diff --git a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py
index 4c7084f37112..28d5a31f1cd6 100644
--- a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py
+++ b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/handlers.py
@@ -151,6 +151,8 @@ def _discard_orphan_result(fut: "asyncio.Future[dict]") -> None:
         "weight_version",
     }
 )
+# An object sentinel cannot collide with a caller-supplied version.
+_WEIGHT_VERSION_UNDECLARED: Final = object()
 
 
 def build_prompt_tokens_details(
@@ -1185,7 +1187,7 @@ def __init__(
         # to prevent both bypassing the check before either inserts (atomicity).
         self._lora_capacity_guard = asyncio.Lock()
         self._paused: bool = False
-        self._weight_version: str = "initial"
+        self._weight_version: Any = _WEIGHT_VERSION_UNDECLARED
 
         embedding_loader = self.init_embedding_loader(config, encode_worker_client)
 
@@ -2001,7 +2003,7 @@ async def abort_request(self, body: dict) -> dict:
             return {"status": "error", "message": str(e)}
 
     async def get_weight_version(self, body: dict) -> dict:
-        """Return the current weight version tag."""
+        """Report the worker's current declared weight-version state."""
         if body is None:
             body = {}
         elif not isinstance(body, dict):
@@ -2009,7 +2011,29 @@ async def get_weight_version(self, body: dict) -> dict:
                 "status": "error",
                 "message": "request body must be a JSON object",
             }
-        return {"status": "ok", "version": getattr(self, "_weight_version", "initial")}
+        version = self._weight_version
+        is_declared = version is not _WEIGHT_VERSION_UNDECLARED
+        return {
+            "status": "ok",
+            "version": version if is_declared else None,
+            "version_declared": is_declared,
+        }
+
+    async def set_weight_version(self, body: dict) -> dict:
+        """Validate and declare a weight version for subsequent requests."""
+        if body is None:
+            body = {}
+        elif not isinstance(body, dict):
+            return {
+                "status": "error",
+                "message": "request body must be a JSON object",
+            }
+        if "weight_version" not in body:
+            return {"status": "error", "message": "Missing 'weight_version' in body"}
+        version = body["weight_version"]
+        self._weight_version = version
+        logger.info("[RL] Weight version declared")
+        return {"status": "ok", "version": version}
 
     async def update_weights_from_disk(self, body: dict) -> dict:
         """Load weights from a shared filesystem checkpoint."""
@@ -2048,11 +2072,16 @@ async def update_weights_from_disk(self, body: dict) -> dict:
                 # weights is now stale and must not be reused. Invalidate it
                 # while still holding _pause_lock (generation is paused).
                 await self.engine_client.reset_prefix_cache()
-                self._weight_version = version
+                if "weight_version" in body:
+                    self._weight_version = version
                 logger.info(
                     f"[RL] Weights loaded from {path} (version={version}, rpc={rpc})"
                 )
-                return {"status": "ok", "version": version}
+                return {
+                    "status": "ok",
+                    "version": version,
+                    "version_declared": "weight_version" in body,
+                }
             except EngineDeadError as e:
                 self._shutdown_on_engine_dead(e)
             except Exception as e:
@@ -2111,12 +2140,17 @@ async def update_weights_from_distributed(self, body: dict) -> dict:
                     # Weights changed: stale prefix/KV cache must be invalidated
                     # before resume so it is not reused under the new weights.
                     await self.engine_client.reset_prefix_cache()
-                self._weight_version = version
+                if "weight_version" in body:
+                    self._weight_version = version
                 logger.info(
                     f"[RL] Weights received via distributed "
                     f"(version={version}, rpc={rpc})"
                 )
-                return {"status": "ok", "version": version}
+                return {
+                    "status": "ok",
+                    "version": version,
+                    "version_declared": "weight_version" in body,
+                }
             except EngineDeadError as e:
                 self._shutdown_on_engine_dead(e)
             except Exception as e:
diff --git a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/tests/test_vllm_worker_handler.py b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/tests/test_vllm_worker_handler.py
index ec415f1add45..6966155b4f3e 100644
--- a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/tests/test_vllm_worker_handler.py
+++ b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/tests/test_vllm_worker_handler.py
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ def _make_handler(
     # BaseWorkerHandler.__init__ is bypassed above; the decode generate path
     # registers per-request deferred-abort guards here.
     handler._deferred_aborts = {}
+    handler._weight_version = mod._WEIGHT_VERSION_UNDECLARED
     return handler
 
 
@@ -1924,6 +1925,8 @@ async def test_admin_rejects_non_dict_body(self):
                 handler.resume_generation,
                 handler.flush_cache,
                 handler.abort_request,
+                handler.get_weight_version,
+                handler.set_weight_version,
             ):
                 resp = await fn(body)
                 assert resp["status"] == "error", (fn.__name__, body, resp)
@@ -1948,7 +1951,7 @@ async def test_distributed_update_can_match_async_rl_semantics(self):
             }
         )
 
