diff --git a/src/codex/sync.ts b/src/codex/sync.ts
index d9217cc0a1..47dc2a8b00 100644
--- a/src/codex/sync.ts
+++ b/src/codex/sync.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
 import { admitCodexWrite, type CodexAdmission } from "./admission";
 import type { CodexCatalogSyncOptions } from "./catalog/sync";
 import { resetCodexAppServerCatalogStateCache } from "./app-server-processes";
+import { providerUsesReasoningMetadata, refreshReasoningMetadata } from "../providers/reasoning-metadata";
 
 export interface CodexSyncResult {
   /**
@@ -67,13 +68,21 @@ interface CodexSyncDeps {
   admitCodexWrite?: () => CodexSyncAdmission;
   currentExternalCodexModelProvider?: typeof currentExternalCodexModelProvider;
   collectCodexHomeDiagnostic?: typeof collectOrcaCodexHomeDiagnostic;
+  refreshReasoningMetadata?: typeof refreshReasoningMetadata;
 }
 
 const defaultDeps: CodexSyncDeps = {
   refreshCodexModelCatalog,
   injectCodexConfig,
+  refreshReasoningMetadata,
 };
 
+async function refreshReasoningMetadataForSync(config: OcxConfig, deps: CodexSyncDeps): Promise<void> {
+  if (Object.values(config.providers).some(providerUsesReasoningMetadata)) {
+    await deps.refreshReasoningMetadata?.();
+  }
+}
+
 function reportCodexHomeTarget(
   log: Pick<Console, "log" | "error"> | null,
   collectDiagnostic: typeof collectOrcaCodexHomeDiagnostic,
@@ -234,6 +243,9 @@ export async function syncModelsToCodex(
   }
 
   applyProxyEnv(config); // `ocx ensure`/`ocx sync` fetch provider models outside the server process
+  // Bootstrap the optional ladder snapshot before gathering the catalog. Keeping this in the
+  // sync plane prevents an unrelated models.dev fetch from interleaving with a routed turn.
+  await refreshReasoningMetadataForSync(config, deps);
   let added = 0;
   let catalogPath: string | null = null;
   let catalogPathForInjection: string | null | undefined;
@@ -339,6 +351,7 @@ async function refreshCatalogForSync(
   let refreshOutcome: "committed" | "refused" | undefined;
   let comboOmissions: ComboCatalogOmission[] = [];
   try {
+    await refreshReasoningMetadataForSync(config, deps);
     const cat = await deps.refreshCodexModelCatalog(config, undefined, catalogOptions);
     refreshOutcome = cat.refreshOutcome;
     added = cat.added;
diff --git a/src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts b/src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts
index 25b312eced..aabdc28209 100644
--- a/src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts
+++ b/src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts
@@ -135,6 +135,11 @@ function metadataProviderKey(provider: OcxProviderConfig): string | undefined {
   return undefined;
 }
 
+/** Whether catalog synchronization should fetch models.dev metadata for this destination. */
+export function providerUsesReasoningMetadata(provider: OcxProviderConfig): boolean {
+  return metadataProviderKey(provider) !== undefined;
+}
+
 /**
  * Local mirror of `modelRecordValue()` from `src/reasoning-effort.ts`, which imports this
  * module and so cannot be imported back. Exact id, then the `family:` prefix, then a
diff --git a/src/reasoning-effort.ts b/src/reasoning-effort.ts
index d97c96db99..726821d7fc 100644
--- a/src/reasoning-effort.ts
+++ b/src/reasoning-effort.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type { OcxProviderConfig } from "./types";
 import { modelInList } from "./types";
-import { dropLearnedUnsupportedReasoningEfforts, ensureReasoningMetadataSnapshot, reasoningEffortsFromMetadata } from "./providers/reasoning-metadata";
+import { dropLearnedUnsupportedReasoningEfforts, reasoningEffortsFromMetadata } from "./providers/reasoning-metadata";
 
