diff --git a/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.test.ts b/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.test.ts
index 990def821d..6d0e3f1f62 100644
--- a/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.test.ts
+++ b/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.test.ts
@@ -40,12 +40,27 @@ describe("resolveModelGoalSetIntent", () => {
     expect(intent.turnCap).toBe(8);
   });
 
-  test("honors no-budget defaults for model tools without treating null as explicit clear", () => {
+  test("applies the positive budget default even when user-authored goals may omit budgets", () => {
     const intent = resolveModelGoalSetIntent(
       { objective: "ship", budgetCents: null, turnCap: null },
       { ...defaults, alwaysRequireExplicitBudget: false, defaultTurnCap: null }
     );
 
+    expect(intent.budgetCents).toBe(500);
+    expect(intent.turnCap).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  test("resolves to unbounded only when effective defaults have no positive budget or turn cap", () => {
+    const intent = resolveModelGoalSetIntent(
+      { objective: "ship", budgetCents: null, turnCap: null },
+      {
+        ...defaults,
+        defaultBudgetCents: 0,
+        defaultTurnCap: null,
+        alwaysRequireExplicitBudget: false,
+      }
+    );
+
     expect(intent.budgetCents).toBeNull();
     expect(intent.turnCap).toBeNull();
   });
diff --git a/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.ts b/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.ts
index aaf0c89d3e..9b42e81206 100644
--- a/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.ts
+++ b/src/common/utils/goals/resolveGoalSetIntent.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ export function resolveGoalSetIntent(
  * providers. For agent-created goals, `null` must therefore mean "use the
  * effective defaults" rather than the UI meaning "the user explicitly cleared
  * this bound"; otherwise a model could accidentally create an unbounded goal.
+ * The budget default applies even when user-authored forms allow omitted
+ * budgets to mean "no budget" — a model omission is not an explicit user clear.
  */
 export function resolveModelGoalSetIntent(
   input: GoalSetIntentInput,
@@ -110,9 +112,7 @@ export function resolveModelGoalSetIntent(
   const budgetCents =
     input.budgetCents != null
       ? normalizeGoalBudgetCents(input.budgetCents)
-      : defaults.alwaysRequireExplicitBudget
-        ? normalizeGoalBudgetCents(defaults.defaultBudgetCents)
-        : null;
+      : normalizeGoalBudgetCents(defaults.defaultBudgetCents);
   const turnCap = input.turnCap ?? defaults.defaultTurnCap;
 
   return {
diff --git a/src/node/services/tools/goal.test.ts b/src/node/services/tools/goal.test.ts
index 72c01fb710..9991135f16 100644
--- a/src/node/services/tools/goal.test.ts
+++ b/src/node/services/tools/goal.test.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,27 @@ describe("goal tools", () => {
     expect(result).toMatchObject({ goal: { budgetCents: 450, turnCap: 3 } });
   });
 
+  test("set_goal uses positive default budget even when omitted user budgets are allowed", async () => {
+    const tool = createSetGoalTool({
+      cwd: "/tmp",
+      runtimeTempDir: "/tmp",
+      runtime: inertRuntime,
+      workspaceId,
+      goalService,
+      goalDefaults: {
+        defaultBudgetCents: 650,
+        defaultTurnCap: null,
+        alwaysRequireExplicitBudget: false,
+      },
+    });
+
+    const result: unknown = await Promise.resolve(
+      tool.execute!({ objective: "Use global budget default" }, mockToolCallOptions)
+    );
+
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({ goal: { budgetCents: 650, turnCap: null } });
+  });
+
   test("set_goal accepts explicit positive budget and turn cap", async () => {
     const tool = createSetGoalTool({
       cwd: "/tmp",
diff --git a/src/node/services/tools/set_goal.ts b/src/node/services/tools/set_goal.ts
index 13be1d3897..60ba8d3c3a 100644
--- a/src/node/services/tools/set_goal.ts
+++ b/src/node/services/tools/set_goal.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export const createSetGoalTool: ToolFactory = (config) => {
       assertResolvedModelGoalBounds(resolved);
       if (resolved.budgetCents == null && resolved.turnCap == null) {
         throw new Error(
-          "set_goal requires a budget or turn cap for model-created goals. Ask the user to provide a budget/turn cap or configure workspace goal defaults."
+          "set_goal requires a budget or turn cap for model-created goals. Ask the user to provide one, or configure a positive effective default goal budget/turn cap."
         );
       }