diff --git a/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts b/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts
index e577935f067a..5124e00fa160 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/models-dev.ts
@@ -131,6 +131,8 @@ export const Provider = Schema.Struct({
 
 export type Provider = Schema.Schema.Type<typeof Provider>
 
+const Catalog = Schema.Record(Schema.String, Provider)
+
 export const Event = ModelsDev.Event
 
 declare const OPENCODE_MODELS_DEV: Record<string, Provider> | undefined
@@ -182,6 +184,7 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
     })
 
     const loadFromDisk = fs.readJson(Flag.OPENCODE_MODELS_PATH ?? filepath).pipe(
+      Effect.flatMap(Schema.decodeUnknownEffect(Catalog)),
       Effect.catch((error) => {
         if (
           Flag.OPENCODE_MODELS_PATH === undefined &&
@@ -201,6 +204,7 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
 
     const fetchAndWrite = Effect.fn("ModelsDev.fetchAndWrite")(function* () {
       const text = yield* fetchApi()
+      const catalog = yield* Schema.decodeUnknownEffect(Schema.fromJsonString(Catalog))(text)
       const tempfile = `${filepath}.${process.pid}.${Date.now()}.tmp`
       yield* fs.writeWithDirs(tempfile, text).pipe(
         Effect.andThen(fs.rename(tempfile, filepath)),
@@ -211,7 +215,7 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
           }),
         ),
       )
-      return text
+      return catalog
     })
 
     const populate = Effect.gen(function* () {
@@ -221,14 +225,18 @@ const layer = Layer.effect(
       if (snapshot) return snapshot
       if (Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH) return {}
       // Flock is cross-process: concurrent opencode CLIs can race on this cache file.
-      const text = yield* Effect.scoped(
+      return yield* Effect.scoped(
         Effect.gen(function* () {
           yield* Flock.effect(lockKey)
           return yield* fetchAndWrite()
         }),
       )
-      return JSON.parse(text) as Record<string, Provider>
-    }).pipe(Effect.withSpan("ModelsDev.populate"), Effect.orDie)
+    }).pipe(
+      Effect.withSpan("ModelsDev.populate"),
+      Effect.catch((error) =>
+        Effect.logError("Failed to fetch models.dev", { error }).pipe(Effect.as({} 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..74975fe670f6 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/models.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/models.test.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,18 @@ const writeCache = (data: object, mtimeMs?: number) => writeCacheText(JSON.strin
 const provided = <A, E>(state: Ref.Ref<MockState>, eff: Effect.Effect<A, E, ModelsDev.Service>) =>
   eff.pipe(Effect.provide(buildLayer(state)))
 
+const withFetch = <A, E, R>(effect: Effect.Effect<A, E, R>) =>
+  Effect.acquireUseRelease(
+    Effect.sync(() => {
+      Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = false
+    }),
+    () => effect,
+    () =>
+      Effect.sync(() => {
+        Flag.OPENCODE_DISABLE_MODELS_FETCH = true
+      }),
+  )
+
 beforeEach(async () => {
   await rm(cacheFile, { force: true })
 })
@@ -159,16 +171,7 @@ describe("ModelsDev Service", () => {
       yield* writeCacheText("{")
       const state = yield* Ref.make({ ...initialState, body: JSON.stringify(fixture2) })
       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
-          }),
-      )
+      const result = yield* withFetch(ModelsDev.Service.use((s) => s.get()).pipe(Effect.provide(context)))
       expect(result).toEqual(fixture2)
       expect(yield* Effect.promise(() => readFile(cacheFile, "utf8"))).toBe(JSON.stringify(fixture2))
       const final = yield* Ref.get(state)
@@ -176,6 +179,38 @@ describe("ModelsDev Service", () => {
     }),
   )
 
+  it.live("get() returns an empty catalog when the initial fetch fails", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const state = yield* Ref.make({ ...initialState, status: 503 })
+      const context = yield* Layer.build(buildLayer(state))
+      const result = yield* withFetch(ModelsDev.Service.use((s) => s.get()).pipe(Effect.provide(context)))
+      expect(result).toEqual({})
+      expect((yield* Ref.get(state)).calls.length).toBe(3)
+    }),
+  )
+
+  it.live("get() returns an empty catalog when the response is malformed JSON", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const state = yield* Ref.make({ ...initialState, body: "{" })
+      const context = yield* Layer.build(buildLayer(state))
+      const result = yield* withFetch(ModelsDev.Service.use((s) => s.get()).pipe(Effect.provide(context)))
+      expect(result).toEqual({})
+      expect((yield* Ref.get(state)).calls.length).toBe(1)
+      expect(yield* Effect.promise(() => Bun.file(cacheFile).exists())).toBe(false)
+    }),
+  )
+
+  it.live("get() returns an empty catalog when the response has an invalid shape", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const state = yield* Ref.make({ ...initialState, body: JSON.stringify({ acme: {} }) })
+      const context = yield* Layer.build(buildLayer(state))
+      const result = yield* withFetch(ModelsDev.Service.use((s) => s.get()).pipe(Effect.provide(context)))
+      expect(result).toEqual({})
+      expect((yield* Ref.get(state)).calls.length).toBe(1)
+      expect(yield* Effect.promise(() => Bun.file(cacheFile).exists())).toBe(false)
+    }),
+  )
+
   it.live("get() is single-flight under concurrent calls", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       yield* writeCache(fixture)