diff --git a/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.test.ts b/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.test.ts
index 126695775a3b..dac9d5a9f70d 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* @vitest-environment jsdom */
 
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-import type { GatewayBrowserClient } from "../../api/gateway.ts";
+import type { GatewayBrowserClient, GatewayHelloOk } from "../../api/gateway.ts";
 import type {
   AgentsFilesListResult,
   AgentsListResult,
@@ -68,8 +68,12 @@ function setPageGateway(
   client: GatewayBrowserClient | null,
   connected = true,
   sourceChanged = false,
+  featureMethods?: string[],
 ) {
-  page.gateway.applySnapshot(snapshot(client, connected), { initial: false, sourceChanged });
+  page.gateway.applySnapshot(snapshot(client, connected, featureMethods), {
+    initial: false,
+    sourceChanged,
+  });
 }
 
 function deferred<T>() {
@@ -83,13 +87,14 @@ function deferred<T>() {
 function snapshot(
   client: GatewayBrowserClient | null,
   connected = true,
+  featureMethods?: string[],
 ): ApplicationGatewaySnapshot {
   return {
     client,
     phase: connected ? "connected" : "stopped",
     offlineStable: false,
     canvasPluginSurfaceUrl: null,
-    hello: null,
+    hello: featureMethods ? ({ features: { methods: featureMethods } } as GatewayHelloOk) : null,
     assistantAgentId: null,
     sessionKey: "main",
     lastError: null,
@@ -331,6 +336,31 @@ describe("AgentsPage gateway lifecycle", () => {
     expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledWith("models.list", { view: "configured", agentId: "main" });
   });
 
+  it("uses agent-scoped chat metadata when a legacy Gateway lacks models.list", async () => {
+    const request = vi.fn(async () => ({
+      models: [
+        { id: "gpt-5.5", name: "GPT-5.5", provider: "openai", available: true },
+        { id: "gpt-5.6-sol", name: "GPT-5.6 Sol", provider: "openai", available: false },
+      ],
+    }));
+    const page = document.createElement("openclaw-agents-page") as TestAgentsPage;
+    page.routeData = { panel: "overview" } as AgentsRouteData;
+    setPageGateway(page, { request } as unknown as GatewayBrowserClient, true, false, [
+      "chat.metadata",
+    ]);
+    page.agentsSelectedId = "main";
+
+    page.loadActivePanelData();
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() =>
+      expect(page.chatModelCatalog).toEqual([
+        { id: "gpt-5.5", name: "GPT-5.5", provider: "openai", available: true },
+      ]),
+    );
+    expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledWith("chat.metadata", { agentId: "main" });
+  });
+
   it("caches separate configured model catalogs for the default and worker agents", async () => {
     const defaultModels = [
       { id: "default-model", name: "Default account model", provider: "openai" },
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.ts b/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.ts
index 0e955f273cff..25612be8be51 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/agents/agents-page.ts
@@ -40,13 +40,14 @@ import {
 } from "../../lib/cron/index.ts";
 import {
   canCallGatewayMethod,
+  isGatewayMethodAdvertised,
   type GatewayMethodOperatorScope,
 } from "../../lib/gateway-methods.ts";
 import { parseAgentSessionKey } from "../../lib/sessions/session-key.ts";
 import { GatewayPageController } from "../../lit/gateway-page-controller.ts";
 import { OpenClawLightDomElement } from "../../lit/openclaw-element.ts";
 import { SubscriptionsController } from "../../lit/subscriptions-controller.ts";
-import { loadModels } from "../chat/models.ts";
+import { loadModelPickerModels } from "../chat/models.ts";
 import { loadAgentFileContent, saveAgentFile } from "./files.ts";
 import {
   resetIdentityDraft,
@@ -575,7 +576,11 @@ class AgentsPage
     const request = { client, generation, agentId };
     this.chatModelCatalogRequest = request;
     this.chatModelCatalogError = null;
-    void loadModels(client, { agentId, refresh: true })
+    void loadModelPickerModels(client, {
+      agentId,
+      modelsListAdvertised: isGatewayMethodAdvertised(this.gateway.snapshot ?? {}, "models.list"),
+      refresh: true,
+    })
       .then((models) => {
         if (this.isCurrentRequest(client, generation, agentId)) {
           this.chatModelCatalog = models;
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/chat/models.ts b/ui/src/pages/chat/models.ts
index 5d62d125c110..de10e045abc5 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/chat/models.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/chat/models.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,23 @@ export async function loadModels(
   return inFlight;
 }
 
