diff --git a/tests/config/test_omni_config.py b/tests/config/test_omni_config.py
index 3ee1d40a1..cee4a8214 100644
--- a/tests/config/test_omni_config.py
+++ b/tests/config/test_omni_config.py
@@ -551,6 +551,7 @@ def test_sub_config_fields_match_structured_scopes():
         "enable_sleep_mode",
         "default_sampling_params",
         "subtalker_sampling_params",
+        "silence_ban_frames",
         "has_sampling_extra_args",
         "custom_voice_dir",
         "task_type",
diff --git a/tests/engine/test_stage_engine_args.py b/tests/engine/test_stage_engine_args.py
index e7c9b2311..9ec7e520a 100644
--- a/tests/engine/test_stage_engine_args.py
+++ b/tests/engine/test_stage_engine_args.py
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright contributors to the vLLM-Omni project
+
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import copy
@@ -87,6 +90,7 @@ _OMNI_ONLY_LLM_STAGE_ENGINE_FIELDS = frozenset(
         "num_weight_load_threads",
         "omni_kv_config",
         "parallel_config",
+        "silence_ban_frames",
         "subtalker_sampling_params",
         "task_type",
         "tokenizer_subdir",
diff --git a/tests/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/test_qwen3_tts_talker_silence_ban.py b/tests/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/test_qwen3_tts_talker_silence_ban.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3552c5356
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/test_qwen3_tts_talker_silence_ban.py
@@ -0,0 +1,322 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright contributors to the vLLM project
+"""Unit tests for the Qwen3-TTS leading-silence ban (#4966, #5048).
+
+``compute_logits`` suppresses the checkpoint-derived silence codec vocabulary
+for the first ``silence_ban_frames`` decode frames of a request, and only for
+requests running Base voice-clone in x-vector-only mode. ICL onsets are
+legitimate audio and must not be masked.
+
+Two per-request gates guard the mask, and both index by batch position:
+
+* the decode step, from ``sampling_metadata.output_token_ids[i]`` -- the
+  request's generated-token history, so the window closes on its own and a
+  preempted request cannot re-enter it;
+* the generation mode, recorded at prefill in ``preprocess_batch`` and looked
+  up through the batch req_id order the runner supplies via
+  ``set_batch_req_ids``.
+
+These tests drive the methods directly against a talker built with ``__new__``:
+no config, no checkpoint, no device. Only the attributes the masking path reads
+are populated, and ``logits_processor`` is stubbed to return a fixed tensor.
+"""
+
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+import torch
+
+from vllm_omni.model_executor.models.qwen3_tts.prompt_embeds_builder import resolve_x_vector_only
+from vllm_omni.model_executor.models.qwen3_tts.qwen3_tts_talker import (
+    Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration,
+)
+
+pytestmark = [pytest.mark.core_model, pytest.mark.cpu]
+
+_VOCAB = 32
+_SILENCE_IDS = (3, 7, 11)
+
+
+def _make_talker(*, ban_frames: int, logits: torch.Tensor, modes=None):
+    """Talker stub exposing only what ``compute_logits`` touches.
+
+    ``modes`` is one entry per batch row: ``True`` for x-vector-only, ``False``
+    for ICL, ``None`` for a request whose mode was never recorded. Defaults to
+    every row in scope, so a test that says nothing about mode exercises the
+    step gate alone.
+    """
+    talker = Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration.__new__(Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration)
+
+    silence_mask = torch.zeros((_VOCAB,), dtype=torch.bool)
+    for token in _SILENCE_IDS:
+        silence_mask[token] = True
+
+    if modes is None:
+        modes = [True] * logits.shape[0]
+    req_ids = [f"req{i}" for i in range(len(modes))]
+
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_silence_ban_frames", ban_frames)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_silence_mask", silence_mask)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_codec_disallowed_mask", torch.zeros((_VOCAB,), dtype=torch.bool))
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_batch_req_ids", req_ids)
+    object.__setattr__(
+        talker,
+        "_req_x_vector_only",
+        {rid: mode for rid, mode in zip(req_ids, modes, strict=True) if mode is not None},
+    )
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "lm_head", None)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "logits_processor", lambda _head, _hidden: logits.clone())
+    return talker
+
+
+def _metadata(*steps: int):
+    """sampling_metadata whose output_token_ids encode one step per request."""
