diff --git a/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.test.ts b/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1b7d904d38ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  clearAllRuntimeAuthMaterializations,
+  recordRuntimeAuthMaterialization,
+} from "./auth-profiles/runtime-materializations.js";
+import { getPreparedModelRuntimeAuthMaterializations } from "./prepared-model-runtime-auth.js";
+import { registerPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializationPublisher } from "./prepared-model-runtime-materializations.js";
+import type {
+  PreparedModelRuntimeOwner,
+  PreparedModelRuntimeSnapshot,
+} from "./prepared-model-runtime.types.js";
+
+function createOwner(params: {
+  agentId: string;
+  agentDir: string;
+  needsRefresh?: boolean;
+}): PreparedModelRuntimeOwner {
+  const snapshot = {
+    agentId: params.agentId,
+    agentDir: params.agentDir,
+    config: {},
+    authModes: {},
+    activeProjectKeys: [],
+    allowGatewaySubagentBinding: true,
+    metadataSnapshot: { index: { plugins: [] }, plugins: [] },
+    modelCatalog: { entries: [], routeVariants: [] },
+    configuredRuntimeModels: [],
+    inlineProviderModels: [],
+    createStores: () => ({ authStorage: { getAll: () => ({}) }, modelRegistry: {} }),
+  } as unknown as PreparedModelRuntimeSnapshot;
+  return {
+    input: { agentId: params.agentId, agentDir: params.agentDir, config: {} },
+    environmentFingerprint: "test-env",
+    catalogMode: "static",
+    provenance: "configured",
+    generation: 1,
+    needsRefresh: params.needsRefresh === true,
+    snapshot,
+  };
+}
+
+const materialization = {
+  provider: "openai",
+  modelId: "gpt-5.4",
+  modelApi: "openai-chatgpt-responses",
+  modelBaseUrl: "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/codex",
+  requestTransportOverrides: "none" as const,
+  authMode: "oauth",
+  runtimeOwnerId: "codex",
+};
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  clearAllRuntimeAuthMaterializations();
+});
+
+describe("prepared model runtime auth materialization publication", () => {
+  it("does not announce published while a sibling configured owner is stale", () => {
+    const main = createOwner({ agentId: "main", agentDir: "/tmp/configured-main" });
+    const atlas = createOwner({
+      agentId: "atlas",
+      agentDir: "/tmp/configured-atlas",
+      needsRefresh: true,
+    });
+    const owners = new Map<string, PreparedModelRuntimeOwner>([
+      ["main", main],
+      ["atlas", atlas],
+    ]);
+    const phases: string[] = [];
+    const unregister = registerPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializationPublisher(owners, (event) => {
+      phases.push(event.phase);
+    });
+
+    expect(
+      recordRuntimeAuthMaterialization({
+        ...materialization,
+        agentDir: "/tmp/configured-main",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(phases).toEqual([]);
+    expect(getPreparedModelRuntimeAuthMaterializations(main.snapshot!)).toEqual([
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        provider: "openai",
+        runtimeOwnerId: "codex",
+      }),
+    ]);
+    unregister();
+  });
+
+  it("announces publication when every configured owner is request-visible", () => {
+    const main = createOwner({ agentId: "main", agentDir: "/tmp/configured-main" });
+    const owners = new Map<string, PreparedModelRuntimeOwner>([["main", main]]);
+    const phases: string[] = [];
+    const unregister = registerPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializationPublisher(owners, (event) => {
+      phases.push(event.phase);
+    });
+
+    expect(
+      recordRuntimeAuthMaterialization({
+        ...materialization,
+        agentDir: "/tmp/configured-main",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(phases).toEqual(["invalidated", "published"]);
+    unregister();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.ts b/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.ts
index 6f9946c1377b..e40fb3aeab22 100644
--- a/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.ts
+++ b/src/agents/prepared-model-runtime-materializations.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,20 @@ type MaterializationMutationEvent = {
   affectsInheritedStores: boolean;
 };
 
+function configuredOwnersAreRequestVisible(
+  owners: ReadonlyMap<string, PreparedModelRuntimeOwner>,
+): boolean {
