.Close()
+
+	modelName := "rate-limited-model"
+	tokens := uint32(10)
+	unit := aiv1alpha1.Second
+
+	modelRoute := &aiv1alpha1.ModelRoute{
+		ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{Name: "mr-ratelimit", Namespace: "default"},
+		Spec: aiv1alpha1.ModelRouteSpec{
+			ModelName: modelName,
+			RateLimit: &aiv1alpha1.RateLimit{
+				InputTokensPerUnit: &tokens,
+				Unit:               unit,
+			},
+			Rules: []*aiv1alpha1.Rule{
+				{
+					TargetModels: []*aiv1alpha1.TargetModel{
+						{ModelServerName: "ms-1"},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	err := store.AddOrUpdateModelRoute(modelRoute)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool {
+		applied := router.loadRateLimiter.GetAppliedLimiter(modelName)
+		return applied != nil && *applied.InputTokensPerUnit == 10
+	}, 1*time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond)
+
+	prompt := "hello world"
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		err := router.loadRateLimiter.RateLimit(modelName, prompt)
+		assert.NoError(t, err)
+	}
+
+	err = router.loadRateLimiter.RateLimit(modelName, prompt)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+
+	sameRoute := modelRoute.DeepCopy()
+	sameRoute.Labels = map[string]string{"reconciled": "true"}
+
+	err = store.AddOrUpdateModelRoute(sameRoute)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	time.Sleep(50 * time.Millisecond)
+
+	err = router.loadRateLimiter.RateLimit(modelName, prompt)
+	assert.Error(t, err, "rate limit state should be preserved across non-config updates")
+
+	newTokens := uint32(50)
+	updatedRoute := modelRoute.DeepCopy()
+	updatedRoute.Spec.RateLimit = &aiv1alpha1.RateLimit{
+		InputTokensPerUnit: &newTokens,
+		Unit:               unit,
+	}
+
+	err = store.AddOrUpdateModelRoute(updatedRoute)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool {
+		applied := router.loadRateLimiter.GetAppliedLimiter(modelName)
+		return applied != nil && *applied.InputTokensPerUnit == 50
+	}, 1*time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond)
+
+	err = router.loadRateLimiter.RateLimit(modelName, prompt)
+	assert.NoError(t, err, "limiter should be updated when rate limit config changes")
+
+	noLimitRoute := modelRoute.DeepCopy()
+	noLimitRoute.Spec.RateLimit = nil
+
+	err = store.AddOrUpdateModelRoute(noLimitRoute)
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+
+	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool {
+		return router.loadRateLimiter.GetAppliedLimiter(modelName) == nil
+	}, 1*time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond)
+}