+    return SimpleNamespace(output_token_ids=[[0] * step for step in steps])
+
+
+def _banned(row: torch.Tensor) -> set[int]:
+    return {int(i) for i in torch.nonzero(torch.isinf(row) & (row < 0)).flatten()}
+
+
+# -------------------- the step gate --------------------
+
+
+def test_ban_disabled_leaves_logits_unchanged() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((1, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=0, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((1, 4)), _metadata(0))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(), "ban_frames=0 must be a no-op"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("step", [0, 1, 2])
+def test_early_steps_mask_only_the_silence_vocabulary(step: int) -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((1, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((1, 4)), _metadata(step))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(_SILENCE_IDS), f"step {step} must mask exactly the silence ids"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("step", [3, 4, 50])
+def test_steps_past_the_window_are_untouched(step: int) -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((1, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((1, 4)), _metadata(step))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(), f"step {step} is past the window; nothing may be masked"
+
+
+def test_mixed_step_batch_masks_only_the_early_request() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((2, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((2, 4)), _metadata(0, 3))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(_SILENCE_IDS), "the step-0 request must be masked"
+    assert _banned(out[1]) == set(), "the step-3 request must not be masked"
+
+
+# -------------------- the mode gate --------------------
+
+
+def test_icl_request_is_never_masked() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((1, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits, modes=[False])
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((1, 4)), _metadata(0))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(), "an ICL onset is real audio and must not be suppressed"
+
+
+def test_mixed_mode_batch_masks_only_the_x_vector_request() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((2, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits, modes=[True, False])
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((2, 4)), _metadata(0, 0))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(_SILENCE_IDS), "the x-vector-only request must be masked"
+    assert _banned(out[1]) == set(), "the ICL request in the same batch must not be"
+
+
+def test_unrecorded_mode_is_left_alone() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((2, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits, modes=[True, None])
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((2, 4)), _metadata(0, 0))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(_SILENCE_IDS)
+    assert _banned(out[1]) == set(), "a request that cannot be classified must not be masked"
+
+
+def test_stale_batch_req_ids_skip_the_ban() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((2, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    # One req_id for a two-row batch: the recorded order no longer indexes the
+    # logits, so masking by position would hit the wrong request.
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_batch_req_ids", ["req0"])
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((2, 4)), _metadata(0, 0))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(), "a req_id/logits length mismatch must disable the ban"
+    assert _banned(out[1]) == set()
+
+
+# -------------------- metadata plumbing --------------------
+
+
+def test_missing_sampling_metadata_does_not_crash() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((1, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((1, 4)), None)
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "metadata",
+    [SimpleNamespace(output_token_ids=None), SimpleNamespace(), SimpleNamespace(output_token_ids=[])],
+)
+def test_absent_output_token_ids_warns_without_masking(metadata) -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((1, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((1, 4)), metadata)
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(), "the ban must skip, not crash, when history is unavailable"
+
+
+def test_batch_length_mismatch_skips_the_ban() -> None:
+    logits = torch.zeros((2, _VOCAB))
+    talker = _make_talker(ban_frames=3, logits=logits)
+    out = talker.compute_logits(torch.zeros((2, 4)), _metadata(0))
+    assert _banned(out[0]) == set(), "a runner shape mismatch must disable the ban, not misindex it"
+    assert _banned(out[1]) == set()
+
+
+# -------------------- mode recording and eviction --------------------
+
+
+def _mode_talker(ban_frames: int = 3):
+    talker = Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration.__new__(Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_silence_ban_frames", ban_frames)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_req_x_vector_only", {})
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_batch_req_ids", [])
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_prompt_builder", SimpleNamespace(preprocess_batch=lambda **_kwargs: None))
+    return talker
+
+
+def _info(*, task_type: str = "Base", xvec: bool = True, icl: bool | None = None) -> dict:
+    info: dict = {"task_type": [task_type], "x_vector_only_mode": [xvec]}
+    if icl is not None:
+        info["voice_clone_prompt"] = [{"icl_mode": icl}]
+    return info
+
+
+def test_preprocess_batch_records_the_generation_mode() -> None:
+    talker = _mode_talker()
+    buffer = {
+        "req0": _info(xvec=True),
+        "req1": _info(xvec=False),
+        "req2": _info(task_type="CustomVoice"),
+    }
+    talker.preprocess_batch(req_ids=list(buffer), model_intermediate_buffer=buffer, device=torch.device("cpu"))
+    assert talker._req_x_vector_only == {"req0": True, "req1": False, "req2": None}
+
+
+def test_recorded_mode_matches_the_prompt_builder_resolution() -> None:
+    """The recording path must agree with the resolution the prefill path uses;
+    a divergence here would mask requests the builder treats as in-context."""
