diff --git a/google/genai/_api_client.py b/google/genai/_api_client.py
index e6202815e..6bb0b03be 100644
--- a/google/genai/_api_client.py
+++ b/google/genai/_api_client.py
@@ -988,7 +988,7 @@ def _ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx(
         else None
     )
 
-    if not ctx:
+    if ctx is None:
       # Initialize the SSL context for the httpx client.
       # Unlike requests, the httpx package does not automatically pull in the
       # environment variables SSL_CERT_FILE or SSL_CERT_DIR. They need to be
@@ -1000,7 +1000,7 @@ def _ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx(
 
     def _maybe_set(
         args: Optional[_common.StringDict],
-        ctx: ssl.SSLContext,
+        ctx,
     ) -> _common.StringDict:
       """Sets the SSL context in the client args if not set.
 
@@ -1013,7 +1013,7 @@ def _maybe_set(
       Returns:
         The client args with the SSL context included.
       """
-      if not args or not args.get(verify):
+      if not args or args.get(verify) is None:
         args = (args or {}).copy()
         args[verify] = ctx
       # Drop the args that isn't used by the httpx client.
@@ -1044,7 +1044,7 @@ def _ensure_aiohttp_ssl_ctx(options: HttpOptions) -> _common.StringDict:
     async_args = options.async_client_args
     ctx = async_args.get(verify) if async_args else None
 
-    if not ctx:
+    if ctx is None:
       ctx = ssl.create_default_context(
           cafile=os.environ.get('SSL_CERT_FILE', certifi.where()),
           capath=os.environ.get('SSL_CERT_DIR'),
@@ -1052,7 +1052,7 @@ def _ensure_aiohttp_ssl_ctx(options: HttpOptions) -> _common.StringDict:
 
     def _maybe_set(
         args: Optional[_common.StringDict],
-        ctx: ssl.SSLContext,
+        ctx,
     ) -> _common.StringDict:
       """Sets the SSL context in the client args if not set.
 
@@ -1065,7 +1065,7 @@ def _maybe_set(
       Returns:
         The client args with the SSL context included.
       """
-      if not args or not args.get(verify):
+      if not args or args.get(verify) is None:
         args = (args or {}).copy()
         args[verify] = ctx
       # Drop the args that isn't in the aiohttp RequestOptions.
@@ -1097,7 +1097,7 @@ def _ensure_websocket_ssl_ctx(options: HttpOptions) -> _common.StringDict:
     async_args = options.async_client_args
     ctx = async_args.get(verify) if async_args else None
 
-    if not ctx:
+    if ctx is None:
       # Initialize the SSL context for the httpx client.
       # Unlike requests, the aiohttp package does not automatically pull in the
       # environment variables SSL_CERT_FILE or SSL_CERT_DIR. They need to be
@@ -1110,7 +1110,7 @@ def _ensure_websocket_ssl_ctx(options: HttpOptions) -> _common.StringDict:
 
     def _maybe_set(
         args: Optional[_common.StringDict],
-        ctx: ssl.SSLContext,
+        ctx,
     ) -> _common.StringDict:
       """Sets the SSL context in the client args if not set.
 
@@ -1123,7 +1123,7 @@ def _maybe_set(
       Returns:
         The client args with the SSL context included.
       """
-      if not args or not args.get(verify):
+      if not args or args.get(verify) is None:
         args = (args or {}).copy()
         args[verify] = ctx
       # Drop the args that isn't in the aiohttp RequestOptions.
diff --git a/google/genai/tests/client/test_http_options.py b/google/genai/tests/client/test_http_options.py
index e27808142..f49a996a7 100644
--- a/google/genai/tests/client/test_http_options.py
+++ b/google/genai/tests/client/test_http_options.py
@@ -180,3 +180,39 @@ def test_base_url_resource_scope_not_set_by_default():
 def test_retry_options_not_set_by_default():
   options = types.HttpOptions()
   assert options.retry_options is None
+
+
+def test_ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx_preserves_verify_false():
+  """verify=False in client_args must not be overridden by the default SSL context."""
+  options = types.HttpOptions(client_args={'verify': False})
+  client_args, _ = _api_client.BaseApiClient._ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx(options)
+  assert client_args.get('verify') is False
+
+
+def test_ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx_preserves_verify_false_async():
+  """verify=False in async_client_args must not be overridden."""
+  options = types.HttpOptions(async_client_args={'verify': False})
+  _, async_client_args = _api_client.BaseApiClient._ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx(options)
+  assert async_client_args.get('verify') is False
+
+
+def test_ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx_sets_default_ctx_when_absent():
+  """When verify is absent, a default SSLContext is injected."""
+  import ssl
+  options = types.HttpOptions()
+  client_args, _ = _api_client.BaseApiClient._ensure_httpx_ssl_ctx(options)
+  assert isinstance(client_args.get('verify'), ssl.SSLContext)
+
+
+def test_ensure_aiohttp_ssl_ctx_preserves_ssl_false():
+  """ssl=False in async_client_args must not be overridden."""
+  options = types.HttpOptions(async_client_args={'ssl': False})
+  result = _api_client.BaseApiClient._ensure_aiohttp_ssl_ctx(options)
+  assert result.get('ssl') is False
+
+
+def test_ensure_websocket_ssl_ctx_preserves_ssl_false():
+  """ssl=False in async_client_args must not be overridden for WebSocket."""
+  options = types.HttpOptions(async_client_args={'ssl': False})
+  result = _api_client.BaseApiClient._ensure_websocket_ssl_ctx(options)
+  assert result.get('ssl') is False