diff --git a/electron/services/providers/provider-runtime-sync.ts b/electron/services/providers/provider-runtime-sync.ts
index a1bf117a2..4614edf96 100644
--- a/electron/services/providers/provider-runtime-sync.ts
+++ b/electron/services/providers/provider-runtime-sync.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,14 @@ const GOOGLE_OAUTH_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF = `${GOOGLE_OAUTH_RUNTIME_PROVIDER}/gemini-
 const OPENAI_OAUTH_RUNTIME_PROVIDER = 'openai-codex';
 const OPENAI_OAUTH_DEFAULT_MODEL_REF = `${OPENAI_OAUTH_RUNTIME_PROVIDER}/gpt-5.4`;
 
+/**
+ * Provider types that are not in the built-in provider registry (no `providerConfig.api`).
+ * They require explicit api-protocol defaulting to `openai-completions`.
+ */
+function isUnregisteredProviderType(type: string): boolean {
+  return type === 'custom' || type === 'ollama';
+}
+
 type RuntimeProviderSyncContext = {
   runtimeProviderKey: string;
   meta: ReturnType<typeof getProviderConfig>;
@@ -44,7 +52,7 @@ function normalizeProviderBaseUrl(
     return normalized.replace(/\/v1$/, '').replace(/\/anthropic$/, '').replace(/\/$/, '') + '/anthropic';
   }
 
-  if (config.type === 'custom' || config.type === 'ollama') {
+  if (isUnregisteredProviderType(config.type)) {
     const protocol = apiProtocol || config.apiProtocol || 'openai-completions';
     if (protocol === 'openai-responses') {
       return normalized.replace(/\/responses?$/i, '');
@@ -65,7 +73,7 @@ function shouldUseExplicitDefaultOverride(config: ProviderConfig, runtimeProvide
 }
 
 export function getOpenClawProviderKey(type: string, providerId: string): string {
-  if (type === 'custom' || type === 'ollama') {
+  if (isUnregisteredProviderType(type)) {
     // If the providerId is already a runtime key (e.g. re-seeded from openclaw.json
     // as "custom-XXXXXXXX"), return it directly to avoid double-hashing.
     const prefix = `${type}-`;
@@ -286,7 +294,7 @@ async function syncProviderSecretToRuntime(
 async function resolveRuntimeSyncContext(config: ProviderConfig): Promise<RuntimeProviderSyncContext | null> {
   const runtimeProviderKey = await resolveRuntimeProviderKey(config);
   const meta = getProviderConfig(config.type);
-  const api = config.apiProtocol || ((config.type === 'custom' || config.type === 'ollama') ? 'openai-completions' : meta?.api);
+  const api = config.apiProtocol || (isUnregisteredProviderType(config.type) ? 'openai-completions' : meta?.api);
   if (!api) {
     return null;
   }
@@ -315,7 +323,7 @@ async function syncCustomProviderAgentModel(
   runtimeProviderKey: string,
   apiKey: string | undefined,
 ): Promise<void> {
-  if (config.type !== 'custom' && config.type !== 'ollama') {
+  if (!isUnregisteredProviderType(config.type)) {
     return;
   }
 
@@ -402,7 +410,7 @@ async function buildAgentModelProviderEntry(
   authHeader?: boolean;
 } | null> {
   const meta = getProviderConfig(config.type);
-  const api = config.apiProtocol || ((config.type === 'custom' || config.type === 'ollama') ? 'openai-completions' : meta?.api);
+  const api = config.apiProtocol || (isUnregisteredProviderType(config.type) ? 'openai-completions' : meta?.api);
   const baseUrl = normalizeProviderBaseUrl(config, config.baseUrl || meta?.baseUrl, api);
   if (!api || !baseUrl) {
     return null;
@@ -411,7 +419,7 @@ async function buildAgentModelProviderEntry(
   let apiKey: string | undefined;
   let authHeader: boolean | undefined;
 