+    infos = [
+        _info(xvec=True),
+        _info(xvec=False),
+        _info(xvec=True, icl=True),
+        _info(xvec=False, icl=False),
+        _info(task_type="VoiceDesign"),
+    ]
+    talker = _mode_talker()
+    buffer = {f"req{i}": info for i, info in enumerate(infos)}
+    talker.preprocess_batch(req_ids=list(buffer), model_intermediate_buffer=buffer, device=torch.device("cpu"))
+    for req_id, info in buffer.items():
+        assert talker._req_x_vector_only[req_id] == resolve_x_vector_only(info)
+
+
+def test_preprocess_batch_records_nothing_when_the_ban_is_off() -> None:
+    talker = _mode_talker(ban_frames=0)
+    buffer = {"req0": _info(xvec=True)}
+    talker.preprocess_batch(req_ids=["req0"], model_intermediate_buffer=buffer, device=torch.device("cpu"))
+    assert talker._req_x_vector_only == {}
+
+
+def test_set_batch_req_ids_evicts_departed_requests() -> None:
+    talker = _mode_talker()
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_req_x_vector_only", {"req0": True, "req1": False, "req2": True})
+    talker.set_batch_req_ids(["req2", "req0"])
+    assert talker._batch_req_ids == ["req2", "req0"], "batch order must be preserved, not sorted"
+    assert talker._req_x_vector_only == {"req0": True, "req2": True}, "req1 has left the batch"
+
+
+# -------------------- _init_silence_mask sanity checks --------------------
+#
+# The silence vocabulary is derived from the checkpoint at load time rather than
+# hardcoded. A derivation that comes back empty, oversized, or out of range means
+# the encode did not produce silence codes, so the ban disables itself instead of
+# masking a guess.
+
+_TALKER_VOCAB = 2048
+
+
+def _make_init_talker(*, codes, ban_frames: int = 3, vocab: int = _TALKER_VOCAB):
+    """Talker stub exposing only what ``_init_silence_mask`` touches.
+
+    ``codes`` is either the list ``_encode_ref_audio_batch`` should return or an
+    exception instance it should raise.
+    """
+    talker = Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration.__new__(Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration)
+
+    def _encode(_wavs, _sr, *, device):
+        if isinstance(codes, Exception):
+            raise codes
+        return codes
+
+    def _parameters():
+        return iter([torch.zeros(1)])
+
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_silence_ban_frames", ban_frames)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_silence_mask", torch.zeros((vocab,), dtype=torch.bool))
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "talker_config", SimpleNamespace(vocab_size=vocab))
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "_encode_ref_audio_batch", _encode)
+    object.__setattr__(talker, "parameters", _parameters)
+    return talker
+
+
+def _codes_from(ids) -> list[torch.Tensor]:
+    """One [T, Q] codec tensor whose codebook-0 column holds ``ids``."""
