diff --git a/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts b/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts
index e577935f067a..f18d24989fc1 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts
@@ -228,7 +228,17 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
         }),
       )
       return JSON.parse(text) as Record<string, Provider>
-    }).pipe(Effect.withSpan("ModelsDev.populate"), Effect.orDie)
+      // Bootstrap must not die when the catalog is unreachable (no cache yet and
+      // models.dev times out or is dropped — restricted networks, corporate VPNs):
+      // serve an empty catalog like OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH and let the
+      // background refresh recover it. Dying here takes the whole server down.
+    }).pipe(
+      Effect.withSpan("ModelsDev.populate"),
+      Effect.tapCause((cause) =>
+        Effect.logError("Failed to fetch models.dev, continuing with an empty catalog", { cause }),
+      ),
+      Effect.catchCause(() => Effect.succeed({} as Record<string, Provider>)),
+    )
 
     const [cachedGet, invalidate] = yield* Effect.cachedInvalidateWithTTL(populate, Duration.infinity)
 
diff --git a/packages/core/test/models.test.ts b/packages/core/test/models.test.ts
index a3ed86dc8cda..a7906eac976b 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/models.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/models.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, beforeAll, beforeEach, afterAll } from "bun:test"
 import { Effect, Layer, Ref } from "effect"
-import { HttpClient, HttpClientResponse } from "effect/unstable/http"
+import { HttpClient, HttpClientError, HttpClientResponse } from "effect/unstable/http"
 import { AppNodeBuilder } from "@opencode-ai/core/effect/app-node-builder"
 import { LayerNodePlatform } from "@opencode-ai/core/effect/app-node-platform"
 import { LayerNode } from "@opencode-ai/core/effect/layer-node"
@@ -287,4 +287,93 @@ describe("ModelsDev Service", () => {
       expect(final.calls.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
     }),
   )
+
+  // No cache on disk + unreachable models.dev is the desktop-client cascade from
+  // https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode/issues/47328: bootstrap used to die
+  // (Effect.orDie on populate) and take the whole server down. get() must degrade
+  // to an empty catalog instead — same behavior as OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH.
+  it.live("get() falls back to an empty catalog when disk is empty and fetch fails", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const state = yield* Ref.make({ ...initialState, status: 500, body: "boom" })
+      const context = yield* Layer.build(buildLayer(state))
+      const result = yield* Effect.acquireUseRelease(
+        Effect.sync(() => {
+          Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = false
+        }),
+        () => ModelsDev.Service.use((s) => s.get()).pipe(Effect.provide(context)),
+        () =>
+          Effect.sync(() => {
+            Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = true
+          }),
+      )
+      expect(result).toEqual({})
+      const final = yield* Ref.get(state)
+      expect(final.calls.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
+    }),
+  )
+
+  it.live("get() falls back to an empty catalog when the transport errors (dropped connection)", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const state = yield* Ref.make(0)
+      const erroring = HttpClient.make((request) =>
+        Effect.gen(function* () {
+          yield* Ref.update(state, (n) => n + 1)
+          return yield* Effect.fail(
+            new HttpClientError.HttpClientError({
+              reason: new HttpClientError.TransportError({
+                request,
+                description: "connection dropped",
+              }),
+            }),
+          )
+        }),
+      )
+      const layer = Layer.fresh(
+        AppNodeBuilder.build(ModelsDev.node, [
+          [LayerNodePlatform.httpClient, Layer.succeed(HttpClient.HttpClient, erroring)],
+        ]),
+      )
+      const result = yield* Effect.acquireUseRelease(
+        Effect.sync(() => {
+          Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = false
+        }),
+        () => ModelsDev.Service.use((s) => s.get()).pipe(Effect.provide(layer)),
+        () =>
+          Effect.sync(() => {
+            Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = true
+          }),
+      )
+      expect(result).toEqual({})
+      expect(yield* Ref.get(state)).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
+    }),
+  )
+
+  it.live("get() recovers via refresh after starting from the empty fallback", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const state = yield* Ref.make({ ...initialState, status: 500, body: "boom" })
+      const context = yield* Layer.build(buildLayer(state))
+      const result = yield* Effect.acquireUseRelease(
+        Effect.sync(() => {
+          Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = false
+        }),
+        () =>
+          ModelsDev.Service.use((svc) =>
+            Effect.gen(function* () {
+              const empty = yield* svc.get()
+              // Network comes back: flip the mock to a healthy catalog and refresh.
+              yield* Ref.update(state, () => ({ ...initialState, status: 200 }))
+              yield* svc.refresh(true)
+              return { empty, recovered: yield* svc.get() }
+            }),
+          ).pipe(Effect.provide(context)),
+        () =>
+          Effect.sync(() => {
+            Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = true
+          }),
+      )
+      expect(result.empty).toEqual({})
+      expect(result.recovered).toEqual(fixture)
+      expect(yield* Effect.promise(() => readFile(cacheFile, "utf8"))).toBe(JSON.stringify(fixture))
+    }),
+  )
 })