diff --git a/templates/envoy/ai-gateway-route.yaml b/templates/envoy/ai-gateway-route.yaml
index c0c67d1..c019653 100644
--- a/templates/envoy/ai-gateway-route.yaml
+++ b/templates/envoy/ai-gateway-route.yaml
@@ -31,4 +31,19 @@ spec:
         - name: {{ include "model.fullname" (merge (dict "modelName" $name) $) }}
     {{- end }}
   {{- end }}
+  {{- /* The backend serves the target under its fullName, so the gateway rewrites the alias. */}}
+  {{- range $alias, $target := .Values.modelAliases }}
+    {{- $model := index $.Values.models $target | default dict }}
+    {{- if not (or $model.internal $model.apiUrl) }}
+      {{- fail (printf "modelAliases.%s: %q is not a routed model in .Values.models" $alias $target) }}
+    {{- end }}
+    - matches:
+        - headers:
+            - type: Exact
+              name: x-ai-eg-model
+              value: {{ $alias }}
+      backendRefs:
+        - name: {{ include "model.fullname" (merge (dict "modelName" $target) $) }}
+          modelNameOverride: {{ $model.fullName }}
+  {{- end }}
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/templates/init_job/init_secret.yaml b/templates/init_job/init_secret.yaml
index ebfc551..4d661bf 100644
--- a/templates/init_job/init_secret.yaml
+++ b/templates/init_job/init_secret.yaml
@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@ stringData:
     host = "{{ include "openwebui.fullname" . }}.{{ $.Release.Namespace }}.svc.cluster.local:8080"
     admin_user = "{{ .Values.openwebui.admin.user | required ".Values.openwebui.admin.user is required" }}"
     admin_email = "{{ .Values.openwebui.admin.email | required ".Values.openwebui.admin.email is required"}}"
-    model_ids = [{{ range $name, $model := .Values.models }}"{{ $model.fullName }}",{{ end }}]
+    model_ids = [{{ range $name, $model := .Values.models }}"{{ $model.fullName }}",{{ end }}{{ range $alias, $_ := .Values.modelAliases }}"{{ $alias }}",{{ end }}]
   OPENWEBUI_ADMIN_PASSWORD: {{ .Values.openwebui.admin.password | required ".Values.openwebui.admin.password" | quote }}
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/tools/helm/lint-values.yaml b/tools/helm/lint-values.yaml
index cd22008..85e9266 100644
--- a/tools/helm/lint-values.yaml
+++ b/tools/helm/lint-values.yaml
@@ -30,3 +30,5 @@ models:
     <<: *model
     persistence: { enabled: false }
     cacheDir: { claimName: pvc-example-home }
+modelAliases:
+  lint-alias: lint
diff --git a/values.yaml b/values.yaml
index cfb461d..bc2a251 100644
--- a/values.yaml
+++ b/values.yaml
@@ -83,6 +83,10 @@ openwebui:
 
 models: {}
 
+# Stable model names: alias -> key of `models` (not its fullName).
+modelAliases: {}
+  # sdsc-large: model-short-name
+
 initJob:
   image:
     repository: ghcr.io/swissdatasciencecenter/llm-serving/init