diff --git a/src/agents/models-config.file-mode.test.ts b/src/agents/models-config.file-mode.test.ts
index e01e6485302..1166f498024 100644
--- a/src/agents/models-config.file-mode.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/models-config.file-mode.test.ts
@@ -1,18 +1,16 @@
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { resolveOpenClawAgentDir } from "./agent-paths.js";
+import { cleanupTempDirs, makeTempDir } from "../../test/helpers/temp-dir.js";
 import {
-  CUSTOM_PROXY_MODELS_CONFIG,
-  installModelsConfigTestHooks,
-  withModelsTempHome as withTempHome,
-} from "./models-config.e2e-harness.js";
-import { ensureOpenClawModelsJson, resetModelsJsonReadyCacheForTest } from "./models-config.js";
+  ensureModelsFileModeForModelsJson,
+  writeModelsFileAtomicForModelsJson,
+} from "./models-config.js";
 
-installModelsConfigTestHooks();
+const tempDirs = new Set<string>();
 
 afterEach(() => {
-  resetModelsJsonReadyCacheForTest();
+  cleanupTempDirs(tempDirs);
 });
 
 describe("models-config file mode", () => {
@@ -20,28 +18,25 @@ describe("models-config file mode", () => {
     if (process.platform === "win32") {
       return;
     }
-    await withTempHome(async () => {
-      await ensureOpenClawModelsJson(CUSTOM_PROXY_MODELS_CONFIG);
-      const modelsPath = path.join(resolveOpenClawAgentDir(), "models.json");
-      const stat = await fs.stat(modelsPath);
-      expect(stat.mode & 0o777).toBe(0o600);
-    });
+    const dir = makeTempDir(tempDirs, "models-json-mode-");
+    const modelsPath = path.join(dir, "models.json");
+    await writeModelsFileAtomicForModelsJson(modelsPath, '{"providers":{}}\n');
+    const stat = await fs.stat(modelsPath);
+    expect(stat.mode & 0o777).toBe(0o600);
   });
 
   it("repairs models.json mode to 0600 on no-content-change paths", async () => {
     if (process.platform === "win32") {
       return;
     }
-    await withTempHome(async () => {
-      await ensureOpenClawModelsJson(CUSTOM_PROXY_MODELS_CONFIG);
-      const modelsPath = path.join(resolveOpenClawAgentDir(), "models.json");
-      await fs.chmod(modelsPath, 0o644);
+    const dir = makeTempDir(tempDirs, "models-json-mode-");
+    const modelsPath = path.join(dir, "models.json");
+    await writeModelsFileAtomicForModelsJson(modelsPath, '{"providers":{}}\n');
+    await fs.chmod(modelsPath, 0o644);
 
-      const result = await ensureOpenClawModelsJson(CUSTOM_PROXY_MODELS_CONFIG);
-      expect(result.wrote).toBe(false);
+    await ensureModelsFileModeForModelsJson(modelsPath);
 
-      const stat = await fs.stat(modelsPath);
-      expect(stat.mode & 0o777).toBe(0o600);
-    });
+    const stat = await fs.stat(modelsPath);
+    expect(stat.mode & 0o777).toBe(0o600);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/agents/models-config.ts b/src/agents/models-config.ts
index 1b1a34b2a78..0b2bbbbfaf4 100644
--- a/src/agents/models-config.ts
+++ b/src/agents/models-config.ts
@@ -74,13 +74,16 @@ async function readExistingModelsFile(pathname: string): Promise<{
   }
 }
 
-async function ensureModelsFileMode(pathname: string): Promise<void> {
+export async function ensureModelsFileModeForModelsJson(pathname: string): Promise<void> {
   await fs.chmod(pathname, 0o600).catch(() => {
     // best-effort
   });
 }
 
-async function writeModelsFileAtomic(targetPath: string, contents: string): Promise<void> {
+export async function writeModelsFileAtomicForModelsJson(
+  targetPath: string,
+  contents: string,
+): Promise<void> {
   const tempPath = `${targetPath}.${process.pid}.${Date.now()}.tmp`;
   await fs.writeFile(tempPath, contents, { mode: 0o600 });
   await fs.rename(tempPath, targetPath);
@@ -149,7 +152,7 @@ export async function ensureOpenClawModelsJson(
   if (cached) {
     const settled = await cached;
     if (settled.fingerprint === fingerprint) {
-      await ensureModelsFileMode(targetPath);
+      await ensureModelsFileModeForModelsJson(targetPath);
       return settled.result;
     }
   }
@@ -173,13 +176,13 @@ export async function ensureOpenClawModelsJson(
     }
 
     if (plan.action === "noop") {
-      await ensureModelsFileMode(targetPath);
+      await ensureModelsFileModeForModelsJson(targetPath);
       return { fingerprint, result: { agentDir, wrote: false } };
     }
 
     await fs.mkdir(agentDir, { recursive: true, mode: 0o700 });
-    await writeModelsFileAtomic(targetPath, plan.contents);
-    await ensureModelsFileMode(targetPath);
+    await writeModelsFileAtomicForModelsJson(targetPath, plan.contents);
+    await ensureModelsFileModeForModelsJson(targetPath);
     return { fingerprint, result: { agentDir, wrote: true } };
   });
   MODELS_JSON_STATE.readyCache.set(targetPath, pending);