diff --git a/extensions/ollama/index.test.ts b/extensions/ollama/index.test.ts
index e9ee52de232..4a7f5931a9b 100644
--- a/extensions/ollama/index.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/ollama/index.test.ts
@@ -241,7 +241,20 @@ describe("ollama plugin", () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it("keeps empty default-ish provider stubs quiet", async () => {
+  it("skips ambient discovery without Ollama auth or meaningful config", async () => {
+    const provider = registerProvider();
+
+    const result = await provider.discovery.run({
+      config: {},
+      env: { NODE_ENV: "development" },
+      resolveProviderApiKey: () => ({ apiKey: "" }),
+    } as never);
+
+    expect(result).toBeNull();
+    expect(buildOllamaProviderMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("skips empty default-ish provider stubs without probing localhost", async () => {
     const provider = registerProvider();
     buildOllamaProviderMock.mockResolvedValueOnce({
       baseUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:11434",
@@ -266,9 +279,7 @@ describe("ollama plugin", () => {
     } as never);
 
     expect(result).toBeNull();
-    expect(buildOllamaProviderMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith("http://127.0.0.1:11434", {
-      quiet: true,
-    });
+    expect(buildOllamaProviderMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
   it("treats non-default baseUrl as explicit discovery config", async () => {
diff --git a/extensions/ollama/provider-discovery.test.ts b/extensions/ollama/provider-discovery.test.ts
index 79049bd5b1c..0fcf658f377 100644
--- a/extensions/ollama/provider-discovery.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/ollama/provider-discovery.test.ts
@@ -210,10 +210,10 @@ describe("Ollama provider", () => {
       vi.stubGlobal("fetch", withFetchPreconnect(fetchMock));
 
       const provider = await runOllamaCatalog({
-        env: { VITEST: "", NODE_ENV: "development" },
+        env: { OLLAMA_API_KEY: OLLAMA_LOCAL_AUTH_MARKER, VITEST: "", NODE_ENV: "development" },
       });
 
-      expect(provider?.apiKey).toBe(OLLAMA_LOCAL_AUTH_MARKER);
+      expect(provider?.apiKey).toBe("OLLAMA_API_KEY");
       expect(provider?.api).toBe("ollama");
       expect(provider?.baseUrl).toBe("http://127.0.0.1:11434");
       expect(provider?.models).toHaveLength(2);
diff --git a/extensions/ollama/src/discovery-shared.ts b/extensions/ollama/src/discovery-shared.ts
index 2dd1a8dba51..b45dee32ba9 100644
--- a/extensions/ollama/src/discovery-shared.ts
+++ b/extensions/ollama/src/discovery-shared.ts
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ export async function resolveOllamaDiscoveryResult(params: {
     return null;
   }
   const ollamaKey = params.ctx.resolveProviderApiKey(OLLAMA_PROVIDER_ID).apiKey;
+  const hasOllamaDiscoveryOptIn = typeof ollamaKey === "string" && ollamaKey.trim().length > 0;
   const hasRealOllamaKey =
     typeof ollamaKey === "string" &&
     ollamaKey.trim().length > 0 &&
@@ -130,6 +131,9 @@ export async function resolveOllamaDiscoveryResult(params: {
       },
     };
   }
+  if (!hasOllamaDiscoveryOptIn && !hasMeaningfulExplicitConfig) {
+    return null;
+  }
   if (
     !hasRealOllamaKey &&
     !hasMeaningfulExplicitConfig &&