 // Descriptions mirror the upstream bundled models.json canonical wording (openai/codex PR #31684).
 export const CODEX_REASONING_LEVELS: { effort: string; description: string }[] = [
@@ -160,18 +160,10 @@ export function configuredReasoningEfforts(provider: OcxProviderConfig, modelId:
   }
   // models.dev publishes the per-model ladder that routed providers never expose on /models.
   // (OpenCode Zen Go answers ids only). Only consulted when nothing was configured for this
-  // model, so every hand-written contract stays authoritative. The snapshot refreshes itself in
-  // the background; no snapshot means the previous behaviour.
-  // The refresh is asked for only once a snapshot has already answered, which means it only ever
-  // refreshes a STALE snapshot. Review asked for the opposite — refresh when the snapshot is
-  // missing or corrupt, since that is the case this lookup cannot serve. That is declined here:
-  // a missing snapshot is the default state of every fresh install and every test process, so
-  // requesting the fetch here puts a models.dev request on the request path of the first routed
-  // turn to a gated destination. Refreshing a snapshot that does not exist is catalog-sync work,
-  // not request work.
+  // model, so every hand-written contract stays authoritative. Catalog sync owns snapshot
+  // refresh; no snapshot means the previous behaviour.
   const fromMetadata = reasoningEffortsFromMetadata(provider, modelId);
   if (fromMetadata !== undefined) {
-    ensureReasoningMetadataSnapshot();
     return dropLearnedUnsupportedReasoningEfforts(provider, modelId, healMappedTiers(provider, modelId, fromMetadata));
   }
   return undefined;
diff --git a/structure/catalog.md b/structure/catalog.md
index 8cce6268b0..9fa64ebfe8 100644
--- a/structure/catalog.md
+++ b/structure/catalog.md
@@ -95,6 +95,9 @@ Provider live-model lists are cached with a configured TTL (`src/codex/model-cac
 deleting, or editing a provider's shape clears that per-provider cache; a disabled-only change
 deliberately does not, because a disabled provider is already excluded from the catalog gather
 instead. Codex's own `models_cache.json` is a different cache, invalidated by catalog refresh.
+Synchronizing a supported routed provider first refreshes its models.dev effort snapshot through
+`src/codex/sync.ts` and `src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts`; this keeps missing-cache network work
+out of request-time ladder resolution.
 
 For `liveModels: false`, a static provider publishes the ordered union of `models` and
 `retainModels`. When `models` is absent or empty, its configured `defaultModel` seeds that
diff --git a/structure/codex-home.md b/structure/codex-home.md
index 1f1edfd7da..d94b52d138 100644
--- a/structure/codex-home.md
+++ b/structure/codex-home.md
@@ -250,6 +250,9 @@ Plan-based automatic exclusions leave native credential files untouched and pres
 
 `src/codex/history-provider.ts` rejects provider-history changes with `history_paginated_requires_native_writer` when a target begins with an ordinal-bearing record or declares `history_mode=paginated`. Apply, manifest-backed restore, and explicit legacy recovery preflight all selected targets before changing database rows or manifests. The append boundary checks again. Codex owns ordinal allocation and the live projection cursor; reading the last ordinal and appending N+1 is not safe concurrent coordination. Legacy unnumbered rollouts retain their existing behavior. This guard prevents the observed stable-format corruption; it does not implement native-writer integration or guarantee a concurrent legacy-to-paginated conversion is excluded.
 
+`src/codex/sync.ts` owns startup and explicit-sync bootstrap of the optional
+`src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts` snapshot; request handling never owns that disk refresh.
+
 Injection preflights affected history using the normalized config candidate before writing config/profile/journal, then checks again after the complete artifact write. Native restore also rechecks after successful journal restoration or fallback removal, while exact config/profile/journal preimages and any coordinated remove transaction remain available for compensation. Detected migration restores all three preimages before returning a structured refusal, including on legacy-uncoordinated homes. A failed config restore stops catalog/history work; coordinated restore rolls back its published remove transition. Legacy first-line provider patches are bound to the validated file identity before and after writing. These compensating checks do not provide a native-writer lock or authorize external ordinal allocation.
 
