diff --git a/packages/api/internal/api/autopause_default_contract_test.go b/packages/api/internal/api/autopause_default_contract_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9238ae5b8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/internal/api/autopause_default_contract_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package api_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/e2b-dev/infra/packages/api/internal/api"
+	"github.com/e2b-dev/infra/packages/api/internal/sandbox/sandboxtypes"
+)
+
+// TestSpecAutoPauseDefaultMatchesConstant pins the OpenAPI spec's declared
+// default for `autoPause` to the Go constant the create handler actually
+// applies (sandboxtypes.AutoPauseDefault). The two are separate copies of the
+// same default — the spec value is documentation (the generated field is
+// `*bool omitempty`, so the default is never applied at decode time), while the
+// constant is what DerefOrDefault uses when the request omits autoPause. This
+// is the "currently kill" default the SDKs document and resolve local
+// validation against; a drift between the spec and the constant would make the
+// published contract lie about what an omitted autoPause does. Assert they
+// agree so the spec stays the single documented source of the default.
+//
+// An external test package (api_test) is required: sandboxtypes imports the api
+// package, so an in-package test importing sandboxtypes would be an import cycle.
+func TestSpecAutoPauseDefaultMatchesConstant(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	spec, err := api.GetSpec()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, spec.Components)
+
+	// Both create-body schemas carry autoPause; both must agree with the constant.
+	for _, schemaName := range []string{"NewSandbox", "NewSandboxV2"} {
+		t.Run(schemaName, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			ref, ok := spec.Components.Schemas[schemaName]
+			require.True(t, ok, "schema %q not found in spec", schemaName)
+			require.NotNil(t, ref.Value, "schema %q has nil value", schemaName)
+
+			prop, ok := ref.Value.Properties["autoPause"]
+			require.True(t, ok, "%q is missing the autoPause property", schemaName)
+			require.NotNil(t, prop.Value, "%q autoPause has nil value", schemaName)
+
+			require.NotNil(t, prop.Value.Default,
+				"%q autoPause must declare a default so the omitted-value behavior is documented", schemaName)
+
+			defaultBool, ok := prop.Value.Default.(bool)
+			require.Truef(t, ok, "%q autoPause default must be a boolean, got %T", schemaName, prop.Value.Default)
+
+			require.Equalf(t, sandboxtypes.AutoPauseDefault, defaultBool,
+				"%q autoPause default in the spec (%v) does not match sandboxtypes.AutoPauseDefault (%v); "+
+					"the spec documents the default the SDKs rely on, so they must stay in sync",
+				schemaName, defaultBool, sandboxtypes.AutoPauseDefault)
+		})
+	}
+}