diff --git a/server.mjs b/server.mjs
index 66f3645..4b15640 100644
--- a/server.mjs
+++ b/server.mjs
@@ -393,15 +393,8 @@ const NO_CONTEXT = process.env.CLAUDE_NO_CONTEXT === "true";
 // Deliberately boot-time-only: runtime-mutable settings (e.g. maxPromptChars via the settings
 // API) are excluded because a const epoch cannot track them; truncation also only drops
 // context rather than changing the instruction set.
-// The ALIAS MAP is folded in for the same reason. Cache keys hash the model string exactly as
-// the client sent it (`const model = parsed.model || aliases.sonnet`), so a request for "opus"
-// is cached under the literal "opus" — not under the canonical id it resolved to. models.json is
-// read once at boot, so repointing an alias (e.g. opus: 4-8 -> 5) only takes effect on restart,
-// and the SQLite response_cache outlives that restart. Without the alias map in the epoch, an
-// operator running CLAUDE_CACHE_TTL > 0 keeps being served the OLD model's answers for the alias
-// until TTL expiry — silently defeating the repoint. Same bug class as #176.
 const CONFIG_EPOCH = cryptoCreateHash("sha256")
-  .update(JSON.stringify([SYSTEM_PROMPT, SYSTEM_PROMPT_WRAPPER, ALLOWED_TOOLS, NO_CONTEXT, modelsConfig.aliases]))
+  .update(JSON.stringify([SYSTEM_PROMPT, SYSTEM_PROMPT_WRAPPER, ALLOWED_TOOLS, NO_CONTEXT]))
   .digest("hex").slice(0, 16);
 // Kill-switch for the FIX-③ default-path spawn-home isolation (see resolveSpawnHome /
 // spawnHomeMode below). When "1", the -p/stream-json spawn always runs in the operator's
@@ -2811,6 +2804,16 @@ async function handleChatCompletions(req, res) {
 
   const messages = parsed.messages || parsed.input || [{ role: "user", content: parsed.prompt || "" }];
   const model = parsed.model || modelsConfig.aliases.sonnet;
+  // Cache keys must hash the RESOLVED model, never the string the client happened to use.
+  // `model` is whatever was sent — a canonical id, an alias ("opus"), or a legacyAlias
+  // ("claude-opus-4"). MODEL_MAP carries all three, and models.json is read once at boot, so
+  // repointing an alias only takes effect on restart — while the SQLite response_cache outlives
+  // it. Hashing the raw string would therefore keep serving the OLD model's answers under that
+  // alias until TTL expiry, silently defeating the repoint (the #176 hazard, for aliases).
+  // Resolving first also means "opus" and "claude-opus-5" correctly share one slot: identical
+  // spawn, identical answer. Only the cache KEY is resolved — `model` is still echoed back to
+  // the client verbatim, so the wire response is unchanged.
+  const cacheModel = MODEL_MAP[model] || model;
   const stream = parsed.stream;
 
   // Validate model against known models
@@ -2907,7 +2910,7 @@ async function handleChatCompletions(req, res) {
     const promptCharsS = messages.reduce((a, m) => a + contentToText(m.content).length, 0);
     let structuredHash = null;
     if (CACHE_TTL > 0 && !conversationId && !hasCacheControl(messages)) {
-      structuredHash = cacheHash(model, messages, { keyId: req._authKeyId, temperature: parsed.temperature, max_tokens: parsed.max_tokens, top_p: parsed.top_p, structured });
+      structuredHash = cacheHash(cacheModel, messages, { keyId: req._authKeyId, temperature: parsed.temperature, max_tokens: parsed.max_tokens, top_p: parsed.top_p, structured, configEpoch: CONFIG_EPOCH });
       try {
         const cached = getCachedResponse(structuredHash, CACHE_TTL);
         if (cached) {
@@ -2926,7 +2929,7 @@ async function handleChatCompletions(req, res) {
     // one-off structured request (not stateful sessions / client-side prompt caching), independent of
     // whether OCP response caching is enabled; when caching IS on, the same key gates cache read/write.