 The legacy external writer is now refused for affected rows in any store whose schema includes history_mode, even while their row mode is still legacy. This deliberately sacrifices automatic relabeling on migration-capable stores rather than racing native conversion. Synchronous/asynchronous restore, inline journal restore, and direct config removal preserve all artifacts on the same refusal.
diff --git a/structure/config.md b/structure/config.md
index f799ebd2c5..387691ea8e 100644
--- a/structure/config.md
+++ b/structure/config.md
@@ -269,6 +269,9 @@ described in [Responses transport](transports/responses.md), not upstream policy
 
 `src/codex/history-provider.ts` refuses external writes to paginated or migration-capable history. `src/codex/inject.ts` checks affected rows and manifest-owned restore targets before and after config/profile/journal changes, including successful journal and fallback restores, and compensates detected migration. Failed config restore stops later catalog/history work and rolls back a coordinated remove transition. See the [history writer contract](codex-home.md#paginated-history-writer-boundary) for guarantees and concurrent-writer limits.
 
+Catalog synchronization in `src/codex/sync.ts` also bootstraps reasoning metadata only when the
+configured providers contain a destination supported by `src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts`.
+
 Private pool credential metadata follows the [quota-history publication identity contract](providers/openai-tiers.md#quota-history-publication-identity); credential-only and account DTO projections omit it.
 
 Codex pool settings and their consumers follow the [reset-first ordering contract](providers/openai-tiers.md#reset-first-account-ordering), including independent-quota fallback and preserved affinity.
diff --git a/structure/gui-and-management-api.md b/structure/gui-and-management-api.md
index c445858e6b..a1e5d4c348 100644
--- a/structure/gui-and-management-api.md
+++ b/structure/gui-and-management-api.md
@@ -573,7 +573,7 @@ The provider editor field policy exposes `showThinkingSummary` as a boolean prov
 
 ## Paginated history writer boundary
 
-`src/codex/history-provider.ts` refuses external writes to paginated or migration-capable history. `src/codex/inject.ts` checks affected rows and manifest-owned restore targets before and after config/profile/journal changes, including successful journal and fallback restores, and compensates detected migration. Failed config restore stops later catalog/history work and rolls back a coordinated remove transition. See the [history writer contract](codex-home.md#paginated-history-writer-boundary) for guarantees and concurrent-writer limits.
+`src/codex/history-provider.ts` refuses external writes to paginated or migration-capable history. `src/codex/inject.ts` checks affected rows and manifest-owned restore targets before and after config/profile/journal changes, including successful journal and fallback restores, and compensates detected migration. Failed config restore stops later catalog/history work and rolls back a coordinated remove transition. See the [history writer contract](codex-home.md#paginated-history-writer-boundary) for guarantees and concurrent-writer limits. Management-triggered catalog synchronization uses `src/codex/sync.ts` to bootstrap the optional `src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts` snapshot before catalog gathering for supported destinations.
 
 Codex pool settings and their consumers follow the [reset-first ordering contract](providers/openai-tiers.md#reset-first-account-ordering), including independent-quota fallback and preserved affinity. Codex account DTOs and cards expose the routing-plan exclusion separately from credential health; the [plan exclusion contract](providers/openai-tiers.md#automatic-pool-plan-exclusions) also governs CLI projection. Private pool credential metadata follows the [quota-history publication identity contract](providers/openai-tiers.md#quota-history-publication-identity); credential-only and account DTO projections omit it.
 
diff --git a/structure/ops/docs-and-release.md b/structure/ops/docs-and-release.md
index 17e54e3664..c57c2e4258 100644
--- a/structure/ops/docs-and-release.md
+++ b/structure/ops/docs-and-release.md
@@ -375,3 +375,6 @@ Exact [model input declarations](../config.md#explicit-per-model-capability-decl
 Provider-scoped approval reviewer settings are projected by the [catalog owner](../catalog.md#provider-scoped-approval-reviewer); this surface retains its existing routing, transport and account-selection behavior.
 