+    cb0 = torch.tensor(list(ids), dtype=torch.long).unsqueeze(1)
+    return [torch.cat([cb0, torch.zeros_like(cb0)], dim=1)]
+
+
+def test_plausible_derivation_populates_the_mask() -> None:
+    talker = _make_init_talker(codes=_codes_from([4, 4, 9, 17]))
+    talker._init_silence_mask()
+    assert talker._silence_ban_frames == 3
+    assert set(torch.nonzero(talker._silence_mask).flatten().tolist()) == {4, 9, 17}
+
+
+def test_empty_derivation_disables_the_ban() -> None:
+    talker = _make_init_talker(codes=[])
+    talker._init_silence_mask()
+    assert talker._silence_ban_frames == 0, "an all-False mask must not stay enabled"
+    assert not talker._silence_mask.any()
+
+
+def test_oversized_derivation_disables_the_ban() -> None:
+    limit = max(64, _TALKER_VOCAB // 20)
+    talker = _make_init_talker(codes=_codes_from(range(limit + 1)))
+    talker._init_silence_mask()
+    assert talker._silence_ban_frames == 0, "a speech-sized vocabulary must not be masked"
+    assert not talker._silence_mask.any()
+
+
+def test_out_of_range_derivation_disables_the_ban() -> None:
+    talker = _make_init_talker(codes=_codes_from([4, 9, _TALKER_VOCAB + 1]))
+    talker._init_silence_mask()
+    assert talker._silence_ban_frames == 0, "a vocabulary-size disagreement must not be half-applied"
+    assert not talker._silence_mask.any()
+
+
+def test_encoder_failure_disables_the_ban() -> None:
+    talker = _make_init_talker(codes=RuntimeError("encoder unavailable"))
+    talker._init_silence_mask()
+    assert talker._silence_ban_frames == 0
+    assert not talker._silence_mask.any()
+
+
+def test_disabled_ban_skips_derivation_entirely() -> None:
+    talker = _make_init_talker(codes=RuntimeError("must not be called"), ban_frames=0)
+    talker._init_silence_mask()
+    assert talker._silence_ban_frames == 0
diff --git a/vllm_omni/config/model.py b/vllm_omni/config/model.py
index ef08dde8d..736a504bd 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/config/model.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/config/model.py
@@ -141,6 +141,7 @@ class OmniModelConfig(ModelConfig):
         }
     )
     subtalker_sampling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
+    silence_ban_frames: int = 0
     omni_kv_config: dict | None = None
     codec_frame_rate_hz: float | None = None
     task_type: str | None = None
diff --git a/vllm_omni/config/omni_config.py b/vllm_omni/config/omni_config.py
index 8dd9c3db6..c1e24ea4b 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/config/omni_config.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/config/omni_config.py
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ class _ModelEngineOverrides(TypedDict, total=False):
     active_stream_window: int
     enable_sleep_mode: bool
     subtalker_sampling_params: dict[str, Any]
+    silence_ban_frames: int
     has_sampling_extra_args: bool
     custom_voice_dir: str
     task_type: str
@@ -387,6 +388,7 @@ class OmniStageModelConfig:
     enable_sleep_mode: bool = False
     default_sampling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
     subtalker_sampling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
+    silence_ban_frames: int = 0
     has_sampling_extra_args: bool = False
     custom_voice_dir: str | None = None
     task_type: str | None = None
diff --git a/vllm_omni/config/stage_config.py b/vllm_omni/config/stage_config.py
index 0e4457733..2b1a9f479 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/config/stage_config.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/config/stage_config.py
@@ -301,6 +301,7 @@ class StageDeployConfig:
     default_sampling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
     default_pooling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
     subtalker_sampling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
+    silence_ban_frames: int = 0
 
     # === Generic stage engine fields ===
     # Parallelism, scheduler, and memory-capacity controls.
diff --git a/vllm_omni/deploy/qwen3_tts.yaml b/vllm_omni/deploy/qwen3_tts.yaml
index 08531869a..58b191f77 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/deploy/qwen3_tts.yaml
+++ b/vllm_omni/deploy/qwen3_tts.yaml
@@ -73,6 +73,10 @@ stages:
       # audio (HTTP 400). See #4962.
       min_tokens: 2
       repetition_penalty: 1.05
+    # Suppress codebook-0 silence tokens for the first N decode frames of a
+    # request (#4966). Applies to every request on this stage, so intended
+    # for x-vector-only (Base voice-clone) deploys. 0 = off.
