diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.test.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f6fcfb2fb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,383 @@
+import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
+import { describe, expect, it, vi, beforeEach } from "vitest";
+import { renderWithProviders, screen } from "../../../tests/test-utils";
+import KeyLifecycleSettings from "./KeyLifecycleSettings";
+
+vi.mock("antd", () => {
+  const Option = ({ children, value }: any) => (
+    <option value={value}>{children}</option>
+  );
+  const Select = ({ children, value, onChange, placeholder }: any) => (
+    <select
+      data-testid="select"
+      value={value}
+      onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.value)}
+      data-placeholder={placeholder}
+    >
+      {children}
+    </select>
+  );
+  Select.Option = Option;
+  return {
+    Select,
+    Tooltip: ({ children, title }: any) => (
+      <div data-testid="tooltip" title={title}>
+        {children}
+      </div>
+    ),
+    Switch: ({ checked, onChange }: any) => (
+      <input
+        type="checkbox"
+        data-testid="switch"
+        checked={checked}
+        onChange={(e) => onChange(e.target.checked)}
+      />
+    ),
+    Divider: () => <hr data-testid="divider" />,
+  };
+});
+
+vi.mock("@ant-design/icons", () => ({
+  InfoCircleOutlined: () => <span data-testid="info-icon">ℹ</span>,
+}));
+
+vi.mock("@tremor/react", () => ({
+  TextInput: ({ value, onValueChange, onChange, placeholder, name, className }: any) => {
+    const handleChange = (e: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLInputElement>) => {
+      if (onChange) {
+        onChange(e);
+      }
+      if (onValueChange) {
+        onValueChange(e.target.value);
+      }
+    };
+    return (
+      <input
+        data-testid={name === "duration" ? "duration-input" : "custom-interval-input"}
+        value={value}
+        onChange={handleChange}
+        placeholder={placeholder}
+        className={className}
+      />
+    );
+  },
+}));
+
+describe("KeyLifecycleSettings", () => {
+  const mockForm = {
+    getFieldValue: vi.fn(),
+    setFieldValue: vi.fn(),
+    setFieldsValue: vi.fn(),
+  };
+
+  const defaultProps = {
+    form: mockForm,
+    autoRotationEnabled: false,
+    onAutoRotationChange: vi.fn(),
+    rotationInterval: "",
+    onRotationIntervalChange: vi.fn(),
+    isCreateMode: false,
+  };
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    mockForm.getFieldValue.mockReturnValue("");
+  });
+
+  it("should render without crashing", () => {
+    renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} />);
+
+    expect(screen.getByText("Key Expiry Settings")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.getByText("Auto-Rotation Settings")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  describe("Key Expiry Settings", () => {
+    it("should render expiry input field", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} />);
+
+      expect(screen.getByText("Expire Key")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByTestId("duration-input")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should show correct placeholder in create mode", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} isCreateMode={true} />);
+
+      const input = screen.getByTestId("duration-input");
+      expect(input).toHaveAttribute(
+        "placeholder",
+        "e.g., 30d or leave empty to never expire"
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should show correct placeholder in edit mode", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} isCreateMode={false} />);
+
+      const input = screen.getByTestId("duration-input");
+      expect(input).toHaveAttribute("placeholder", "e.g., 30d or -1 to never expire");
+    });
+
+    it("should show correct tooltip in create mode", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} isCreateMode={true} />);
+
+      const tooltips = screen.getAllByTestId("tooltip");
+      const expiryTooltip = tooltips.find((tooltip) =>
+        tooltip.getAttribute("title")?.includes("Leave empty to never expire")
+      );
+      expect(expiryTooltip).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(expiryTooltip).toHaveAttribute(
+        "title",
+        "Set when this key should expire. Format: 30s (seconds), 30m (minutes), 30h (hours), 30d (days). Leave empty to never expire."
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should show correct tooltip in edit mode", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} isCreateMode={false} />);
+
+      const tooltips = screen.getAllByTestId("tooltip");
+      const expiryTooltip = tooltips.find((tooltip) =>
+        tooltip.getAttribute("title")?.includes("Use -1 to never expire")
+      );
+      expect(expiryTooltip).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(expiryTooltip).toHaveAttribute(
+        "title",
+        "Set when this key should expire. Format: 30s (seconds), 30m (minutes), 30h (hours), 30d (days). Use -1 to never expire."