-        assert resp == {"status": "ok", "version": 7}
+        assert resp == {"status": "ok", "version": 7, "version_declared": True}
         handler.engine_client.collective_rpc.assert_awaited_once_with(
             "update_weights",
             kwargs={"update_info": {"names": ["weight"]}},
@@ -1996,6 +1999,118 @@ async def test_distributed_update_preserves_safe_defaults(self):
         )
         handler.engine_client.reset_prefix_cache.assert_awaited_once_with()
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _make_rl_handler():
+        handler = _make_handler()
+        handler._pause_lock = asyncio.Lock()
+        handler._paused = False
+        handler.engine_client = MagicMock()
+        handler.engine_client.collective_rpc = AsyncMock()
+        handler.engine_client.reset_prefix_cache = AsyncMock()
+        return handler
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_get_weight_version_reports_undeclared_before_any_update(self):
+        config = _make_config(enable_multimodal=False)
+        config.custom_encoder_class = None
+        with patch.object(mod, "VllmEngineMonitor"):
+            handler = mod.DecodeWorkerHandler(
+                runtime=MagicMock(),
+                config=config,
+                engine=MagicMock(),
+                default_sampling_params={},
+            )
+
+        resp = await handler.get_weight_version({})
+
+        assert resp["status"] == "ok"
+        assert resp["version_declared"] is False
+        assert resp["version"] is None
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("version", [None, 7, "policy-43"])
+    async def test_set_weight_version_declares_without_touching_the_engine(
+        self, version
+    ):
+        handler = self._make_rl_handler()
+
+        resp = await handler.set_weight_version({"weight_version": version})
+
+        assert resp == {"status": "ok", "version": version}
+        assert await handler.get_weight_version({}) == {
+            "status": "ok",
+            "version": version,
+            "version_declared": True,
+        }
+        handler.engine_client.collective_rpc.assert_not_awaited()
+        handler.engine_client.reset_prefix_cache.assert_not_awaited()
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    async def test_set_weight_version_rejects_a_missing_version(self):
+        handler = self._make_rl_handler()
+
+        resp = await handler.set_weight_version({})
+
+        assert resp["status"] == "error"
+        assert (await handler.get_weight_version({}))["version_declared"] is False
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("version", [None, "initial", "unknown"])
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        ("route", "body"),
+        [
+            ("update_weights_from_disk", {"model_path": "/models/checkpoint-42"}),
+            ("update_weights_from_distributed", {"engine_rpc": "update_weights"}),
+        ],
+    )
+    async def test_explicit_version_is_declared(self, route, body, version):
+        handler = self._make_rl_handler()
+        handler._paused = True
+
+        response = await getattr(handler, route)({**body, "weight_version": version})
+
+        assert response == {
+            "status": "ok",
+            "version": version,
+            "version_declared": True,
+        }
+        assert await handler.get_weight_version({}) == {
+            "status": "ok",
+            "version": version,
+            "version_declared": True,
+        }
+
+    @pytest.mark.asyncio
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "version",
+        [mod._WEIGHT_VERSION_UNDECLARED, None, "policy-42"],
+        ids=["undeclared", "declared-null", "declared-string"],
+    )
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        ("route", "body"),
+        [
+            ("update_weights_from_disk", {"model_path": "/models/checkpoint-43"}),
+            ("update_weights_from_distributed", {"engine_rpc": "update_weights"}),
+        ],
+    )
+    async def test_update_without_a_version_preserves_declaration(
+        self, route, body, version
+    ):
+        handler = self._make_rl_handler()
+        handler._paused = True
+        if version is not mod._WEIGHT_VERSION_UNDECLARED:
+            await handler.set_weight_version({"weight_version": version})
+        previous = await handler.get_weight_version({})
+
+        response = await getattr(handler, route)(body)
+
+        assert response == {
+            "status": "ok",
+            "version": "unknown",
+            "version_declared": False,
+        }
+        assert await handler.get_weight_version({}) == previous
+
     @pytest.mark.asyncio
     async def test_init_weights_update_group_succeeds_within_timeout(self):
         handler = _make_handler()
diff --git a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/worker_factory.py b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/worker_factory.py
index 8d5f1eaec356..26d53854712d 100644
--- a/components/src/dynamo/vllm/worker_factory.py
+++ b/components/src/dynamo/vllm/worker_factory.py
@@ -1826,6 +1826,7 @@ def register_engine_routes(
             "init_weights_update_group": handler.init_weights_update_group,
             "destroy_weights_update_group": handler.destroy_weights_update_group,
             "get_weight_version": handler.get_weight_version,
+            "set_weight_version": handler.set_weight_version,
         }
 
