diff --git a/agent/conversation_compression.py b/agent/conversation_compression.py
index 3256bca9ec006..db10f69d52c0a 100644
--- a/agent/conversation_compression.py
+++ b/agent/conversation_compression.py
@@ -66,7 +66,6 @@ from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
-from agent.auxiliary_client import AuxiliaryExplicitCancellation
 from agent.context_engine import (
     automatic_compaction_status_message,
     sanitize_memory_context,
@@ -2166,6 +2165,13 @@ def compress_context(
         prompt — the session is NOT rotated.  Callers should detect the
         no-op via ``len(returned) == len(input)`` and stop the retry loop.
     """
+    # Imported at call time so that ``import gateway`` (which reaches this
+    # module via agent.turn_context) stays free of the auxiliary-client →
+    # credential-pool → hermes_cli.auth → httpx chain. Minimal consumers
+    # (cross-repo E2E venvs, tooling) import the gateway package without the
+    # full agent dependency set.
+    from agent.auxiliary_client import AuxiliaryExplicitCancellation
+
     _compressor_attempt_snapshot = _snapshot_compressor_attempt_state(
         agent.context_compressor
     )
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_gateway_import_hygiene.py b/tests/gateway/test_gateway_import_hygiene.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4fd5d544d7adf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_gateway_import_hygiene.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+"""Import-hygiene guard: ``import gateway`` must not require httpx.
+
+The gateway package is imported by minimal consumers that install only the
+lightweight wire deps (websockets/aiohttp/pyyaml/requests) — notably the
+gateway-gateway cross-repo live E2E suite, which drives
+``gateway.relay.ws_transport`` from a venv without the full agent dependency
+set. Any module reachable from ``import gateway`` that eagerly imports
+``hermes_cli.auth`` (and therefore httpx) breaks every one of those consumers
+at import time.
+
+Regression: agent/conversation_compression.py grew a module-level
+``from agent.auxiliary_client import AuxiliaryExplicitCancellation`` which
+pulled in agent.credential_pool → hermes_cli.auth → httpx during
+``import gateway``.
+"""
+
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+
+# Runs in a fresh interpreter so previously-imported modules in the test
+# process can't mask an eager import. A meta-path hook makes httpx (and the
+# heavyweight SDK clients) unimportable, mimicking the minimal E2E venv.
+_PROBE = """
+import sys
+
+BLOCKED = {"httpx", "openai", "anthropic"}
+
+class _Blocker:
+    def find_module(self, fullname, path=None):
+        if fullname.split(".")[0] in BLOCKED:
+            return self
+        return None
+
+    def load_module(self, fullname):
+        raise ImportError(f"blocked by import-hygiene test: {fullname}")
+
+sys.meta_path.insert(0, _Blocker())
+
+from gateway.relay.ws_transport import WebSocketRelayTransport  # noqa: F401
+import gateway  # noqa: F401
+
+leaked = sorted(m for m in sys.modules if m.split(".")[0] in BLOCKED)
+if leaked:
+    raise SystemExit(f"blocked modules leaked into sys.modules: {leaked}")
+print("import-hygiene-ok")
+"""
+
+
+def test_import_gateway_does_not_require_httpx():
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [sys.executable, "-c", _PROBE],
+        cwd=REPO_ROOT,
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        timeout=120,
+    )
+    assert result.returncode == 0, (
+        "`import gateway` dragged in a blocked heavyweight dependency "
+        "(httpx/openai/anthropic). Minimal consumers (cross-repo E2E venvs) "
+        "import the gateway package without the full agent deps — keep those "
+        f"imports lazy.\nstdout: {result.stdout}\nstderr: {result.stderr}"
+    )
+    assert "import-hygiene-ok" in result.stdout