diff --git a/integrations/openai/src/databricks_openai/utils/clients.py b/integrations/openai/src/databricks_openai/utils/clients.py
index 6711b87f..28138bdc 100644
--- a/integrations/openai/src/databricks_openai/utils/clients.py
+++ b/integrations/openai/src/databricks_openai/utils/clients.py
@@ -343,6 +343,8 @@ class DatabricksOpenAI(OpenAI):
             with ``base_url`` or ``use_ai_gateway``. Defaults to False.
         use_ai_gateway: If True, auto-detect AI Gateway V2 availability and route
             requests through it using the MLflow API. Defaults to False.
+        **kwargs: Additional keyword arguments forwarded to the underlying ``openai.OpenAI``
+            client (e.g. ``timeout``, ``max_retries``, ``default_headers``).
 
     Example - Query a serving or AI gateway endpoint:
         >>> client = DatabricksOpenAI()
@@ -385,6 +387,7 @@ def __init__(
         base_url: str | None = None,
         use_ai_gateway_native_api: bool = False,
         use_ai_gateway: bool = False,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ):
         if workspace_client is None:
             workspace_client = WorkspaceClient()
@@ -400,6 +403,7 @@ def __init__(
             base_url=target_base_url,
             api_key=_get_openai_api_key(),
             http_client=_get_authorized_http_client(workspace_client),
+            **kwargs,
         )
 
     @override
@@ -504,6 +508,8 @@ class AsyncDatabricksOpenAI(AsyncOpenAI):
             with ``base_url`` or ``use_ai_gateway``. Defaults to False.
         use_ai_gateway: If True, auto-detect AI Gateway V2 availability and route
             requests through it using the MLflow API. Defaults to False.
+        **kwargs: Additional keyword arguments forwarded to the underlying ``openai.AsyncOpenAI``
+            client (e.g. ``timeout``, ``max_retries``, ``default_headers``).
 
     Example - Query a serving or AI gateway endpoint:
         >>> client = AsyncDatabricksOpenAI()
@@ -546,6 +552,7 @@ def __init__(
         base_url: str | None = None,
         use_ai_gateway_native_api: bool = False,
         use_ai_gateway: bool = False,
+        **kwargs: Any,
     ):
         if workspace_client is None:
             workspace_client = WorkspaceClient()
@@ -561,6 +568,7 @@ def __init__(
             base_url=target_base_url,
             api_key=_get_openai_api_key(),
             http_client=_get_authorized_async_http_client(workspace_client),
+            **kwargs,
         )
 
     @property
diff --git a/integrations/openai/tests/unit_tests/test_clients.py b/integrations/openai/tests/unit_tests/test_clients.py
index bd3fbe53..bd23211a 100644
--- a/integrations/openai/tests/unit_tests/test_clients.py
+++ b/integrations/openai/tests/unit_tests/test_clients.py
@@ -168,6 +168,30 @@ def test_bearer_auth_flow(self, mock_workspace_client):
         mock_workspace_client.config.authenticate.assert_called()
 
 
+class TestDatabricksOpenAIKwargForwarding:
+    """Forwarding of OpenAI kwargs through the wrappers (issue #423)."""
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "client_cls", [DatabricksOpenAI, AsyncDatabricksOpenAI], ids=["sync", "async"]
+    )
+    def test_forwards_timeout_and_max_retries(self, client_cls, mock_workspace_client):
+        client = client_cls(workspace_client=mock_workspace_client, timeout=42.0, max_retries=7)
+        assert client.timeout == 42.0
+        assert client.max_retries == 7
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        "client_cls", [DatabricksOpenAI, AsyncDatabricksOpenAI], ids=["sync", "async"]
+    )
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("managed_kwarg", ["api_key", "http_client"])
+    def test_rejects_databricks_managed_auth_kwargs(
+        self, client_cls, managed_kwarg, mock_workspace_client
+    ):
+        # api_key and http_client are hardcoded with Databricks auth; passing them through
+        # **kwargs would collide with the super().__init__() call and raise TypeError.
+        with pytest.raises(TypeError, match="got multiple values for keyword argument"):
+            client_cls(workspace_client=mock_workspace_client, **{managed_kwarg: "anything"})
+
+
 class TestStrictFieldStripping:
     """Tests for strict field stripping helper functions."""