+  for (const owner of owners.values()) {
+    if (owner.provenance !== "configured") {
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!owner.snapshot || owner.needsRefresh || owner.pending) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+  return true;
+}
+
 export function registerPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializationPublisher(
   owners: ReadonlyMap<string, PreparedModelRuntimeOwner>,
   notify: (event: { phase: "invalidated" | "published" }) => void,
@@ -51,7 +65,6 @@ function publishPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializations(params: {
   if (affectedOwners.length === 0) {
     return;
   }
-  params.onInvalidated();
   const read = params.read ?? getPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializations;
   for (const { owner, snapshot } of affectedOwners) {
     // A successful route only changes this bounded secret-free fact set. Rebuilding the model
@@ -61,5 +74,12 @@ function publishPreparedRuntimeAuthMaterializations(params: {
       Object.freeze([...read(owner.input.agentDir)]),
     );
   }
+  // Chat metadata treats published as "every configured owner is capturable".
+  // A bind on one agent must not announce while a sibling is stale or a replacement
+  // still holds needsRefresh; that refresh fail-closes the Control UI picker.
+  if (!configuredOwnersAreRequestVisible(params.owners)) {
+    return;
+  }
+  params.onInvalidated();
   params.onPublished();
 }
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.test.ts b/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.test.ts
index 5dd514c0c9f1..a83005be7d21 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.test.ts
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ function createHarness(
   let pluginRegistryVersion = 1;
   let authStore: AuthProfileStore | undefined = { version: 1, profiles: {} };
   let authStoreRevision = 1;
-  const getPreparedOwner = vi.fn(() => owner);
+  const getPreparedOwner = vi.fn((): PreparedModelRuntimeSnapshot | undefined => owner);
   const getPreparedAuthStore = vi.fn(() => authStore);
   const getAuthStoreRevision = vi.fn(() => authStoreRevision);
   const getSkillsVersion = vi.fn(() => skillsVersion);
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ describe("gateway chat metadata runtime", () => {
       const harness = createHarness(undefined, { useDefaultProjection: true });
       harness.setAuthStore({ version: 1, profiles: {} });
       const preparedOwner = createOwner(
-        harness.getPreparedOwner().config,
+        harness.getPreparedOwner()!.config,
         "gpt-5.4",
         {
           openai: {
@@ -701,6 +701,30 @@ describe("gateway chat metadata runtime", () => {
     expect(result).not.toBe(timedOut);
   });
 
+  test("retries an unavailable owner on the next read once it is published again", async () => {
+    const harness = createHarness();
+    await harness.runtime.refresh();
+
+    harness.getPreparedOwner.mockReturnValue(undefined);
+    await expect(harness.runtime.refresh()).rejects.toThrow(
+      'prepared chat metadata owner is unavailable for agent "main"',
+    );
+    await expect(harness.runtime.read({ agentId: "main" })).rejects.toThrow(
+      'prepared chat metadata owner is unavailable for agent "main"',
+    );
+
+    const recovered = createOwner(
+      { agents: { list: [{ id: "main", default: true }] } },
+      "recovered",
+    );
+    harness.setOwner(recovered);
+    harness.getPreparedOwner.mockReturnValue(recovered);
+
+    await expect(harness.runtime.read({ agentId: "main" })).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      models: [expect.objectContaining({ id: "recovered" })],
+    });
+  });
+
   test("rejects replacement waiters on failure and recovers on a later generation", async () => {
     const harness = createHarness();
     await harness.runtime.refresh();
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.ts b/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.ts
index 5aa63d6955a1..9485163b8b50 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-methods/chat-metadata-runtime.ts
@@ -472,7 +472,10 @@ export function createGatewayChatMetadataRuntime(params: {
         continue;
       }
       let generation = current;
-      if (!generation && params.refreshOnRead) {
+      // Unavailable means the prepared owner was missing, not that publication failed.