 Renamed fixed-key providers receive [missing reasoning metadata](../catalog.md#renamed-destination-reasoning-metadata) during derivation; explicit per-model entries and provider defaults retain precedence.
+Startup and explicit catalog synchronization in `src/codex/sync.ts` bootstrap supported-provider
+effort metadata through `src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts`; routed requests do not trigger that
+network refresh.
diff --git a/structure/providers/openai-tiers.md b/structure/providers/openai-tiers.md
index 527aacba6b..56861400e4 100644
--- a/structure/providers/openai-tiers.md
+++ b/structure/providers/openai-tiers.md
@@ -518,3 +518,6 @@ The history read API reports a median effective token estimate and interval samp
 Live bindings obey the existing cache-affinity release policy: with `pool.cacheAffinity`, threshold crossing alone retains a healthy account. Manual preference, scoped health and shared-cursor guards remain authoritative. Independent `spark`/`reserve` quota scopes resolve reset-first to existing quota selection because shared reset timestamps do not describe those windows. The configured value stays unchanged.
 
 The Codex parser in `src/oauth/pool-kernel.ts` is reexported by the compatibility facade and used by both `/api/pool/settings` and the legacy Codex settings route. Generic and Anthropic parsers reject reset-first. The dashboard offers it only for Codex; API, CLI and translated guides preserve the same contract.
+Catalog synchronization in `src/codex/sync.ts` bootstraps models.dev effort metadata through
+`src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts` only for supported routed destinations; request-time effort
+mapping does not initiate that network operation.
diff --git a/structure/providers/xai-grok.md b/structure/providers/xai-grok.md
index 6213ce1449..f6e76c73d5 100644
--- a/structure/providers/xai-grok.md
+++ b/structure/providers/xai-grok.md
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ privately to final dispatch; preliminary route selection does not inject Go-only
 Devin CLI credential path composition in `src/oauth/devin/cli-import.ts` follows the selected platform: Windows uses Win32 APPDATA paths, other platforms use POSIX XDG-data paths. The explicit absolute override remains verbatim; credential parsing and login behavior are unchanged.
 
 Provider-scoped catalog hints remain isolated by provider in `src/providers/registry.ts`. The
+models.dev effort snapshot is likewise destination-gated by `src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts`
+and bootstrapped from `src/codex/sync.ts`, not from a routed request.
 OpenCode Go `deepseek-v4.1-flash` 1,048,576-token context hint does not change xAI model metadata or
 transport behavior.
 The first-party DeepSeek `deepseek-flash` native `text`/`image` declaration is likewise scoped to
diff --git a/structure/runtime.md b/structure/runtime.md
index a09d007d7b..78b78e0b59 100644
--- a/structure/runtime.md
+++ b/structure/runtime.md
@@ -201,6 +201,9 @@ Provider-scoped capability hints remain authoritative when discovery returns an
 capabilities. In particular, `src/providers/registry.ts` assigns OpenCode Go's live
 `deepseek-v4.1-flash` route the official 1,048,576-token window instead of the conservative 128k
 routed-model fallback.
+`src/codex/sync.ts` refreshes the `src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts` models.dev snapshot for
+supported routed destinations before catalog gathering, so missing and corrupt snapshots bootstrap
+without adding network work to `src/reasoning-effort.ts` request-time ladder reads.
 The same registry declares the first-party `deepseek-flash` model with `text` and `image` input,
 so it bypasses the vision sidecar by default; explicit `noVisionModels` or text-only declarations
 remain authoritative. First-party `deepseek-chat`, `deepseek-reasoner`, and `deepseek-v4-flash`
diff --git a/structure/subagents.md b/structure/subagents.md
index 69047b076b..7736a412ed 100644
--- a/structure/subagents.md
+++ b/structure/subagents.md
@@ -228,6 +228,8 @@ Ordinary management discovery also completes it with Codex integration OFF. The
 final catalog merge fences pending retained rows, including delete/re-add recovery.
 Raw management rows remain visible as pending/OFF. Config listener bindings are
 excluded from inventory identity because live and persisted bindings may differ.
+Supported routed-provider reasoning snapshots are bootstrapped by `src/codex/sync.ts` through
+`src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts`, rather than by a model request.
 