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("should initialize with form value if present", () => {
+      mockForm.getFieldValue.mockReturnValue("30d");
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} />);
+
+      const input = screen.getByTestId("duration-input") as HTMLInputElement;
+      expect(input.value).toBe("30d");
+    });
+
+    it("should update form using setFieldValue when duration changes", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} />);
+
+      const input = screen.getByTestId("duration-input");
+      await user.type(input, "60d");
+
+      expect(mockForm.setFieldValue).toHaveBeenCalledWith("duration", "60d");
+    });
+
+    it("should update form using setFieldsValue when setFieldValue is not available", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const formWithoutSetFieldValue = {
+        getFieldValue: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(""),
+        setFieldsValue: vi.fn(),
+      };
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} form={formWithoutSetFieldValue} />
+      );
+
+      const input = screen.getByTestId("duration-input");
+      await user.type(input, "90d");
+
+      expect(formWithoutSetFieldValue.setFieldsValue).toHaveBeenCalledWith({ duration: "90d" });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("Auto-Rotation Settings", () => {
+    it("should render auto-rotation switch", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} />);
+
+      expect(screen.getByText("Enable Auto-Rotation")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByTestId("switch")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should show switch as unchecked when autoRotationEnabled is false", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={false} />);
+
+      const switchElement = screen.getByTestId("switch") as HTMLInputElement;
+      expect(switchElement.checked).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it("should show switch as checked when autoRotationEnabled is true", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} />);
+
+      const switchElement = screen.getByTestId("switch") as HTMLInputElement;
+      expect(switchElement.checked).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it("should call onAutoRotationChange when switch is toggled", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const onAutoRotationChange = vi.fn();
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} onAutoRotationChange={onAutoRotationChange} />
+      );
+
+      const switchElement = screen.getByTestId("switch");
+      await user.click(switchElement);
+
+      expect(onAutoRotationChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith(true);
+    });
+
+    it("should not show rotation interval section when auto-rotation is disabled", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={false} />);
+
+      expect(screen.queryByText("Rotation Interval")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.queryByTestId("select")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should show rotation interval section when auto-rotation is enabled", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} rotationInterval="30d" />
+      );
+
+      expect(screen.getByText("Rotation Interval")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByTestId("select")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should show all predefined interval options", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} rotationInterval="30d" />
+      );
+
+      expect(screen.getByText("7 days")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText("30 days")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText("90 days")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText("180 days")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText("365 days")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText("Custom interval")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should display current rotation interval in select", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} rotationInterval="90d" />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select") as HTMLSelectElement;
+      expect(select.value).toBe("90d");
+    });
+
+    it("should call onRotationIntervalChange when predefined interval is selected", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const onRotationIntervalChange = vi.fn();
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings
+          {...defaultProps}
+          autoRotationEnabled={true}
+          rotationInterval="7d"
+          onRotationIntervalChange={onRotationIntervalChange}
+        />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select");
+      await user.selectOptions(select, "30d");
+
+      expect(onRotationIntervalChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith("30d");
+    });
+
+    it("should show custom input when custom option is selected", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} rotationInterval="30d" />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select");
+      await user.selectOptions(select, "custom");
+
+      expect(screen.getByTestId("custom-interval-input")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(screen.getByText("Supported formats: seconds (s), minutes (m), hours (h), days (d)")).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should hide custom input when predefined interval is selected after custom", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const onRotationIntervalChange = vi.fn();
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings
+          {...defaultProps}
+          autoRotationEnabled={true}
+          rotationInterval="custom-value"
+          onRotationIntervalChange={onRotationIntervalChange}
+        />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select");
+      await user.selectOptions(select, "7d");
+
+      expect(screen.queryByTestId("custom-interval-input")).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+      expect(onRotationIntervalChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith("7d");
+    });
+
+    it("should call onRotationIntervalChange when custom interval is entered", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const onRotationIntervalChange = vi.fn();
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings
+          {...defaultProps}
+          autoRotationEnabled={true}
+          rotationInterval=""
+          onRotationIntervalChange={onRotationIntervalChange}
+        />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select");
+      await user.selectOptions(select, "custom");
+
+      const customInput = screen.getByTestId("custom-interval-input");
+      await user.type(customInput, "14d");
+
+      expect(onRotationIntervalChange).toHaveBeenCalledWith("14d");
+    });
+
+    it("should show info message when auto-rotation is enabled", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} />);
+
+      expect(
+        screen.getByText(
+          "When rotation occurs, you'll receive a notification with the new key. The old key will be deactivated after a brief grace period."