         if lora_enabled:
diff --git a/docs/fern/pages/use-cases/reinforcement-learning/integration-reference.md b/docs/fern/pages/use-cases/reinforcement-learning/integration-reference.md
index 2b7f6839752e..5cc70320eb95 100644
--- a/docs/fern/pages/use-cases/reinforcement-learning/integration-reference.md
+++ b/docs/fern/pages/use-cases/reinforcement-learning/integration-reference.md
@@ -122,6 +122,7 @@ A protocol version `1` response has this shape. Optional fields such as `model`,
         "liveness_probe",
         "pause_generation",
         "resume_generation",
+        "set_weight_version",
         "update_weights_from_disk"
       ]
     }
@@ -167,12 +168,51 @@ The backends do not share one administration schema. Use the exact route returne
 | Stop and resume work | Python `pause_generation` / `resume_generation`; native-sidecar control routes reflect the installed vLLM RL API | `release_memory_occupation` unregisters and drains the worker; `resume_memory_occupation` restores it |
 | Clear KV state | Python `flush_cache`; native-sidecar behavior follows the advertised lifecycle route and vLLM configuration | `clear_kv_blocks` is a Dynamo worker request-plane endpoint, not a built-in `/engine/control/*` route, and rejects active requests |
 | Apply weights | Python disk or distributed update routes and group lifecycle; native sidecar init/start/update/finish routes when weight transfer is enabled | Built-in disk, tensor, distributed, or IPC update routes using the installed SGLang request schemas |
-| Weight version | Python `get_weight_version` reads caller-supplied update metadata; native sidecar exposes get/update controls | `update_weight_version` changes metadata and can abort requests; it does not replace tensors |
+| Weight version | Python `get_weight_version` reads the last declared version; `set_weight_version` declares metadata without loading weights; native sidecar exposes get/update controls | `update_weight_version` changes metadata and can abort requests; it does not replace tensors |
 | Custom controls | Python integrations can register and advertise trusted engine routes | Allowlist methods with `--engine-route` or `DYN_SGLANG_ENGINE_ROUTES` using <code>path[=method][:engine&#124;tm]</code> |
 | Success body | Python RL routes commonly return a `status` field; native-sidecar routes follow vLLM's RL schemas | Built-in update routes commonly return `success` and `message`; check both HTTP status and body |
 
 Even two vLLM deployments can expose different route families because the Python worker and native sidecar adapt different backend control APIs. Never prepend, remove, or rename route segments returned in `routes`.
 
+### Read and Declare the Weight Version
+
+A Python vLLM worker reports the last weight version declared to it through `get_weight_version`:
+
+```bash
+curl http://10.0.0.12:8081/engine/get_weight_version \
+  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+  -d '{}'
+```
+
+```json
+{"status": "ok", "version": "42", "version_declared": true}
+```
+
+A worker tracks only the versions declared to it. `version_declared` is `false`, with `version` set to `null`, until something declares one, either through a `/engine/` weight-update route that carries `weight_version` or through `set_weight_version`. Branch on `version_declared` rather than comparing `version` against a placeholder string: any string, including `"initial"`, is a legal version tag that a caller can declare.
+
+For each Python vLLM worker, check that `routes` from `GET /v1/rl/workers` includes `set_weight_version` before relying on `version_declared`. Older workers omit both that route and the response field; treat a missing `version_declared` as unsupported declaration tracking, not as `false`, because their `"initial"` version cannot distinguish an undeclared worker from an explicit declaration.
+
+Version declarations accept any JSON value, including `null`. An explicit `{"weight_version": null}` is a declaration: `get_weight_version` then returns `"version": null` with `"version_declared": true`.
+
+A successful weight-update reply includes `version_declared` to indicate whether that update declared a version. If the request omits `weight_version`, the reply contains `"version": "unknown"` and `"version_declared": false`, and the previous declaration remains unchanged. An explicit `{"weight_version": "unknown"}` returns the same version with `"version_declared": true`. In an update reply, this flag describes the update; in `get_weight_version`, it describes the stored declaration. A worker with no previous declaration remains undeclared after an update that omits the version. Pass `weight_version` on every update whose version you want the worker to report.
+
+> [!WARNING]
+> A worker reports the last version declared to it, not the weights loaded in its GPU memory. Dynamo observes only the weight updates that traverse its own `/engine/` routes. Loading weights by another path, such as calling `collective_rpc` on the engine object directly, leaves the reported version stale unless the loader declares the new version.
+
+When an RL framework loads weights outside Dynamo, declare the resulting version so the worker reports it. `set_weight_version` records the version without loading weights:
+
+```bash
+curl http://10.0.0.12:8081/engine/set_weight_version \
+  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+  -d '{"weight_version": "43"}'
+```
+
+```json
+{"status": "ok", "version": "43"}
+```
+
+The route requires `weight_version` in the body and returns `{"status": "error"}` when it is missing. It neither pauses generation nor invalidates the prefix cache, so a caller that changed the weights must handle both itself.
+
 ## Framework Compatibility
 
 | Framework | Status | Current Dynamo path | Key boundary |