diff --git a/runtime/python/websocket/funasr_wss_server.py b/runtime/python/websocket/funasr_wss_server.py
index 2a449e6423..7383177469 100644
--- a/runtime/python/websocket/funasr_wss_server.py
+++ b/runtime/python/websocket/funasr_wss_server.py
@@ -155,6 +155,25 @@ def _safe_int(v, default):
         return default
 
 
+def _model_hotwords(hotwords):
+    """Turn protocol hotwords into the space-separated string AutoModel reads.
+
+    Clients send hotwords as a JSON object string with weights, such as
+    '{"阿里巴巴": 20, "通义实验室": 30}' (runtime/docs/websocket_protocol.md).
+    AutoModel splits a hotword string on whitespace and takes no weights, so
+    keep only the words, as the C++ server does for NN hotwords. Any other
+    value is returned unchanged.
+    """
+    if isinstance(hotwords, str):
+        try:
+            parsed = json.loads(hotwords)
+        except ValueError:
+            return hotwords
+        if isinstance(parsed, dict):
+            return " ".join(parsed)
+    return hotwords
+
+
 # ========= speaker db：加缓存，避免每段都读盘 =========
 _SPEAKER_DB_CACHE = {}
 _SPEAKER_DB_CACHE_TS = 0.0
@@ -502,7 +521,7 @@ async def finish_input(send_end_ack):
                     ]
 
                 if "hotwords" in messagejson:
-                    hotword_data = messagejson["hotwords"]
+                    hotword_data = _model_hotwords(messagejson["hotwords"])
                     websocket.status_dict_asr["hotword"] = hotword_data
                     websocket.status_dict_asr_online["hotword"] = hotword_data
                     print(f"热词已更新: {hotword_data}")
diff --git a/tests/test_websocket_server_hotwords.py b/tests/test_websocket_server_hotwords.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..36b0daeb39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_websocket_server_hotwords.py
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+"""Client hotwords in runtime/python/websocket/funasr_wss_server.py.
+
+The websocket protocol (runtime/docs/websocket_protocol.md) sends ``hotwords``
+as a JSON object string that maps each hotword to a weight, for example
+'{"阿里巴巴":20,"通义实验室":30}'. The HTML5, Java, Android and C++ clients
+and the microphone mode of funasr_wss_client.py all send this format. The
+Python server passed the string to AutoModel unchanged, and AutoModel splits a
+hotword string on whitespace, so the JSON text became ``<unk>`` hotwords.
+"""
+
+import asyncio
+import importlib.util
+import json
+import sys
+import types
+from pathlib import Path
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+SERVER_PATH = ROOT / "runtime/python/websocket/funasr_wss_server.py"
+
+
+class FakeWebSocket:
+    def __init__(self, incoming):
+        self.incoming = iter(incoming)
+        self.sent = []
+        self.path = None
+
+    def __aiter__(self):
+        return self
+
+    async def __anext__(self):
+        try:
+            return next(self.incoming)
+        except StopIteration:
+            raise StopAsyncIteration
+
+    async def send(self, message):
+        self.sent.append(message)
+
+    async def close(self):
+        pass
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def server(monkeypatch):
+    for name in ("websockets", "scipy", "torch"):
+        pytest.importorskip(name)
+    # The server builds its models with AutoModel when it is imported.
+    fake_funasr = types.ModuleType("funasr")
+    fake_funasr.AutoModel = lambda **kwargs: SimpleNamespace(**kwargs)
+    monkeypatch.setitem(sys.modules, "funasr", fake_funasr)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(sys, "argv", [str(SERVER_PATH)])
+    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("funasr_wss_server_hotwords", SERVER_PATH)
+    module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+    spec.loader.exec_module(module)
+    yield module
+    module.EXECUTOR.shutdown(wait=True)
+
+
+def _offline_hotwords(server, hotwords):
+    """Send one offline request and return the hotword AutoModel.generate receives."""
+    asr_calls = []
+
+    def asr_generate(input, **kwargs):
+        asr_calls.append(kwargs)
+        return [{"text": "阿里巴巴"}]
+
+    def no_speaker_model(*args, **kwargs):
+        raise RuntimeError("no speaker model in this test")
+
+    server.model_asr = SimpleNamespace(generate=asr_generate)
+    server.model_vad = SimpleNamespace(generate=lambda input, **kwargs: [{"value": []}])
+    server.model_sv = SimpleNamespace(generate=no_speaker_model)
+    server.model_punc = None
+    config = {
+        "mode": "offline",
+        "chunk_size": [5, 10, 5],
+        "chunk_interval": 10,
+        "wav_name": "demo",
+        "is_speaking": True,
+        "hotwords": hotwords,
+        "itn": True,
+    }
+    websocket = FakeWebSocket(
+        [
+            json.dumps(config, ensure_ascii=False),
+            b"\x01\x00" * 1600,
+            json.dumps({"is_speaking": False, "is_end": True}),
+        ]
+    )
+
+    asyncio.run(server.ws_serve(websocket))
+
+    assert json.loads(websocket.sent[-1])["is_final"] is True
+    assert len(asr_calls) == 1
+    return asr_calls[0]["hotword"]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "hotwords, expected",
+    [
+        # HTML5, Java, Android and C++ clients (compact JSON)
+        ('{"阿里巴巴":20,"通义实验室":30}', "阿里巴巴 通义实验室"),
+        # funasr_wss_client.py microphone mode (json.dumps)
+        ('{"阿里巴巴": 20, "通义实验室": 30}', "阿里巴巴 通义实验室"),
+        # an empty object: no hotwords
+        ("{}", ""),
+    ],
+)
+def test_protocol_hotwords_reach_the_model_as_words(server, hotwords, expected):
+    assert _offline_hotwords(server, hotwords) == expected
+
+
+# A space-separated string is what AutoModel expects already, and
+# funasr_wss_client.py sends "" when --hotword is not set.
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("hotwords", ["阿里巴巴 通义实验室", ""])
+def test_plain_hotword_strings_are_unchanged(server, hotwords):
+    assert _offline_hotwords(server, hotwords) == hotwords