diff --git a/src/agents/model-auth.ts b/src/agents/model-auth.ts
index 91885de58db..f39f4c36466 100644
--- a/src/agents/model-auth.ts
+++ b/src/agents/model-auth.ts
@@ -274,6 +274,36 @@ function isManagedSecretRefApiKeyMarker(apiKey: string | undefined): boolean {
   return apiKey?.trim() === NON_ENV_SECRETREF_MARKER;
 }
 
+export function hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig(params: {
+  cfg: OpenClawConfig | undefined;
+  provider: string;
+}): boolean {
+  const providerConfig = resolveProviderConfig(params.cfg, params.provider);
+  if (!providerConfig) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const hasApiConfig =
+    Boolean(providerConfig.api?.trim()) ||
+    Boolean(providerConfig.baseUrl?.trim()) ||
+    (Array.isArray(providerConfig.models) && providerConfig.models.length > 0);
+  if (!hasApiConfig) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const authOverride = resolveProviderAuthOverride(params.cfg, params.provider);
+  if (authOverride && authOverride !== "api-key") {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (!isCustomLocalProviderConfig(providerConfig)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  if (hasExplicitProviderApiKeyConfig(providerConfig)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return Boolean(providerConfig.baseUrl && isLocalBaseUrl(providerConfig.baseUrl));
+}
+
 type SyntheticProviderAuthResolution = {
   auth?: ResolvedProviderAuth;
   blockedOnManagedSecretRef?: boolean;
@@ -340,29 +370,10 @@ function resolveSyntheticLocalProviderAuth(params: {
     return null;
   }
 
-  const hasApiConfig =
-    Boolean(providerConfig.api?.trim()) ||
-    Boolean(providerConfig.baseUrl?.trim()) ||
-    (Array.isArray(providerConfig.models) && providerConfig.models.length > 0);
-  if (!hasApiConfig) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  const authOverride = resolveProviderAuthOverride(params.cfg, params.provider);
-  if (authOverride && authOverride !== "api-key") {
-    return null;
-  }
-  if (!isCustomLocalProviderConfig(providerConfig)) {
-    return null;
-  }
-  if (hasExplicitProviderApiKeyConfig(providerConfig)) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
   // Custom providers pointing at a local server (e.g. llama.cpp, vLLM, LocalAI)
   // typically don't require auth. Synthesize a local key so the auth resolver
   // doesn't reject them when the user left the API key blank during setup.
-  if (providerConfig.baseUrl && isLocalBaseUrl(providerConfig.baseUrl)) {
+  if (hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig(params)) {
     return {
       apiKey: CUSTOM_LOCAL_AUTH_MARKER,
       source: `models.providers.${params.provider} (synthetic local key)`,
diff --git a/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts b/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts
index a31db341b88..00136e04cd7 100644
--- a/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ const listProfilesForProvider = vi.fn().mockReturnValue([]);
 const resolveEnvApiKey = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(undefined);
 const resolveAwsSdkEnvVarName = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(undefined);
 const hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false);
+const hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig = vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false);
 const loadModelCatalog = vi.fn(async () => []);
 const loadProviderCatalogModelsForList = vi.fn<() => Promise<Array<Record<string, unknown>>>>(
   async () => [],
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@ vi.mock("../agents/auth-profiles/store.js", () => ({
 
 vi.mock("../agents/model-auth.js", () => ({
   hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey,
+  hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig,
   resolveAwsSdkEnvVarName,
   resolveEnvApiKey,
 }));
diff --git a/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.test.ts b/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.test.ts
index 98227837592..797fe99591b 100644
--- a/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.test.ts
@@ -66,6 +66,26 @@ describe("createModelListAuthIndex", () => {
     expect(index.hasProviderAuth("custom-openai")).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it("records configured local custom provider markers", () => {
+    const index = createModelListAuthIndex({
+      cfg: {
+        models: {
+          providers: {
+            "local-openai": {
+              api: "openai-completions",
+              baseUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1",
+              models: [{ id: "local-model" }],
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      authStore: emptyStore,
+      env: {},
+    });
+
+    expect(index.hasProviderAuth("local-openai")).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("uses injected synthetic auth refs without loading provider runtime", () => {
     const index = createModelListAuthIndex({
       cfg: {},
diff --git a/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.ts b/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.ts
index 26284a9563f..fab861a31a8 100644
--- a/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models/list.auth-index.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ import type { AuthProfileStore } from "../../agents/auth-profiles/types.js";
 import { resolveProviderEnvApiKeyCandidates } from "../../agents/model-auth-env-vars.js";
 import { resolveEnvApiKey } from "../../agents/model-auth-env.js";
 import { resolveAwsSdkEnvVarName } from "../../agents/model-auth-runtime-shared.js";
-import { hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey } from "../../agents/model-auth.js";
+import {
+  hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig,
+  hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey,
+} from "../../agents/model-auth.js";
 import { resolveProviderAuthAliasMap } from "../../agents/provider-auth-aliases.js";
 import { normalizeProviderIdForAuth } from "../../agents/provider-id.js";
 import type { OpenClawConfig } from "../../config/types.openclaw.js";
@@ -65,7 +68,10 @@ export function createModelListAuthIndex(
   }
 
   for (const provider of Object.keys(params.cfg.models?.providers ?? {})) {
-    if (hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey(params.cfg, provider, env)) {
+    if (
+      hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey(params.cfg, provider, env) ||
+      hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig({ cfg: params.cfg, provider })
+    ) {
       addProvider(provider);
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/commands/models/list.list-command.forward-compat.test.ts b/src/commands/models/list.list-command.forward-compat.test.ts
index 05717fa9d8b..27f320cbfeb 100644
--- a/src/commands/models/list.list-command.forward-compat.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models/list.list-command.forward-compat.test.ts
@@ -209,6 +209,7 @@ function installModelsListCommandForwardCompatMocks() {
 
   vi.doMock("../../agents/model-auth.js", () => ({
     hasUsableCustomProviderApiKey: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
+    hasSyntheticLocalProviderAuthConfig: vi.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
   }));
 
   vi.doMock("../../plugins/installed-plugin-index-store.js", () => ({