diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d7b92cefa14..18b5e8c8406 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 - Onboarding/setup: keep first-run config reads, plugin compatibility notices, and post-model sanity checks on cold metadata paths unless the user chooses to browse all models, avoiding full plugin/runtime catalog work between prompts. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Onboarding/auth: run manifest-owned provider auth choices through scoped setup providers so selecting OpenAI Codex browser/device auth no longer loads every provider runtime before OAuth starts. Thanks @shakkernerd.
+- Onboarding/auth: keep the post-auth default-model policy lookup on manifest/setup metadata so the next prompt appears without loading broad provider runtime. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Onboarding/models: keep skip-auth and provider-scoped model picker prompts off the full global model catalog path, and cache provider catalog hook resolution so setup no longer stalls after auth on large plugin registries. Thanks @shakkernerd.
 - Gateway/Bonjour: suppress known @homebridge/ciao cancellation and network assertion failures through scoped process handlers so malformed mDNS packets or restricted VPS networking disable/restart Bonjour instead of crashing the gateway. Fixes #67578. Thanks @zenassist26-create.
 - Discord: keep late clicks on already-resolved exec approval buttons quiet when elevated mode auto-resolved the request, while still surfacing real approval submission failures. Fixes #66906. Thanks @rlerikse.
diff --git a/src/wizard/setup.test.ts b/src/wizard/setup.test.ts
index 5794796a530..bb0f08c6829 100644
--- a/src/wizard/setup.test.ts
+++ b/src/wizard/setup.test.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ const applyAuthChoice = vi.hoisted(() =>
   vi.fn<ApplyAuthChoice>(async (args) => ({ config: args.config })),
 );
 const resolvePreferredProviderForAuthChoice = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(async () => "demo-provider"));
+const resolveManifestProviderAuthChoice = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(() => undefined));
+const resolvePluginSetupProvider = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(() => undefined));
 const resolveProviderPluginChoice = vi.hoisted(() =>
   vi.fn<ResolveProviderPluginChoice>(() => null),
 );
@@ -166,10 +168,17 @@ vi.mock("../commands/auth-choice.js", () => ({
   warnIfModelConfigLooksOff,
 }));
 
+vi.mock("../plugins/provider-auth-choices.js", () => ({
+  resolveManifestProviderAuthChoice,
+}));
+
+vi.mock("../plugins/setup-registry.js", () => ({
+  resolvePluginSetupProvider,
+}));
+
 vi.mock("../plugins/provider-auth-choice.runtime.js", () => ({
   resolveProviderPluginChoice,
   resolvePluginProviders: resolvePluginProvidersRuntime,
-  resolvePluginSetupProvider: vi.fn(() => undefined),
 }));
 
 vi.mock("../commands/model-picker.js", () => ({
@@ -960,4 +969,59 @@ describe("runSetupWizard", () => {
       ),
     ).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it("uses manifest setup metadata for post-auth model policy without loading provider runtime", async () => {
+    promptDefaultModel.mockClear();
+    resolvePluginProvidersRuntime.mockClear();
+    resolveManifestProviderAuthChoice.mockReturnValue({
+      pluginId: "openai",
+      providerId: "openai-codex",
+      methodId: "oauth",
+      choiceId: "openai-codex",
+      choiceLabel: "OpenAI Codex Browser Login",
+    });
+    resolvePluginSetupProvider.mockReturnValue({
+      id: "openai-codex",
+      label: "OpenAI Codex",
+      auth: [
+        {
+          id: "oauth",
+          label: "OpenAI Codex Browser Login",
+          kind: "oauth",
+          wizard: {
+            modelSelection: {
+              allowKeepCurrent: false,
+            },
+          },
+          run: vi.fn(async () => ({ profiles: [] })),
+        },
+      ],
+    });
+    promptAuthChoiceGrouped.mockResolvedValueOnce("openai-codex");
+    const prompter = buildWizardPrompter({});
+    const runtime = createRuntime();
+
+    await runSetupWizard(
+      {
+        acceptRisk: true,
+        flow: "quickstart",
+        installDaemon: false,
+        skipSkills: true,
+        skipSearch: true,
+        skipHealth: true,
+        skipUi: true,
+      },
+      runtime,
+      prompter,
+    );
+
+    expect(resolvePluginSetupProvider).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        provider: "openai-codex",
+        pluginIds: ["openai"],
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(resolvePluginProvidersRuntime).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(promptDefaultModel).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ allowKeep: false }));
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/wizard/setup.ts b/src/wizard/setup.ts
index 624600b7717..48761819632 100644
--- a/src/wizard/setup.ts
+++ b/src/wizard/setup.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { normalizeProviderId } from "../agents/provider-id.js";
 import { formatCliCommand } from "../cli/command-format.js";
 import { commitConfigWriteWithPendingPluginInstalls } from "../cli/plugins-install-record-commit.js";
 import type {
@@ -88,6 +89,35 @@ async function resolveAuthChoiceModelSelectionPolicy(params: {
     env: params.env,
   });
 
+  const [{ resolveManifestProviderAuthChoice }, { resolvePluginSetupProvider }] = await Promise.all(
+    [import("../plugins/provider-auth-choices.js"), import("../plugins/setup-registry.js")],
+  );
+  const manifestChoice = resolveManifestProviderAuthChoice(params.authChoice, {
+    config: params.config,
+    workspaceDir: params.workspaceDir,
+    env: params.env,
+    includeUntrustedWorkspacePlugins: false,
+  });
+  if (manifestChoice) {
+    const setupProvider = resolvePluginSetupProvider({
+      provider: manifestChoice.providerId,
+      config: params.config,
+      workspaceDir: params.workspaceDir,
+      env: params.env,
+      pluginIds: [manifestChoice.pluginId],
+    });
+    const setupMethod = setupProvider?.auth.find(
+      (method) => normalizeProviderId(method.id) === normalizeProviderId(manifestChoice.methodId),
+    );
+    const setupPolicy =
+      setupMethod?.wizard?.modelSelection ?? setupProvider?.wizard?.setup?.modelSelection;
+    return {
+      preferredProvider,
+      promptWhenAuthChoiceProvided: setupPolicy?.promptWhenAuthChoiceProvided === true,
+      allowKeepCurrent: setupPolicy?.allowKeepCurrent ?? true,
+    };
+  }
+
   const { resolvePluginProviders, resolveProviderPluginChoice } =
     await import("../plugins/provider-auth-choice.runtime.js");
   const providers = resolvePluginProviders({