     const dedupKey = (!conversationId && !hasCacheControl(messages))
-      ? cacheHash(model, messages, { keyId: req._authKeyId, temperature: parsed.temperature, max_tokens: parsed.max_tokens, top_p: parsed.top_p, structured })
+      ? cacheHash(cacheModel, messages, { keyId: req._authKeyId, temperature: parsed.temperature, max_tokens: parsed.max_tokens, top_p: parsed.top_p, structured, configEpoch: CONFIG_EPOCH })
       : null;
     const runStructured = async () => {
       const c = await runStructuredCompletion(upstreamCall, model, messages, conversationId, req._authKeyName, res, structured);
@@ -2975,7 +2978,7 @@ async function handleChatCompletions(req, res) {
     } else {
       // D1: include keyId in hash to isolate per-key cache pools (v2 format).
       // configEpoch (#176): any boot-config change that shapes answers invalidates the cache.
-      const hash = cacheHash(model, messages, { keyId: req._authKeyId, temperature: parsed.temperature, max_tokens: parsed.max_tokens, top_p: parsed.top_p, configEpoch: CONFIG_EPOCH });
+      const hash = cacheHash(cacheModel, messages, { keyId: req._authKeyId, temperature: parsed.temperature, max_tokens: parsed.max_tokens, top_p: parsed.top_p, configEpoch: CONFIG_EPOCH });
       req._cacheHash = hash; // store for later write-back
       try {
         const cached = getCachedResponse(hash, CACHE_TTL);
diff --git a/test-features.mjs b/test-features.mjs
index 5896ee0..3e61060 100644
--- a/test-features.mjs
+++ b/test-features.mjs
@@ -1104,6 +1104,86 @@ test("integration: toggling OCP_LOCAL_TOOLS invalidates the standard response ca
   } finally { _ltRm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }); }
 });
 
+// ── Cache keys hash the RESOLVED model, not the alias string (#194) ──────────
+// models.json is read once at boot, so repointing an alias only takes effect on restart —
+// while the SQLite response_cache outlives it. Hashing the raw string would keep serving the
+// OLD model's answers under that alias until TTL expiry. Rather than mutate models.json
+// mid-suite, these assert the equivalent observable: an alias and its canonical target must
+// land on the SAME cache slot, which is true only if the key is resolved before hashing.
+// Mutation: change `cacheModel` back to `model` at the three cacheHash call sites in
+// server.mjs and both tests go red (2 spawns instead of 1).
+
+// Fake that emits schema-valid JSON, so the structured path caches a VALIDATED result
+// (the stock LT_FAKE returns "OK", which fails validation → refusal → never cached).
+const LT_FAKE_JSON = `#!/bin/sh
+if [ -n "$SP_COUNTER" ]; then c=$(cat "$SP_COUNTER" 2>/dev/null || echo 0); echo $((c+1)) > "$SP_COUNTER"; fi
+printf '%s\\n' '{"type":"assistant","message":{"content":[{"type":"text","text":"{\\"ok\\":true}"}]}}'
+printf '%s\\n' '{"type":"result"}'
+exit 0
+`;
+function ltFakeJson(dir) { const p = join(dir, "claude-json"); _ltWrite(p, LT_FAKE_JSON); _ltChmod(p, 0o755); return p; }
+const LT_SCHEMA = { type: "object", properties: { ok: { type: "boolean" } }, required: ["ok"], additionalProperties: false };
+
+console.log("\nCache key resolves the model alias (#194):");
+
+test("integration: an alias and its canonical target share ONE cache slot (normal path)", async () => {
+  if (!LT_POSIX) return;
+  const dir = ltMkdir(); const fake = ltFake(dir); const counter = join(dir, "spawns.txt");
+  const { child, buf } = ltBoot({ CLAUDE_BIN: fake, CLAUDE_PROXY_PORT: "39360", CLAUDE_CACHE_TTL: "60000", SP_COUNTER: counter }, dir);
+  try {
+    assert.ok(await ltWait(() => buf.out.includes("listening on")), `did not start: ${buf.err.slice(0, 200)}`);