-  if (config.type === 'custom') {
+  if (isUnregisteredProviderType(config.type)) {
     apiKey = (await getApiKey(config.id)) || undefined;
   } else if (config.type === 'minimax-portal' || config.type === 'minimax-portal-cn') {
     const accountApiKey = await getApiKey(config.id);
@@ -507,7 +515,7 @@ export async function syncUpdatedProviderToRuntime(
   const defaultProviderId = await getDefaultProvider();
   if (defaultProviderId === config.id) {
     const modelOverride = config.model ? `${ock}/${config.model}` : undefined;
-    if (config.type !== 'custom') {
+    if (!isUnregisteredProviderType(config.type)) {
       if (shouldUseExplicitDefaultOverride(config, ock)) {
         await setOpenClawDefaultModelWithOverride(ock, modelOverride, {
           baseUrl: normalizeProviderBaseUrl(config, config.baseUrl || context.meta?.baseUrl, context.api),
@@ -593,7 +601,7 @@ export async function syncDefaultProviderToRuntime(
       ? (provider.model.startsWith(`${ock}/`) ? provider.model : `${ock}/${provider.model}`)
       : undefined;
 
-    if (provider.type === 'custom' || provider.type === 'ollama') {
+    if (isUnregisteredProviderType(provider.type)) {
       await setOpenClawDefaultModelWithOverride(ock, modelOverride, {
         baseUrl: normalizeProviderBaseUrl(provider, provider.baseUrl, provider.apiProtocol || 'openai-completions'),
         api: provider.apiProtocol || 'openai-completions',
@@ -689,7 +697,7 @@ export async function syncDefaultProviderToRuntime(
   }
 
   if (
-    (provider.type === 'custom' || provider.type === 'ollama') &&
+    isUnregisteredProviderType(provider.type) &&
     providerKey &&
     provider.baseUrl
   ) {
diff --git a/tests/unit/provider-runtime-sync.test.ts b/tests/unit/provider-runtime-sync.test.ts
index 48b232df0..2bed33bb8 100644
--- a/tests/unit/provider-runtime-sync.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/provider-runtime-sync.test.ts
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ import {
   syncDeletedProviderApiKeyToRuntime,
   syncDeletedProviderToRuntime,
   syncSavedProviderToRuntime,
+  syncUpdatedProviderToRuntime,
 } from '@electron/services/providers/provider-runtime-sync';
 
 function createProvider(overrides: Partial<ProviderConfig> = {}): ProviderConfig {
@@ -310,4 +311,51 @@ describe('provider-runtime-sync refresh strategy', () => {
       expect.any(Array),
     );
   });
+  it('syncs updated Ollama provider as default with correct override config', async () => {
+    const ollamaProvider = createProvider({
+      id: 'ollamafd',
+      type: 'ollama',
+      name: 'Ollama',
+      model: 'qwen3:30b',
+      baseUrl: 'http://localhost:11434/v1',
+    });
+
+    mocks.getProviderConfig.mockReturnValue(undefined);
+    mocks.getProviderSecret.mockResolvedValue({ type: 'local', apiKey: 'ollama-local' });
+    mocks.getDefaultProvider.mockResolvedValue('ollamafd');
+
+    const gateway = createGateway('running');
+    await syncUpdatedProviderToRuntime(ollamaProvider, undefined, gateway as GatewayManager);
+
+    // Should use the custom/ollama branch with explicit override
+    expect(mocks.setOpenClawDefaultModelWithOverride).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      'ollama-ollamafd',
+      'ollama-ollamafd/qwen3:30b',
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        baseUrl: 'http://localhost:11434/v1',
+        api: 'openai-completions',
+      }),
+      expect.any(Array),
+    );
+    // Should NOT call the non-override path
+    expect(mocks.setOpenClawDefaultModel).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(gateway.debouncedReload).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+
+  it('removes Ollama provider from runtime on delete', async () => {
+    const ollamaProvider = createProvider({
+      id: 'ollamafd',
+      type: 'ollama',
+      name: 'Ollama',
+      model: 'qwen3:30b',
+      baseUrl: 'http://localhost:11434/v1',
+    });
+
+    const gateway = createGateway('running');
+    await syncDeletedProviderToRuntime(ollamaProvider, 'ollamafd', gateway as GatewayManager);
+
+    expect(mocks.removeProviderFromOpenClaw).toHaveBeenCalledWith('ollama-ollamafd');
+    expect(mocks.removeProviderFromOpenClaw).toHaveBeenCalledWith('ollamafd');
+    expect(gateway.debouncedRestart).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
 });