 Codex `spawn_agent` advertises only the highest-priority first five picker-visible catalog rows.
 Use at most five configured `subagentModels` ids; they may contain bare catalog ids, routed
diff --git a/structure/transports/inventory.md b/structure/transports/inventory.md
index 10b5be6a6b..ad0b55b48a 100644
--- a/structure/transports/inventory.md
+++ b/structure/transports/inventory.md
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ surface is listed here so a maintainer can find the owner without grepping:
 | Alibaba regions | `src/providers/alibaba-region-backup.ts`, `src/providers/alibaba-region-migration.ts`, `src/providers/alibaba-region-startup.ts` | Region migration backs up before rewriting and is idempotent across restarts. |
 | Discovery and quota | `src/providers/model-discovery.ts`, `src/providers/quota.ts`, `src/providers/registry.ts` | Discovery rejects a response over 4 MiB or past 2,000 raw rows before caching it. Provider-scoped hints fill capabilities omitted by live rosters; OpenCode Go's `deepseek-v4.1-flash` keeps its 1,048,576-token context window. Codex quota DTOs suppress retired Spark evidence under the [OpenAI scope contract](../providers/openai-tiers.md#public-provider-contract), retaining ordinary custom windows. |
 
+`src/codex/sync.ts` bootstraps models.dev effort ladders through
+`src/providers/reasoning-metadata.ts` for supported destinations before catalog gathering, never
+from the routed request transport.
+
 The registry's first-party `deepseek-flash` row declares native `text` and `image` input, so image
 requests bypass the vision sidecar by default; explicit `noVisionModels` or text-only declarations
 remain authoritative. First-party `deepseek-chat`, `deepseek-reasoner`, and `deepseek-v4-flash`
diff --git a/tests/codex-integration/codex-sync-api.test.ts b/tests/codex-integration/codex-sync-api.test.ts
index cf95f322ca..89becd1812 100644
--- a/tests/codex-integration/codex-sync-api.test.ts
+++ b/tests/codex-integration/codex-sync-api.test.ts
@@ -150,6 +150,42 @@ describe("GUI/CLI Codex sync backend", () => {
     expect(errors).toEqual([]);
   });
 
+  test("bootstraps reasoning metadata for gated providers before catalog gathering", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    const zenConfig = {
+      ...config,
+      providers: {
+        zen: {
+          ...config.providers.fixture,
+          baseUrl: "https://opencode.ai/zen/go/v1",
+        },
+      },
+    } as OcxConfig;
+
+    await syncModelsToCodex(12345, zenConfig, null, {
+      admitCodexWrite: admittedSync,
+      refreshReasoningMetadata: async () => {
+        calls.push("reasoning");
+        return { ok: true as const, reason: "refreshed", providers: 1, models: 1 };
+      },
+      refreshCodexModelCatalog: async () => {
+        calls.push("catalog");
+        return {
+          added: 1,
+          path: "/tmp/opencodex-catalog.json",
+          catalogExists: true,
+          catalogWritten: true,
+          cacheSynced: true,
+          comboOmissions: [],
+        };
+      },
+      injectCodexConfig: async () => ({ success: true, message: "injected" }),
+      currentExternalCodexModelProvider: () => null,
+    });
+
+    expect(calls).toEqual(["reasoning", "catalog"]);
+  });
+
   test("refuses during injection preflight before catalog or cache mutation", async () => {
     let refreshCalls = 0;
     let injectCalls = 0;