+    silence_ban_frames: 0
     subtalker_sampling_params:
       do_sample: true
       temperature: 0.9
diff --git a/vllm_omni/engine/arg_utils.py b/vllm_omni/engine/arg_utils.py
index fcd11b173..152e5b3ee 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/engine/arg_utils.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/engine/arg_utils.py
@@ -184,6 +184,7 @@ class OmniEngineArgs(EngineArgs):
     custom_process_next_stage_input_func: str | None = None
     stage_connector_spec: dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)
     subtalker_sampling_params: dict[str, Any] | None = None
+    silence_ban_frames: int = 0
     async_chunk: bool = False
     retains_state_across_chunks: bool = False
     # WS-A: Stage-1 active stream slots. 0 = legacy preempt-everything.
@@ -407,6 +408,7 @@ class OmniEngineArgs(EngineArgs):
             custom_process_next_stage_input_func=self.custom_process_next_stage_input_func,
             stage_connector_config=stage_connector_config,
             subtalker_sampling_params=self.subtalker_sampling_params,
+            silence_ban_frames=self.silence_ban_frames,
             omni_kv_config=self.omni_kv_config,
             task_type=self.task_type,
             has_sampling_extra_args=self.has_sampling_extra_args,
diff --git a/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/prompt_embeds_builder.py b/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/prompt_embeds_builder.py
index 0d8f03294..4053ddae4 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/prompt_embeds_builder.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/prompt_embeds_builder.py
@@ -85,6 +85,37 @@ def build_instruct_text(instruct: str) -> str:
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
+def resolve_x_vector_only(info_dict: dict) -> bool | None:
+    """Resolve whether a request runs Base voice-clone in x-vector-only mode.
+
+    Mirrors the resolution in :meth:`Qwen3TTSPromptEmbedsBuilder.build_prompt_embeds`
+    for the ``task_type == "Base"`` branch: the ``x_vector_only_mode`` flag, then
+    the ``voice_clone_prompt.icl_mode`` override when present.
+
+    Returns ``None`` when the mode does not apply (any non-Base task), so callers
+    can distinguish "in-context" from "not a voice-clone request at all".
+    """
+    task_type = first_value(info_dict.get("task_type"), "CustomVoice")
+    if task_type != "Base":
+        return None
+
+    xvec_only = bool((info_dict.get("x_vector_only_mode") or [False])[0])
+
+    raw = info_dict.get("voice_clone_prompt")
+    if isinstance(raw, list):
+        raw = raw[0] if raw else None
+    if isinstance(raw, list) and raw and isinstance(raw[0], dict):
+        raw = raw[0]
+    if isinstance(raw, dict) and "icl_mode" in raw:
+        icl_flag = raw.get("icl_mode")
+        if isinstance(icl_flag, list):
+            icl_flag = icl_flag[0] if icl_flag else None
+        if isinstance(icl_flag, bool):
+            xvec_only = not icl_flag
+
+    return xvec_only
+
+
 def first_value(value: object, default: object = None) -> object:
     if isinstance(value, list):
         return value[0] if value else default
diff --git a/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/qwen3_tts_talker.py b/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/qwen3_tts_talker.py
index 3daeb4cf2..535a447d3 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/qwen3_tts_talker.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/model_executor/models/qwen3_tts/qwen3_tts_talker.py
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ from vllm_omni.utils.speaker_cache import (
 )
 
 from .configuration_qwen3_tts import Qwen3TTSConfig, Qwen3TTSSpeakerEncoderConfig, Qwen3TTSTalkerConfig
-from .prompt_embeds_builder import PRECOMPUTED_TEXT_IDS_KEY, Qwen3TTSPromptEmbedsBuilder
+from .prompt_embeds_builder import PRECOMPUTED_TEXT_IDS_KEY, Qwen3TTSPromptEmbedsBuilder, resolve_x_vector_only
 from .qwen3_tts_code_predictor_vllm import Qwen3TTSTalkerCodePredictorForConditionalGenerationVLLM
 from .tokenizer_12hz.configuration_qwen3_tts_tokenizer_v2 import Qwen3TTSTokenizerV2Config
 from .tokenizer_12hz.modeling_qwen3_tts_tokenizer_v2 import Qwen3TTSTokenizerV2Encoder
@@ -421,6 +421,27 @@ class Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration(nn.Module):
             codec_mask[self._codec_eos_token_id] = True
         self.register_buffer("_codec_disallowed_mask", ~codec_mask, persistent=False)
 
+        # Silence-region codec tokens (#4966). The talker has real probability mass on
+        # these in the opening decode frames; how many it draws is a sampling outcome,
+        # which is the source of both the leading silence and its seed-to-seed variance.