+export async function loadModelPickerModels(
+  client: GatewayBrowserClient,
+  opts: {
+    agentId?: string;
+    modelsListAdvertised: boolean | null;
+    refresh?: boolean;
+    signal?: AbortSignal;
+    timeoutMs?: number;
+  },
+): Promise<ModelCatalogEntry[]> {
+  const models =
+    opts.modelsListAdvertised === false
+      ? await requestMetadataModels(client, opts)
+      : await loadModels(client, opts);
+  return models.filter((entry) => entry.available !== false);
+}
+
 export function applyModelCatalogResult(models: unknown): ModelCatalogEntry[] | null {
   if (!Array.isArray(models)) {
     return null;
@@ -100,3 +117,25 @@ async function requestModels(
     : await client.request<{ models: ModelCatalogEntry[] }>("models.list", params);
   return result?.models ?? [];
 }
+
+async function requestMetadataModels(
+  client: GatewayBrowserClient,
+  opts: { agentId?: string; signal?: AbortSignal; timeoutMs?: number },
+): Promise<ModelCatalogEntry[]> {
+  const requestOptions =
+    opts.signal || opts.timeoutMs
+      ? {
+          ...(opts.signal ? { signal: opts.signal } : {}),
+          ...(opts.timeoutMs ? { timeoutMs: opts.timeoutMs } : {}),
+        }
+      : undefined;
+  const params = opts.agentId ? { agentId: opts.agentId } : {};
+  const result = requestOptions
+    ? await client.request<{ models?: ModelCatalogEntry[] }>(
+        "chat.metadata",
+        params,
+        requestOptions,
+      )
+    : await client.request<{ models?: ModelCatalogEntry[] }>("chat.metadata", params);
+  return result?.models ?? [];
+}
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.test.ts b/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.test.ts
index 163d0c2f0c75..a3f18126b47d 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.test.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.test.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import { NewSessionModelControl } from "./model-control.ts";
 function contextWith(
   models: ModelCatalogEntry[],
   runtime = "openclaw",
-  featureMethods: string[] = [],
+  featureMethods: string[] = ["models.list"],
 ) {
   const request = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ models });
   const context = {
@@ -408,6 +408,30 @@ describe("new-session model runtime", () => {
     expect(container.querySelector('[data-chat-model-catalog-retry="true"]')).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it("uses agent-scoped chat metadata when a legacy Gateway lacks models.list", async () => {
+    const models: ModelCatalogEntry[] = [
+      { id: "gpt-5.5", name: "GPT-5.5", provider: "openai", available: true },
+      { id: "gpt-5.6-sol", name: "GPT-5.6 Sol", provider: "openai", available: false },
+    ];
+    const { context, request } = contextWith(models, "openclaw", ["chat.metadata"]);
+    const control = new NewSessionModelControl(() => undefined);
+
+    control.load(context, "main", true);
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() =>
+      expect(
+        renderControl(control, context).querySelectorAll("[data-chat-model-option]"),
+      ).toHaveLength(1),
+    );
+    expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "chat.metadata",
+      { agentId: "main" },
+      expect.objectContaining({ signal: expect.any(AbortSignal) }),
+    );
+    expect(request.mock.calls.map(([method]) => method)).toEqual(["chat.metadata"]);
+    expect(renderControl(control, context).textContent).not.toContain("GPT-5.6 Sol");
+  });
+
   it("keeps a successful empty catalog explicit when its refresh fails", async () => {
     const refresh = deferred<{ models: ModelCatalogEntry[] }>();
     const { context, request } = contextWith([]);
diff --git a/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts b/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts
index 89d6b4c5e69e..5c481d34df01 100644
--- a/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts
+++ b/ui/src/pages/new-session/model-control.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {
   renderChatModelControls,
   type ChatModelCatalogState,
 } from "../chat/components/chat-model-controls.ts";
-import { loadModels } from "../chat/models.ts";
+import { loadModelPickerModels } from "../chat/models.ts";
 import type { NewSessionPreference } from "./preferences.ts";
 
 const NEW_SESSION_METADATA_RETRY_WINDOW_MS = 60_000;
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ async function requestNewSessionMetadata(
   client: NewSessionMetadataClient,
   agentId: string,
   signal: AbortSignal,
+  modelsListAdvertised: boolean | null,
 ): Promise<{ models?: ModelCatalogEntry[] }> {
   const deadlineAt = Date.now() + NEW_SESSION_METADATA_RETRY_WINDOW_MS;
   let latestStartupError: Error | undefined;
@@ -106,8 +107,9 @@ async function requestNewSessionMetadata(
     }
 
     try {
-      const models = await loadModels(client, {
+      const models = await loadModelPickerModels(client, {
         agentId,
+        modelsListAdvertised,
         refresh: true,
         signal,
         timeoutMs: Math.min(DEFAULT_GATEWAY_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_MS, remainingMs),
@@ -316,7 +318,11 @@ export class NewSessionModelControl {
     this.notify();
   }
 
-  private startMetadataRequest(client: NewSessionMetadataClient, agentId: string) {
+  private startMetadataRequest(
+    client: NewSessionMetadataClient,
+    agentId: string,
+    modelsListAdvertised: boolean | null,
+  ) {
     this.cancelMetadataRequest();
     const controller = new AbortController();
     const requestId = ++this.metadataRequestId;
@@ -331,7 +337,7 @@ export class NewSessionModelControl {
       status: this.metadataState.hasSnapshot ? "refreshing" : "loading",
     });
 
-    void requestNewSessionMetadata(client, agentId, controller.signal).then(
+    void requestNewSessionMetadata(client, agentId, controller.signal, modelsListAdvertised).then(
       (result) => {
         // Aborted transports may still resolve. Only the request that still
         // owns the control may publish catalog data or restore preferences.
@@ -470,7 +476,11 @@ export class NewSessionModelControl {
       this.notify();
       return;
     }
-    this.startMetadataRequest(client, normalizedAgentId);
+    this.startMetadataRequest(
+      client,
+      normalizedAgentId,
+      isGatewayMethodAdvertised(snapshot, "models.list"),
+    );
   }
 
   isRestoringPreference(): boolean {