diff --git a/src/gateway/server-methods/models-list-result.ts b/src/gateway/server-methods/models-list-result.ts
index 959d2eb6cd86..27b1d8322512 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-methods/models-list-result.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-methods/models-list-result.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ import { resolveManifestProviderAuthChoices } from "../../plugins/provider-auth-
 import type { ProviderCatalogOutcome } from "../../plugins/provider-catalog.types.js";
 import { normalizeAgentId } from "../../routing/session-key.js";
 import type { GatewayAgentRuntime } from "../../shared/session-types.js";
+import { loadDeferredCatalog, resolveDeferredAuthStore } from "../server-model-catalog-auth.js";
 import { resolveGatewayModelThinkingProfile } from "../session-utils-model.js";
 import { createModelsListAuthResolver } from "./models-list-auth-resolver.js";
 import type { GatewayRequestContext } from "./types.js";
@@ -547,10 +548,7 @@ export async function buildModelsListResult(
       if (params.preloadedOnly) {
         return { entries: [], routeVariants: [] };
       }
-      loadedSnapshot = await params.context.loadGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot({
-        agentId: initialAgentId,
-        readOnly: loadedReadOnly,
-      });
+      loadedSnapshot = await loadDeferredCatalog(params.context, initialAgentId, loadedReadOnly);
       return loadedSnapshot;
     },
     onTimeout: handleCatalogTimeout,
@@ -572,10 +570,7 @@ export async function buildModelsListResult(
       agentId: escalationAgentId,
       view,
       loadCatalog: async ({ readOnly }) => {
-        fullSnapshot = await params.context.loadGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot({
-          agentId: escalationAgentId,
-          readOnly,
-        });
+        fullSnapshot = await loadDeferredCatalog(params.context, escalationAgentId, readOnly);
         return fullSnapshot;
       },
       timeoutFullDiscovery: true,
@@ -616,7 +611,8 @@ export async function buildModelsListResult(
   const outcomeProjection = providerOutcomes?.length ? { providerOutcomes } : {};
   const preparedProjectionOwner = ownerSnapshot ?? params.catalogProjector;
   const metadataSnapshot = preparedProjectionOwner?.metadataSnapshot;
-  const preparedAuthStore = preparedProjectionOwner?.authStore;
+  const preparedAuthStore =
+    (await resolveDeferredAuthStore(ownerSnapshot)) ?? params.catalogProjector?.authStore;
   if (!metadataSnapshot || !preparedAuthStore) {
     throw new Error("Gateway model catalog owner omitted prepared metadata or auth state");
   }
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-methods/shared-types.ts b/src/gateway/server-methods/shared-types.ts
index 7868457a215b..3320521b099f 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-methods/shared-types.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-methods/shared-types.ts
@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ type GatewayKernelContext = {
   loadGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot: (params?: {
     agentId?: string;
     agentDir?: string;
+    deferAuthRefresh?: boolean;
     readOnly?: boolean;
     workspaceDir?: string;
   }) => Promise<GatewayModelCatalogSnapshot>;
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-model-catalog-auth.ts b/src/gateway/server-model-catalog-auth.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..53fa540f06af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gateway/server-model-catalog-auth.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import type { AuthProfileStore } from "../agents/auth-profiles/types.js";
+import type { GatewayRequestContext } from "./server-methods/shared-types.js";
+
+const pendingAuthStoreBySnapshot = new WeakMap<object, Promise<AuthProfileStore | undefined>>();
+
+export function setPendingGatewayModelCatalogAuthStore(
+  snapshot: object,
+  pending: Promise<AuthProfileStore | undefined>,
+): void {
+  pendingAuthStoreBySnapshot.set(snapshot, pending);
+  // A timed-out catalog read may abandon the snapshot before it reaches the auth projection.
+  // Observe rejection here while preserving it for a caller that does resolve this snapshot.
+  void pending.catch(() => undefined);
+}
+
+export async function resolveDeferredAuthStore(
+  snapshot:
+    | {
+        authStore?: AuthProfileStore;
+      }
+    | undefined,
+): Promise<AuthProfileStore | undefined> {
+  return snapshot
+    ? ((await pendingAuthStoreBySnapshot.get(snapshot)) ?? snapshot.authStore)
+    : undefined;
+}
+
+export function loadDeferredCatalog(
+  context: Pick<GatewayRequestContext, "loadGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot">,
+  agentId: string,
+  readOnly: boolean,
+) {
+  return context.loadGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot({
+    agentId,
+    deferAuthRefresh: true,
+    readOnly,
+  });
+}
diff --git a/src/gateway/server-model-catalog.ts b/src/gateway/server-model-catalog.ts
index 53f69bb6a9f8..906b107ebb4f 100644
--- a/src/gateway/server-model-catalog.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/server-model-catalog.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import {
 } from "../agents/prepared-model-runtime-auth.js";
 // Gateway catalog reads use the atomic prepared runtime generation.
 import { getRuntimeConfig } from "../config/io.js";
+import { setPendingGatewayModelCatalogAuthStore } from "./server-model-catalog-auth.js";
 import type {
   GatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot,
   GatewayModelCatalogSnapshot,
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ type LoadPublishedPreparedModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot = (params: {
 type LoadGatewayModelCatalogParams = {
   agentId?: string;
   agentDir?: string;
+  deferAuthRefresh?: boolean;
   getConfig?: () => GatewayModelCatalogConfig;
   loadPublishedPreparedModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot?: LoadPublishedPreparedModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot;
   readOnly?: boolean;
@@ -55,11 +57,12 @@ export async function resetPreparedModelCatalogStateForTest(): Promise<void> {
 