+        )
+      ).toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should not show info message when auto-rotation is disabled", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(<KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={false} />);
+
+      expect(
+        screen.queryByText(
+          "When rotation occurs, you'll receive a notification with the new key. The old key will be deactivated after a brief grace period."
+        )
+      ).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+    });
+
+    it("should initialize with custom interval input visible when custom interval is provided", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} rotationInterval="14d" />
+      );
+
+      expect(screen.getByTestId("custom-interval-input")).toBeInTheDocument();
+      const customInput = screen.getByTestId("custom-interval-input") as HTMLInputElement;
+      expect(customInput.value).toBe("14d");
+    });
+
+    it("should show custom option selected when custom interval is provided", () => {
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings {...defaultProps} autoRotationEnabled={true} rotationInterval="14d" />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select") as HTMLSelectElement;
+      expect(select.value).toBe("custom");
+    });
+
+    it("should not call onRotationIntervalChange when selecting custom option", async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const onRotationIntervalChange = vi.fn();
+      renderWithProviders(
+        <KeyLifecycleSettings
+          {...defaultProps}
+          autoRotationEnabled={true}
+          rotationInterval="30d"
+          onRotationIntervalChange={onRotationIntervalChange}
+        />
+      );
+
+      const select = screen.getByTestId("select");
+      await user.selectOptions(select, "custom");
+
+      expect(onRotationIntervalChange).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.tsx
index 81d22b5634..0f29a47d1d 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/common_components/KeyLifecycleSettings.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ interface KeyLifecycleSettingsProps {
   onAutoRotationChange: (enabled: boolean) => void;
   rotationInterval: string;
   onRotationIntervalChange: (interval: string) => void;
+  isCreateMode?: boolean; // If true, shows "leave empty to never expire" instead of "-1 to never expire"
 }
 
 const KeyLifecycleSettings: React.FC<KeyLifecycleSettingsProps> = ({
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ const KeyLifecycleSettings: React.FC<KeyLifecycleSettingsProps> = ({
   onAutoRotationChange,
   rotationInterval,
   onRotationIntervalChange,
+  isCreateMode = false,
 }) => {
   // Predefined intervals
   const predefinedIntervals = ["7d", "30d", "90d", "180d", "365d"];
@@ -64,13 +66,19 @@ const KeyLifecycleSettings: React.FC<KeyLifecycleSettingsProps> = ({
         <div className="space-y-2">
           <label className="text-sm font-medium text-gray-700 flex items-center space-x-1">
             <span>Expire Key</span>
-            <Tooltip title="Set when this key should expire. Format: 30s (seconds), 30m (minutes), 30h (hours), 30d (days). Use -1 to never expire.">
+            <Tooltip
+              title={
+                isCreateMode
+                  ? "Set when this key should expire. Format: 30s (seconds), 30m (minutes), 30h (hours), 30d (days). Leave empty to never expire."
+                  : "Set when this key should expire. Format: 30s (seconds), 30m (minutes), 30h (hours), 30d (days). Use -1 to never expire."
+              }
+            >
               <InfoCircleOutlined className="text-gray-400 cursor-help text-xs" />
             </Tooltip>
           </label>
           <TextInput
             name="duration"
-            placeholder="e.g., 30d or -1 to never expire"
+            placeholder={isCreateMode ? "e.g., 30d or leave empty to never expire" : "e.g., 30d or -1 to never expire"}
             className="w-full"
             value={durationValue}
             onValueChange={handleDurationChange}
diff --git a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/organisms/create_key_button.tsx b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/organisms/create_key_button.tsx
index 1edbba28af..4c0db42988 100644
--- a/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/organisms/create_key_button.tsx
+++ b/ui/litellm-dashboard/src/components/organisms/create_key_button.tsx
@@ -321,9 +321,9 @@ const CreateKey: React.FC<CreateKeyProps> = ({ team, teams, data, addKey }) => {
         formValues.rotation_interval = rotationInterval;
       }
 
-      // Handle duration field for key expiry
-      if (formValues.duration) {
-        formValues.duration = formValues.duration;
+      // Handle duration field for key expiry - convert empty string to null
+      if (!formValues.duration || formValues.duration.trim() === "") {
+        formValues.duration = null;
       }
 
       // Update the formValues with the final metadata
@@ -1270,6 +1270,7 @@ const CreateKey: React.FC<CreateKeyProps> = ({ team, teams, data, addKey }) => {
                           onAutoRotationChange={setAutoRotationEnabled}
                           rotationInterval={rotationInterval}
                           onRotationIntervalChange={setRotationInterval}
+                          isCreateMode={true}
                         />
                       </div>
                     </AccordionBody>