diff --git a/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts b/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts
index f4562c60088..441c0675a79 100644
--- a/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models.list.e2e.test.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ const modelRegistryState = {
   available: [] as Array<Record<string, unknown>>,
   getAllError: undefined as unknown,
   getAvailableError: undefined as unknown,
+  findError: undefined as unknown,
 };
 let previousExitCode: typeof process.exitCode;
 
@@ -46,6 +47,9 @@ vi.mock("./models/load-config.js", () => ({
 vi.mock("./models/list.runtime.js", () => {
   class MockModelRegistry {
     find(provider: string, id: string) {
+      if (modelRegistryState.findError !== undefined) {
+        throw modelRegistryState.findError;
+      }
       return (
         modelRegistryState.models.find((model) => model.provider === provider && model.id === id) ??
         null
@@ -65,6 +69,12 @@ vi.mock("./models/list.runtime.js", () => {
       }
       return modelRegistryState.available;
     }
+
+    hasConfiguredAuth(model: { provider: string; id: string }) {
+      return modelRegistryState.available.some(
+        (available) => available.provider === model.provider && available.id === model.id,
+      );
+    }
   }
 
   return {
@@ -133,6 +143,7 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   process.exitCode = undefined;
   modelRegistryState.getAllError = undefined;
   modelRegistryState.getAvailableError = undefined;
+  modelRegistryState.findError = undefined;
   getRuntimeConfig.mockReset();
   getRuntimeConfig.mockReturnValue({});
   listProfilesForProvider.mockReturnValue([]);
@@ -390,22 +401,27 @@ describe("models list/status", () => {
     expect(loadProviderCatalogModelsForList).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
 
-  it("models list does not treat availability-unavailable code as discovery fallback", async () => {
+  it("models list default does not enumerate all registry models", async () => {
     configureGoogleAntigravityModel("claude-opus-4-6-thinking");
+    modelRegistryState.models = [
+      makeGoogleAntigravityTemplate("claude-opus-4-6-thinking", "Claude Opus 4.6 Thinking"),
+    ];
+    modelRegistryState.available = modelRegistryState.models;
     modelRegistryState.getAllError = Object.assign(new Error("model discovery failed"), {
       code: "MODEL_AVAILABILITY_UNAVAILABLE",
     });
     const runtime = makeRuntime();
     await modelsListCommand({ json: true }, runtime);
 
-    expectModelRegistryUnavailable(runtime, "model discovery failed");
-    expect(runtime.error.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).not.toContain("configured models may appear missing");
+    expect(runtime.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const payload = parseJsonLog(runtime);
+    expect(payload.models[0]?.key).toBe("google-antigravity/claude-opus-4-6-thinking");
   });
 
-  it("models list fails fast when registry model discovery is unavailable", async () => {
+  it("models list fails fast when configured registry lookup is unavailable", async () => {
     configureGoogleAntigravityModel("claude-opus-4-6-thinking");
     enableGoogleAntigravityAuthProfile();
-    modelRegistryState.getAllError = Object.assign(new Error("model discovery unavailable"), {
+    modelRegistryState.findError = Object.assign(new Error("model discovery unavailable"), {
       code: "MODEL_DISCOVERY_UNAVAILABLE",
     });
     const runtime = makeRuntime();
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 9f43ba24d1a..73cb279c225 100644
--- a/src/commands/models/list.list-command.forward-compat.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/models/list.list-command.forward-compat.test.ts
@@ -141,6 +141,43 @@ function installModelsListCommandForwardCompatMocks() {
     printModelTable: mocks.printModelTable,
   }));
 
+  vi.doMock("./list.registry-load.js", () => ({
+    loadListModelRegistry: async (
+      cfg: unknown,
+      opts?: { providerFilter?: string },
+    ): Promise<{
+      models: Array<{ provider: string; id: string }>;
+      availableKeys?: Set<string>;
+      registry?: unknown;
+      discoveredKeys: Set<string>;
+    }> => {
+      const loaded = await mocks.loadModelRegistry(cfg, opts);
+      return {
+        ...loaded,
+        discoveredKeys: new Set(
+          loaded.models.map(
+            (model: { provider: string; id: string }) => `${model.provider}/${model.id}`,
+          ),
+        ),
+      };
+    },
+    loadConfiguredListModelRegistry: (
+      _cfg: unknown,
+      _entries: unknown,
+      opts?: { providerFilter?: string },
+    ) => {
+      mocks.loadModelRegistry(mocks.resolvedConfig, opts);
+      return {
+        registry: {
+          find: () => undefined,
+          hasConfiguredAuth: () => false,
+        },
+        discoveredKeys: new Set(),
+        availableKeys: new Set(),
+      };
+    },
+  }));
+
   vi.doMock("./list.runtime.js", () => ({
     ensureOpenClawModelsJson: mocks.ensureOpenClawModelsJson,
     ensureAuthProfileStore: mocks.ensureAuthProfileStore,
@@ -363,7 +400,7 @@ describe("modelsListCommand forward-compat", () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it("exits with an error when configured-mode listing has no model registry", async () => {
+    it("does not require the all-model registry result for configured-mode listing", async () => {
       const previousExitCode = process.exitCode;
       process.exitCode = undefined;
       mocks.loadModelRegistry.mockResolvedValueOnce({
@@ -381,9 +418,9 @@ describe("modelsListCommand forward-compat", () => {
         process.exitCode = previousExitCode;
       }
 
-      expect(runtime.error).toHaveBeenCalledWith("Model registry unavailable.");
-      expect(observedExitCode).toBe(1);
-      expect(mocks.printModelTable).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(runtime.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(observedExitCode).toBeUndefined();
+      expect(mocks.printModelTable).toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
   });