+        # The vocabulary is checkpoint-specific, so it is derived at load time in
+        # :meth:`_init_silence_mask`; this is only the placeholder.
+        self._silence_ban_frames = max(0, int(getattr(vllm_config.model_config, "silence_ban_frames", 0) or 0))
+        # vLLM only fills sampling_metadata.output_token_ids when penalties, bad
+        # words, or a logits processor need history. compute_logits reads it for
+        # the per-request decode step, so request it when the ban is on.
+        self.logitsprocs_need_output_token_ids = self._silence_ban_frames > 0
+        self.register_buffer("_silence_mask", torch.zeros((vocab,), dtype=torch.bool), persistent=False)
+
+        # Per-request generation mode for the silence ban (#4966). The ban is a
+        # Base voice-clone (x-vector-only) fix; ICL onsets are legitimate audio
+        # and must not be masked. Mode is only knowable at prefill, so it is
+        # recorded in preprocess_batch and read back at decode. The batch order
+        # comes from set_batch_req_ids, which the runner calls each step with
+        # the same req_id ordering that indexes sampling_metadata.
+        self._req_x_vector_only: dict[str, bool | None] = {}
+        self._batch_req_ids: list[str] = []
+
         # Keys that should stay on GPU in model_intermediate_buffer to avoid
         # CPU-to-GPU round-trips on every decode step.
         self.gpu_resident_buffer_keys: set[tuple[str, str]] = {
@@ -560,6 +581,48 @@ class Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration(nn.Module):
         # Mask out invalid codec ids using the pre-built constant buffer.
         logits = logits.masked_fill(self._codec_disallowed_mask, float("-inf"))
 
+        # Suppress silence-region tokens for the first N decode frames (#4966). The
+        # per-request decode step is the length of its generated-token history.
+        ban_n = self._silence_ban_frames
+        if ban_n > 0 and sampling_metadata is not None:
+            output_token_ids = getattr(sampling_metadata, "output_token_ids", None)
+            if output_token_ids is None or len(output_token_ids) != logits.shape[0]:
+                logger.warning_once(
+                    "Silence ban is enabled but output_token_ids (%s) does not match the "
+                    "logits batch (%d); the ban will not take effect.",
+                    "None" if output_token_ids is None else len(output_token_ids),
+                    logits.shape[0],
+                )
+            else:
+                # Both gates are tiny [B] checks, so keep them on CPU: once no
+                # request is both in scope and inside the window, skip the device
+                # work rather than paying a host-to-device copy and a [B, vocab]
+                # mask on every decode frame.
+                #
+                # Scope the ban to x-vector-only requests (#4966). A request whose
+                # mode was never recorded is left alone: masking a request that
+                # cannot be classified is the risk this gate exists to remove.
+                batch_req_ids = self._batch_req_ids
+                if len(batch_req_ids) == logits.shape[0]:
+                    in_scope = [self._req_x_vector_only.get(rid) is True for rid in batch_req_ids]
+                else:
+                    logger.warning_once(
+                        "Silence ban is enabled but the recorded batch req_ids (%d) do not match "
+                        "the logits batch (%d); the ban will not take effect.",
+                        len(batch_req_ids),
+                        logits.shape[0],
+                    )
+                    in_scope = [False] * logits.shape[0]
+
+                steps = [len(t) for t in output_token_ids]
+                if any(scoped and step < ban_n for scoped, step in zip(in_scope, steps, strict=True)):
+                    early = torch.tensor(
+                        [scoped and step < ban_n for scoped, step in zip(in_scope, steps, strict=True)],
+                        device=logits.device,
+                        dtype=torch.bool,
+                    ).unsqueeze(1)
+                    logits = logits.masked_fill(early & self._silence_mask, float("-inf"))
+
         return logits
 
     # -------------------- Omni multimodal output plumbing --------------------
@@ -944,12 +1007,30 @@ class Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration(nn.Module):
         device: torch.device,
     ) -> None:
         """Delegate batched preprocess to :class:`Qwen3TTSPromptEmbedsBuilder`."""