 async function loadGatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot(
   params?: LoadGatewayModelCatalogParams,
-): Promise<
-  GatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot & {
+): Promise<{
+  candidate: PublishedModelCatalogOwnerCandidate;
+  owner: GatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot & {
     authMaterializations: GatewayModelCatalogSnapshot["authMaterializations"];
-  }
-> {
+  };
+}> {
   const loadOwner = await resolveLoader(params);
   const candidate = await loadOwner({
     ...(params?.agentId ? { agentId: params.agentId } : {}),
@@ -70,13 +73,11 @@ async function loadGatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot(
   });
   const owner = resolvePublishedModelCatalogOwner(candidate);
   return {
-    ...owner,
-    authStore:
-      (await loadPreparedModelRuntimeAuthStore(
-        candidate,
-        owner.modelCatalog.entries.map((entry) => entry.provider),
-      )) ?? owner.authStore,
-    authMaterializations: getPreparedModelRuntimeAuthMaterializations(candidate),
+    candidate,
+    owner: {
+      ...owner,
+      authMaterializations: getPreparedModelRuntimeAuthMaterializations(candidate),
+    },
   };
 }
 
@@ -101,7 +102,20 @@ function projectGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot(
 export async function loadGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot(
   params?: LoadGatewayModelCatalogParams,
 ): Promise<GatewayModelCatalogSnapshot> {
-  return projectGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot(await loadGatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot(params));
+  const { candidate, owner } = await loadGatewayModelCatalogOwnerSnapshot(params);
+  const pendingAuthStore = loadPreparedModelRuntimeAuthStore(
+    candidate,
+    owner.modelCatalog.entries.map((entry) => entry.provider),
+  );
+  if (params?.deferAuthRefresh) {
+    const snapshot = projectGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot(owner);
+    setPendingGatewayModelCatalogAuthStore(snapshot, pendingAuthStore);
+    return snapshot;
+  }
+  return projectGatewayModelCatalogSnapshot({
+    ...owner,
+    authStore: (await pendingAuthStore) ?? owner.authStore,
+  });
 }
 
 export async function loadGatewayModelCatalog(