+    _ltWrite(counter, "0");
+    const msgs = [{ role: "user", content: "alias-resolution-probe" }];
+    await ltPost(39360, { model: "sonnet", messages: msgs });                 // miss → spawn
+    await ltWait(() => (Number(_ltRead(counter, "utf8")) || 0) >= 1, 3000);
+    await ltPost(39360, { model: "claude-sonnet-5", messages: msgs });        // same resolved model → HIT
+    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 600));
+    assert.equal(Number(_ltRead(counter, "utf8")) || 0, 1,
+      "the canonical id must hit the slot the alias populated — a 2nd spawn means the key still hashes the raw alias");
+  } finally { child.kill("SIGKILL"); _ltRm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }); }
+});
+
+test("integration: an alias and its canonical target share ONE cache slot (STRUCTURED path)", async () => {
+  if (!LT_POSIX) return;
+  const dir = ltMkdir(); const fake = ltFakeJson(dir); const counter = join(dir, "spawns.txt");
+  const { child, buf } = ltBoot({ CLAUDE_BIN: fake, CLAUDE_PROXY_PORT: "39361", CLAUDE_CACHE_TTL: "60000", SP_COUNTER: counter }, dir);
+  try {
+    assert.ok(await ltWait(() => buf.out.includes("listening on")), `did not start: ${buf.err.slice(0, 200)}`);
+    _ltWrite(counter, "0");
+    const rf = { type: "json_schema", json_schema: { name: "probe", schema: LT_SCHEMA } };
+    const msgs = [{ role: "user", content: "structured-alias-probe" }];
+    await ltPost(39361, { model: "sonnet", messages: msgs, response_format: rf });
+    await ltWait(() => (Number(_ltRead(counter, "utf8")) || 0) >= 1, 4000);
+    await ltPost(39361, { model: "claude-sonnet-5", messages: msgs, response_format: rf });
+    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 600));
+    assert.equal(Number(_ltRead(counter, "utf8")) || 0, 1,
+      "structured cache key must resolve the alias too — this is the path the epoch-only fix missed");
+  } finally { child.kill("SIGKILL"); _ltRm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }); }
+});
+
+test("integration: a config change invalidates the STRUCTURED cache too (closes the #177 gap)", async () => {
+  if (!LT_POSIX) return;
+  const dir = ltMkdir(); const fake = ltFakeJson(dir); const counter = join(dir, "spawns.txt");
+  const rf = { type: "json_schema", json_schema: { name: "probe", schema: LT_SCHEMA } };
+  const req = { model: "sonnet", messages: [{ role: "user", content: "structured-epoch-probe" }], response_format: rf };
+  const bootOnce = async (env, port) => {
+    const { child, buf } = ltBoot({ CLAUDE_BIN: fake, CLAUDE_PROXY_PORT: String(port), CLAUDE_CACHE_TTL: "60000", SP_COUNTER: counter, ...env }, dir);
+    try {
+      assert.ok(await ltWait(() => buf.out.includes("listening on")), `did not start: ${buf.err.slice(0, 200)}`);
+      _ltWrite(counter, "0");
+      await ltPost(port, req);
+      await ltWait(() => (Number(_ltRead(counter, "utf8")) || 0) >= 1, 4000);
+      return Number(_ltRead(counter, "utf8")) || 0;
+    } finally { child.kill("SIGKILL"); }
+  };
+  try {
+    const off = await bootOnce({}, 39362);                        // caches under epoch(negative wrapper)
+    const on = await bootOnce({ OCP_LOCAL_TOOLS: "1" }, 39363);   // same DB, epoch differs → must re-spawn
+    assert.equal(off, 1, "first structured request (cache empty) must spawn claude");
+    assert.equal(on, 1, "structured cache must honor CONFIG_EPOCH — before #194 it omitted the epoch entirely and served the stale answer");
+  } finally { _ltRm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }); }
+});
+
 // ── Upgrade Tests ──
 import { runUpgrade, postFlightOk } from "./scripts/upgrade.mjs";