diff --git a/ui/src/e2e/new-session-page.catalog-reconnect.e2e.test.ts b/ui/src/e2e/new-session-page.catalog-reconnect.e2e.test.ts
index 96e3c465f790..5c385f50a8a9 100644
--- a/ui/src/e2e/new-session-page.catalog-reconnect.e2e.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/e2e/new-session-page.catalog-reconnect.e2e.test.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,61 @@ function cliAgentCatalog(startTerminal: boolean) {
 }
 
 suite.define(() => {
+  it("waits for the current roster before loading the CLI catalog", async () => {
+    const context = await suite.browser.newContext({
+      locale: "en-US",
+      serviceWorkers: "block",
+    });
+    const page = await context.newPage();
+    const gateway = await installMockGateway(page, {
+      assistantAgentId: "roboclaw",
+      assistantName: "Roboclaw",
+      cliAgentsEnabled: true,
+      defaultAgentId: "roboclaw",
+      deferredMethods: ["agents.list"],
+      featureMethods: [...TERMINAL_START_FEATURE_METHODS],
+      methodResponses: {
+        "sessions.catalog.list": { catalogs: [cliAgentCatalog(false)] },
+      },
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await page.goto(`${suite.server.baseUrl}new`);
+      await gateway.waitForRequest("agents.list");
+      await page.locator(".new-session-page__message").waitFor({ state: "visible" });
+      expect(
+        (await gateway.getRequests("sessions.catalog.list"))
+          .filter((request) => requestHasParam(request, "limitPerHost", 1))
+          .map((request) => request.params),
+      ).toEqual([]);
+
+      await gateway.resolveDeferred("agents.list");
+
+      await page.getByRole("heading", { name: "Roboclaw" }).waitFor();
+      await expect
+        .poll(async () =>
+          (await gateway.getRequests("sessions.catalog.list")).filter((request) =>
+            requestHasParam(request, "limitPerHost", 1),
+          ),
+        )
+        .toHaveLength(1);
+      const catalogRequest = (await gateway.getRequests("sessions.catalog.list")).find((request) =>
+        requestHasParam(request, "limitPerHost", 1),
+      );
+      expect(catalogRequest?.params).toEqual({
+        agentId: "roboclaw",
+        limitPerHost: 1,
+      });
+
+      await page.locator('[data-chat-model-select="true"]').click();
+      const cliGroup = page.locator('[data-chat-model-target-group="cliAgents"]');
+      await expect.poll(() => cliGroup.isVisible()).toBe(true);
+      await pollLocatorText(cliGroup).toContain("Claude Code");
+    } finally {
+      await context.close();
+    }
+  });
+
   it("routes a Labs-enabled CLI agent picker row through catalog-target mode", async () => {
     if (captureCliAgentsProof) {
       await mkdir(cliAgentsProofDir, { recursive: true });
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/new-session/catalog-target.ts b/ui/src/pages/new-session/catalog-target.ts
index 0b64d8a31234..ca3dacec2300 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/new-session/catalog-target.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/new-session/catalog-target.ts
@@ -155,12 +155,12 @@ export function resolveAgentId(
 ): string {
   const rawRequested = data?.agentId?.trim();
   if (!rawRequested) {
-    return normalizeAgentId(fallback);
+    return fallback && normalizeAgentId(fallback);
   }
   const requested = normalizeAgentId(rawRequested);
   return availableAgents.some((candidate) => normalizeAgentId(candidate.id) === requested)
     ? requested
-    : normalizeAgentId(fallback);
+    : fallback && normalizeAgentId(fallback);
 }
 
 export function allowsSelectedAgent(
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/new-session/draft-place-state.ts b/ui/src/pages/new-session/draft-place-state.ts
index cfb4630e1729..5f2cf38a680b 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/new-session/draft-place-state.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/new-session/draft-place-state.ts
@@ -245,15 +245,15 @@ export class DraftPlaceState {
     const agents = this.agents();
     const configuredDefault = snapshot.context?.agents.state.agentsList?.defaultId;
     const fallback = agents.some((agent) => agent.id === configuredDefault)
-      ? (configuredDefault ?? "main")
-      : (agents[0]?.id ?? "main");
+      ? (configuredDefault ?? "")
+      : (agents[0]?.id ?? "");
     const keepSelectedAgent =
       options.preserveSelectedAgent && this.agentSelectedByUser && Boolean(this.selectedAgent());
     if (!keepSelectedAgent) {
       this.agentIdValue = catalog.resolveAgentId(snapshot.data, agents, fallback);
       this.agentSelectedByUser = false;
     }
-    const preference = this.gateway.readPreference(this.agentIdValue);
+    const preference = this.agentIdValue ? this.gateway.readPreference(this.agentIdValue) : null;
     const keepSelectedFolder = options.preserveSelectedFolder && this.folderSelectedByUser;
     if (!this.execNodeValue && !keepSelectedFolder && !snapshot.pendingCloudSessionKey) {
       const workspace = this.workspacePath();
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts b/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts
index 54780ed02395..a3462a2fab58 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ export class NewSessionModelControl {
   loadCatalogTargets(context: ApplicationContext | undefined, agentId: string, enabled: boolean) {
     const snapshot = context?.gateway.snapshot;
     const client = snapshot?.client;
-    const normalizedAgentId = normalizeAgentId(agentId);
+    const normalizedAgentId = agentId.trim() ? normalizeAgentId(agentId) : "";
     if (
       !enabled ||
       snapshot?.phase !== "connected" ||
@@ -339,7 +339,7 @@ export class NewSessionModelControl {
   ) {
     const snapshot = context?.gateway.snapshot;
     const client = snapshot?.client;
-    const normalizedAgentId = normalizeAgentId(agentId);
+    const normalizedAgentId = agentId.trim() ? normalizeAgentId(agentId) : "";
     if (this.agentId !== normalizedAgentId) {
       // Catalog availability belongs to an agent. A real owner change clears
       // the snapshot; same-agent refreshes retain it until replacement.
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/new-session/new-session-page.ts b/ui/src/pages/new-session/new-session-page.ts
index 983e5b7bbae6..0fd70aef4319 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/new-session/new-session-page.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/new-session/new-session-page.ts
@@ -245,11 +245,6 @@ class NewSessionPage extends OpenClawLightDomElement {
     }
     this.gateway.retryPendingCatalogTarget();
     void this.context?.agentIdentity.ensure(this.place.agents().map((agent) => agent.id));
-    this.place.modelControl.loadCatalogTargets(
-      this.context,
-      this.place.agentId,
-      this.context?.config.current.cliAgentsEnabled === true && !catalog.isTarget(this.data),
-    );
     const agentState = this.context?.agents.state;
     const agentsReady = Boolean(
       this.gateway.connected &&
@@ -258,6 +253,11 @@ class NewSessionPage extends OpenClawLightDomElement {
       agentState.client === this.gateway.client &&
       this.place.agents().length > 0,
     );
+    this.place.modelControl.loadCatalogTargets(
+      this.context,
+      agentsReady && this.place.agentId ? (this.place.selectedAgent()?.id ?? "") : "",
+      this.context?.config.current.cliAgentsEnabled === true && !catalog.isTarget(this.data),
+    );
     const openKey = this.data
       ? catalog.routeKey(this.data)
       : catalog.routeKeyFromSearch(window.location.search);