+        if self._silence_ban_frames > 0:
+            for req_id in req_ids:
+                info_dict = model_intermediate_buffer.get(req_id)
+                if isinstance(info_dict, dict):
+                    self._req_x_vector_only[req_id] = resolve_x_vector_only(info_dict)
         self._prompt_builder.preprocess_batch(
             req_ids=req_ids,
             model_intermediate_buffer=model_intermediate_buffer,
             device=device,
         )
 
+    def set_batch_req_ids(self, req_ids: Sequence[str]) -> None:
+        """Record the current batch's req_ids, in the order that indexes logits.
+
+        Called by the runner after the forward and before ``compute_logits``,
+        with the same ``input_batch`` ordering that ``sampling_metadata``
+        uses. Doubles as the eviction point: any request no longer in the batch
+        has finished or been aborted, so its recorded mode is dropped.
+        """
+        self._batch_req_ids = list(req_ids)
+        if len(self._req_x_vector_only) > len(self._batch_req_ids):
+            live = set(self._batch_req_ids)
+            self._req_x_vector_only = {k: v for k, v in self._req_x_vector_only.items() if k in live}
+
     def _encode_ref_audio_batch(self, wavs: list[np.ndarray], sr: int, *, device: torch.device) -> list[torch.Tensor]:
         fe = self._encoder_feature_extractor
         target_sr = int(fe.sampling_rate)
@@ -1042,6 +1123,7 @@ class Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration(nn.Module):
         self.encoder.to(device=device, dtype=torch.bfloat16)
 
         self._init_runtime_buffers()
+        self._init_silence_mask()
 
         logger.info("Loaded %d weights for Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration", len(loaded))
         self._build_stacked_codec_embed()
@@ -1056,6 +1138,84 @@ class Qwen3TTSTalkerForConditionalGeneration(nn.Module):
             device=w.device, dtype=w.dtype
         )
 
+    @torch.no_grad()
+    def _init_silence_mask(self) -> None:
+        """Derive the silence-region codec vocabulary from the checkpoint.
+
+        Encodes silence at several durations and amplitudes and collects the
+        codebook-0 ids the tokenizer emits. These are the tokens the talker draws
+        when it produces leading silence (#4966). Derived rather than hardcoded
+        because the codec vocabulary is checkpoint-specific.
+        """
+        if self._silence_ban_frames <= 0:
+            return
+        device = next(self.parameters()).device
+        sr = 24000
+        try:
+            rng = np.random.RandomState(0)
+            wavs = [
+                (amp * rng.randn(int(dur * sr))).astype(np.float32)
+                for amp in (0.0, 1e-5, 1e-4, 1e-3)
+                for dur in (0.3, 0.5, 1.0)
+            ]
+            codes = self._encode_ref_audio_batch(wavs, sr, device=device)
+            ids: set[int] = set()
+            for code in codes:
+                code = code.detach().cpu()
+                cb0 = code[:, 0] if code.ndim == 2 else code
+                ids.update(int(t) for t in cb0.tolist())
+        except Exception as exc:
+            logger.warning("Could not derive the silence codec vocabulary; disabling the ban: %s", exc)
+            self._silence_ban_frames = 0
+            return
+        vocab = int(self.talker_config.vocab_size)
+        in_range = sorted(t for t in ids if 0 <= t < vocab)
+        num_out_of_range = len(ids) - len(in_range)
+        if num_out_of_range:
+            # Every derived id should be a codebook-0 index for this checkpoint.
+            # Ids outside the talker vocabulary mean the encoder and the talker
+            # disagree on vocabulary size, so the rest of the derivation is not
+            # trustworthy either.