+      // Retry capture so a later published owner is not hidden behind lastError.
+      const retryUnavailableOwner = lastError instanceof ChatMetadataSnapshotUnavailableError;
+      if (!generation && (params.refreshOnRead || retryUnavailableOwner)) {
         await refresh();
         generation = current;
       }
diff --git a/src/gateway/server.chat-metadata-boundary.test.ts b/src/gateway/server.chat-metadata-boundary.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f387e7b88159
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gateway/server.chat-metadata-boundary.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+import fs from "node:fs/promises";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, beforeEach, expect, test, vi } from "vitest";
+import {
+  clearConfigCache,
+  clearRuntimeConfigSnapshot,
+  getRuntimeConfig,
+} from "../config/config.js";
+import { captureEnv, setTestEnvValue } from "../test-utils/env.js";
+import { installGatewayTestHooks, rpcReq, startConnectedServerWithClient } from "./test-helpers.js";
+
+installGatewayTestHooks({ scope: "suite" });
+
+type ConnectedGateway = Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startConnectedServerWithClient>>;
+
+let gateway: ConnectedGateway | undefined;
+let minimalGatewayEnv: ReturnType<typeof captureEnv> | undefined;
+
+function requireGateway(): ConnectedGateway {
+  if (!gateway) {
+    throw new Error("chat metadata Gateway is not ready");
+  }
+  return gateway;
+}
+
+beforeAll(async () => {
+  minimalGatewayEnv = captureEnv(["OPENCLAW_TEST_MINIMAL_GATEWAY"]);
+  // The production lifecycle has no refresh-on-read escape hatch. This must stay non-minimal,
+  // otherwise the old sticky behavior is hidden by the test-only lifecycle configuration.
+  setTestEnvValue("OPENCLAW_TEST_MINIMAL_GATEWAY", "0");
+  await writeGatewayConfig(CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG);
+  gateway = await startConnectedServerWithClient();
+  await gateway.server.startupSettled;
+}, 60_000);
+
+beforeEach(async () => {
+  setTestEnvValue("OPENCLAW_TEST_MINIMAL_GATEWAY", "0");
+  await writeGatewayConfig(CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG);
+  const { refreshPreparedModelRuntimeSnapshots } =
+    await import("../agents/prepared-model-runtime.js");
+  await refreshPreparedModelRuntimeSnapshots(getRuntimeConfig(), { gatewayLifecycle: true });
+  const ready = await rpcReq(requireGateway().ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+  expect(ready.ok, JSON.stringify(ready)).toBe(true);
+});
+
+afterAll(async () => {
+  if (gateway) {
+    gateway.ws.close();
+    await gateway.server.close();
+    gateway.envSnapshot.restore();
+  }
+  clearConfigCache();
+  minimalGatewayEnv?.restore();
+});
+
+const CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG = {
+  agents: {
+    defaults: {
+      model: { primary: "openai/gpt-boundary" },
+      models: { "openai/gpt-boundary": {} },
+    },
+    entries: { main: { default: true } },
+  },
+  models: {
+    providers: {
+      openai: {
+        baseUrl: "https://openai.example.com/v1",
+        models: [{ id: "gpt-boundary", name: "GPT Boundary" }],
+      },
+    },
+  },
+} as const;
+
+const CHAT_METADATA_MISSING_OWNER_CONFIG = {
+  ...CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG,
+  agents: {
+    ...CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG.agents,
+    entries: {
+      ...CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG.agents.entries,
+      missing: {},
+    },
+  },
+} as const;
+
+async function writeGatewayConfig(
+  config: Record<string, unknown>,
+  options: { clearRuntimeSnapshot?: boolean } = {},
+) {
+  const configPath = process.env.OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH;
+  if (!configPath) {
+    throw new Error("OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH missing in gateway test environment");
+  }
+  await fs.mkdir(path.dirname(configPath), { recursive: true });
+  await fs.writeFile(configPath, JSON.stringify(config, null, 2), "utf-8");
+  clearConfigCache();
+  if (options.clearRuntimeSnapshot) {
+    clearRuntimeConfigSnapshot();
+  }
+}
+
+test("chat.metadata retries owner misses without broadly retrying cached failures", async () => {
+  const ws = requireGateway().ws;
+  const publicationEvents = await import("../agents/prepared-model-runtime.publication-events.js");
+  const initial = await rpcReq(ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+  expect(initial.ok).toBe(true);
+
+  // This is the lifecycle listener's real published catch-up. Config can expose an agent before
+  // its prepared owner exists, reproducing the stale publication announcement that wedged UI.
