diff --git a/src/sse/handlers/chat.ts b/src/sse/handlers/chat.ts
index da10e9a5506..631a63c1132 100644
--- a/src/sse/handlers/chat.ts
+++ b/src/sse/handlers/chat.ts
@@ -1530,6 +1530,26 @@ async function handleSingleModelChat(
           continue;
         }
 
+        // #8928: once the bounded same-connection retry is unavailable or exhausted,
+        // remove only the affinity pin that still points at this failed connection. This lets
+        // the next client retry select another eligible account without deleting a
+        // pin that may already have moved to a healthy connection.
+        const isTerminalStreamEarlyEof =
+          result.errorCode === "STREAM_EARLY_EOF" ||
+          result.errorType === "stream_early_eof";
+
+        if (isTerminalStreamEarlyEof && runtimeOptions.sessionAffinityKey) {
+          try {
+            evictSessionAccountAffinityForConnection(
+              runtimeOptions.sessionAffinityKey,
+              provider,
+              credentials.connectionId
+            );
+          } catch {
+            // Best-effort: the current response still surfaces the original 502.
+          }
+        }
+
         // Stream readiness timeout is an upstream stall after an HTTP response was received,
         // not an account/quota failure. Do NOT mark the account unavailable here.
         return withSelectedConnectionHeader(result.response, credentials?.connectionId);
diff --git a/tests/unit/stream-early-eof-affinity-8928.test.ts b/tests/unit/stream-early-eof-affinity-8928.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2af93bd1523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/stream-early-eof-affinity-8928.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+
+const chatSource = fs.readFileSync(
+  new URL("../../src/sse/handlers/chat.ts", import.meta.url),
+  "utf8"
+);
+
+function getNonAntigravityStreamFailureBranch(): string {
+  const startMarker = [
+    "      if (",
+    '        (result.errorType === "stream_timeout" || result.errorType === "stream_early_eof") &&',
+    "        !isAntigravityStreamReadinessFailure",
+    "      ) {",
+  ].join("\n");
+
+  const start = chatSource.indexOf(startMarker);
+  assert.notEqual(start, -1, "non-Antigravity stream-failure branch must exist");
+
+  const end = chatSource.indexOf(
+    "\n      if (isAntigravityStreamReadinessFailure)",
+    start
+  );
+  assert.notEqual(end, -1, "stream-failure branch end marker must exist");
+
+  return chatSource.slice(start, end);
+}
+
+test("terminal STREAM_EARLY_EOF evicts affinity after the bounded retry (#8928)", () => {
+  const branch = getNonAntigravityStreamFailureBranch();
+
+  const retryContinue = branch.indexOf("continue;");
+  const eviction = branch.indexOf(
+    "evictSessionAccountAffinityForConnection("
+  );
+  const terminalReturn = branch.indexOf(
+    "return withSelectedConnectionHeader("
+  );
+
+  assert.ok(retryContinue >= 0, "the existing bounded retry must remain");
+  assert.ok(eviction > retryContinue, "eviction must happen only after retry is exhausted");
+  assert.ok(terminalReturn > eviction, "eviction must happen before the terminal 502 is returned");
+});
+
+test("early-EOF eviction recognizes both typed error signals (#8928)", () => {
+  const branch = getNonAntigravityStreamFailureBranch();
+
+  assert.match(
+    branch,
+    /result\.errorCode === "STREAM_EARLY_EOF"/,
+    "the canonical STREAM_EARLY_EOF code must trigger eviction"
+  );
+  assert.match(
+    branch,
+    /result\.errorType === "stream_early_eof"/,
+    "the typed stream_early_eof fallback must trigger eviction"
+  );
+});
+
+test("early-EOF eviction is session-key and connection guarded (#8928)", () => {
+  const branch = getNonAntigravityStreamFailureBranch();
+
+  assert.match(
+    branch,
+    /isTerminalStreamEarlyEof && runtimeOptions\.sessionAffinityKey/,
+    "eviction must run only for terminal early EOF with an affinity key"
+  );
+
+  assert.match(
+    branch,
+    /evictSessionAccountAffinityForConnection\(\s*runtimeOptions\.sessionAffinityKey,\s*provider,\s*credentials\.connectionId\s*\)/s,
+    "the connection-matched helper must protect a pin that moved elsewhere"
+  );
+
+  assert.doesNotMatch(
+    branch,
+    /deleteSessionAccountAffinity\(/,
+    "the terminal branch must not perform an unguarded affinity deletion"
+  );
+});