+            logger.warning(
+                "%d of %d derived silence codec tokens fall outside the talker vocabulary "
+                "(size %d); disabling the ban.",
+                num_out_of_range,
+                len(ids),
+                vocab,
+            )
+            self._silence_ban_frames = 0
+            return
+        if not in_range:
+            # An empty derivation would leave an all-False mask: the ban would
+            # suppress nothing while still paying the per-frame check.
+            logger.warning("Derived no silence codec tokens; disabling the ban.")
+            self._silence_ban_frames = 0
+            return
+        # The silence region is a small corner of codebook 0 (12 tokens on
+        # Qwen3-TTS-12Hz-1.7B-Base). A derivation this large means the encode
+        # returned speech-like codes, and masking that much of the vocabulary
+        # would distort generation rather than trim the onset.
+        max_silence_tokens = max(64, vocab // 20)
+        if len(in_range) > max_silence_tokens:
+            logger.warning(
+                "Derived %d silence codec tokens, above the %d sanity limit for a vocabulary of %d; disabling the ban.",
+                len(in_range),
+                max_silence_tokens,
+                vocab,
+            )
+            self._silence_ban_frames = 0
+            return
+        mask = torch.zeros((vocab,), dtype=torch.bool)
+        for token in in_range:
+            mask[token] = True
+        self._silence_mask.copy_(mask.to(self._silence_mask.device))
+        logger.info(
+            "Derived %d silence codec tokens, suppressed for the first %d decode frames: %s",
+            len(in_range),
+            self._silence_ban_frames,
+            in_range,
+        )
+
     @torch.no_grad()
     def _init_runtime_buffers(self) -> None:
         """Populate request-independent runtime buffers from frozen weights.
diff --git a/vllm_omni/platforms/npu/worker/npu_ar_model_runner.py b/vllm_omni/platforms/npu/worker/npu_ar_model_runner.py
index 1829fafa2..c43a4f8d0 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/platforms/npu/worker/npu_ar_model_runner.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/platforms/npu/worker/npu_ar_model_runner.py
@@ -778,6 +778,15 @@ class NPUARModelRunner(OmniNPUModelRunner, OmniConnectorModelRunnerMixin, Duplex
             if callable(flush_pending_metadata):
                 flush_pending_metadata(req_ids[:num_reqs])
 
+            # [Omni] Hand the model the batch's req_ids in logits order, for
+            # models that gate logits per request. Mirrors gpu_ar_model_runner.
+            # Only valid without spec decode: there logits_indices carries several
+            # rows per request, so row i no longer corresponds to req_ids[i].
+            if spec_decode_metadata is None:
+                set_batch_req_ids = getattr(self.model, "set_batch_req_ids", None)
+                if callable(set_batch_req_ids):
+                    set_batch_req_ids(req_ids[:num_reqs])
+
             hidden_states, multimodal_outputs = self.extract_multimodal_outputs(hidden_states)
 
             if multimodal_outputs is not None:
diff --git a/vllm_omni/worker/gpu_ar_model_runner.py b/vllm_omni/worker/gpu_ar_model_runner.py
index c87d17cc2..1197f5b44 100644
--- a/vllm_omni/worker/gpu_ar_model_runner.py
+++ b/vllm_omni/worker/gpu_ar_model_runner.py
@@ -1248,6 +1248,15 @@ class GPUARModelRunner(OmniGPUModelRunner, OmniConnectorModelRunnerMixin, Duplex
                 flush_pending_metadata = getattr(self.model, "flush_pending_metadata", None)
                 if callable(flush_pending_metadata):
                     flush_pending_metadata(req_ids[:num_reqs])
+
+                # [Omni] Hand the model the batch's req_ids in logits order, for
+                # models that gate logits per request. Only valid without spec
+                # decode: there logits_indices carries several rows per request,
+                # so row i no longer corresponds to req_ids[i].
+                if spec_decode_metadata is None:
+                    set_batch_req_ids = getattr(self.model, "set_batch_req_ids", None)
+                    if callable(set_batch_req_ids):
+                        set_batch_req_ids(req_ids[:num_reqs])
         finally:
             if runner_assisted_context_enabled:
                 self._set_runner_assisted_full_attention_metadata_context(enabled=False)