diff --git a/packages/cli/CHANGELOG.md b/packages/cli/CHANGELOG.md
index 60cf35f..07dd71a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/packages/cli/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ All notable changes to the `nirium-cli` package are documented here.
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+## 3.1.1 - 2026-11-07
+
+### Fixed
+
+- `nirium verify` with no `--gateway` tried only `gateway.pinata.cloud`, which often takes 5-7s and can hit the 8s timeout, so a healthy CID failed to verify. It now tries Filebase's dedicated gateway first, then Pinata, `ipfs.io` and `dweb.link` - the same chain the `verify-audit-cid` Action has used since [#259](https://github.com/nirium-protocol/nirium/pull/259), plus Pinata. Passing `--gateway` still replaces the default list.
+
 ## 3.1.0 - 2026-11-07
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/packages/cli/README.md b/packages/cli/README.md
index b18b975..4d44361 100644
--- a/packages/cli/README.md
+++ b/packages/cli/README.md
@@ -288,7 +288,11 @@ Signatures are accepted as base64 or hex, raw ed25519 or SEP-53
 short backoff first - a fresh pin can take a moment to propagate, so a
 404 there doesn't mean the CID is wrong, just not there *yet*. Any other
 failure (a real error, or a timed-out request) moves straight to the
-next gateway instead, since retrying the same one won't help:
+next gateway instead, since retrying the same one won't help.
+
+With no `--gateway`, it tries Filebase's dedicated gateway, then Pinata,
+then `ipfs.io`, then `dweb.link`. Shared public gateways often answer
+`429` under load, so the dedicated one goes first:
 
 ```bash
 nirium verify <cid> --gateway https://gateway.pinata.cloud --gateway https://ipfs.io --retries 3
@@ -296,7 +300,7 @@ nirium verify <cid> --gateway https://gateway.pinata.cloud --gateway https://ipf
 
 | Option | Purpose | Default |
 |---|---|---|
-| `-g, --gateway <url>` | IPFS gateway to fetch from - repeat for fallbacks | `https://gateway.pinata.cloud` |
+| `-g, --gateway <url>` | IPFS gateway to fetch from - repeat for fallbacks | `nirium.myfilebase.com`, then `gateway.pinata.cloud`, `ipfs.io`, `dweb.link` |
 | `--retries <n>` | retries per gateway on a 404, with backoff | `2` |
 | `--timeout <ms>` | per-request timeout | `8000` |
 | `--json` | machine-readable result | off |
diff --git a/packages/cli/bin/nirium.js b/packages/cli/bin/nirium.js
index e273e8d..dcf08e7 100755
--- a/packages/cli/bin/nirium.js
+++ b/packages/cli/bin/nirium.js
@@ -158,11 +158,22 @@ program
         }
     });
 
+// Tried in order when no --gateway is given. ipfs.io and dweb.link answer 429
+// for healthy CIDs under load (#185), and Pinata serves our pins but often
+// takes 5-7s, so a dedicated gateway goes first. Same chain as the
+// verify-audit-cid Action (#259), plus Pinata.
+const DEFAULT_GATEWAYS = [
+    'https://nirium.myfilebase.com',
+    'https://gateway.pinata.cloud',
+    'https://ipfs.io',
+    'https://dweb.link',
+];
+
 // --- COMMAND: verify ---
 program
     .command('verify')
     .argument('<cid>', 'IPFS Content Identifier (CID) of the audit document')
-    .option('-g, --gateway <url>', 'IPFS gateway URL - repeatable, tried in order as fallbacks', (val, prev) => [...(prev || []), val], [])
+    .option('-g, --gateway <url>', 'IPFS gateway URL - repeatable, tried in order as fallbacks (default: Filebase, Pinata, ipfs.io, dweb.link)', (val, prev) => [...(prev || []), val], [])
     .option('--retries <n>', 'Retries per gateway on a 404 (content may not be propagated yet), with backoff', '2')
     .option('--timeout <ms>', 'Per-request timeout in milliseconds', '8000')
     .option('--json', 'Output result as JSON')
@@ -191,7 +202,7 @@ program
             process.exit(1);
         }
 
-        const gateways = options.gateway.length > 0 ? options.gateway : ['https://gateway.pinata.cloud'];
+        const gateways = options.gateway.length > 0 ? options.gateway : DEFAULT_GATEWAYS;
         const result = await fetchAndVerifyCid(cid, gateways, globalThis.fetch, { expectedHash, retries, timeoutMs });
         if (options.json) {
             console.log(JSON.stringify(result, null, 2));
diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index f18e185..d59985d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "nirium-cli",
-  "version": "3.1.0",
+  "version": "3.1.1",
   "description": "Nirium CLI \u2014 scaffold Stellar agent projects and check agent status",
   "main": "bin/nirium.js",
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/verify-retry-gateway.test.js b/packages/cli/test/verify-retry-gateway.test.js
index 070bc3d..07b7b68 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/verify-retry-gateway.test.js
+++ b/packages/cli/test/verify-retry-gateway.test.js
@@ -161,3 +161,15 @@ test('--timeout rejects a non-positive value', async () => {
     assert.equal(r.code, 1);
     assert.match(r.stderr, /Invalid --timeout/);
 });
+
+test('no --gateway given: tries the default chain in order (Filebase, Pinata, ipfs.io, dweb.link)', async () => {
+    // 1ms timeout aborts every request before it reaches the network, so this
+    // checks only the order of the default list, never a real gateway's answer.
+    const r = await run(['--timeout', '1', '--retries', '0']);
+    assert.equal(r.code, 1);
+    const json = JSON.parse(r.stdout);
+    assert.deepEqual(
+        json.attempts.map((a) => a.gateway),
+        ['https://nirium.myfilebase.com', 'https://gateway.pinata.cloud', 'https://ipfs.io', 'https://dweb.link'],
+    );
+});