+  await writeGatewayConfig(CHAT_METADATA_MISSING_OWNER_CONFIG, { clearRuntimeSnapshot: true });
+  publicationEvents.notifyPreparedModelRuntimePublication({ phase: "published" });
+  let unavailable: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof rpcReq>> | undefined;
+  await vi.waitFor(
+    async () => {
+      unavailable = await rpcReq(ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+      expect(unavailable.ok).toBe(false);
+    },
+    { interval: 1, timeout: 2_000 },
+  );
+  expect(unavailable).toMatchObject({
+    ok: false,
+    error: {
+      code: "UNAVAILABLE",
+      message: expect.stringContaining("prepared chat metadata owner is unavailable"),
+    },
+  });
+
+  await writeGatewayConfig(CHAT_METADATA_BOUNDARY_CONFIG, { clearRuntimeSnapshot: true });
+  const recovered = await rpcReq<{
+    models?: Array<{ id?: string; provider?: string }>;
+  }>(ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+
+  // On the merge-base this remains false: readCurrent rethrows the cached unavailable error.
+  expect(recovered.ok).toBe(true);
+  expect(recovered.payload?.models).toEqual(
+    expect.arrayContaining([expect.objectContaining({ id: "gpt-boundary", provider: "openai" })]),
+  );
+
+  // Reset the published runtime between boundary cases without restarting the Gateway.
+  const { refreshPreparedModelRuntimeSnapshots } =
+    await import("../agents/prepared-model-runtime.js");
+  await refreshPreparedModelRuntimeSnapshots(getRuntimeConfig(), { gatewayLifecycle: true });
+  const reset = await rpcReq(ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+  expect(reset.ok).toBe(true);
+
+  const modelsListResult = await import("./server-methods/models-list-result.js");
+  const projectionFailure = new Error("configured model catalog unavailable");
+  const projectionSpy = vi
+    .spyOn(modelsListResult, "buildModelsListResult")
+    .mockRejectedValue(projectionFailure);
+
+  publicationEvents.notifyPreparedModelRuntimePublication({ phase: "invalidated" });
+  publicationEvents.notifyPreparedModelRuntimePublication({ phase: "published" });
+  await vi.waitFor(() => expect(projectionSpy).toHaveBeenCalled(), {
+    interval: 1,
+    timeout: 2_000,
+  });
+  const projectionUnavailable = await rpcReq(ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+  expect(projectionUnavailable).toMatchObject({
+    ok: false,
+    error: {
+      code: "UNAVAILABLE",
+      message: expect.stringContaining("configured model catalog unavailable"),
+    },
+  });
+
+  projectionSpy.mockRestore();
+  const stillUnavailable = await rpcReq(ws, "chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+
+  // A broad retry would turn this into a false recovery and hide a genuinely broken catalog.
+  expect(stillUnavailable).toMatchObject({
+    ok: false,
+    error: {
+      code: "UNAVAILABLE",
+      message: expect.stringContaining("configured model catalog unavailable"),
+    },
+  });
+});