diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent.delivers-response-has-heartbeat-ok-but-includes.test.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent.delivers-response-has-heartbeat-ok-but-includes.test.ts
index 5678b75e4f7..6316f394b9c 100644
--- a/src/cron/isolated-agent.delivers-response-has-heartbeat-ok-but-includes.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/isolated-agent.delivers-response-has-heartbeat-ok-but-includes.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import "./isolated-agent.mocks.js";
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { withTempHome as withTempHomeBase } from "../../test/helpers/temp-home.js";
+import * as modelSelection from "../agents/model-selection.js";
 import { runEmbeddedPiAgent } from "../agents/pi-embedded.js";
 import { runSubagentAnnounceFlow } from "../agents/subagent-announce.js";
 import type { CliDeps } from "../cli/deps.js";
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ async function runTelegramAnnounceTurn(params: {
 
 describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.spyOn(modelSelection, "resolveThinkingDefault").mockReturnValue(undefined);
     setupIsolatedAgentTurnMocks({ fast: true });
   });
 
diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent.model-formatting.test.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent.model-formatting.test.ts
index b09a9db5ea1..c783247e6f3 100644
--- a/src/cron/isolated-agent.model-formatting.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/isolated-agent.model-formatting.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import "./isolated-agent.mocks.js";
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { loadModelCatalog } from "../agents/model-catalog.js";
+import * as modelSelection from "../agents/model-selection.js";
 import { runEmbeddedPiAgent } from "../agents/pi-embedded.js";
 import { createCliDeps, mockAgentPayloads } from "./isolated-agent.delivery.test-helpers.js";
 import { runCronIsolatedAgentTurn } from "./isolated-agent.js";
@@ -125,6 +126,7 @@ async function expectInvalidModel(home: string, model: string) {
 
 describe("cron model formatting and precedence edge cases", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.spyOn(modelSelection, "resolveThinkingDefault").mockReturnValue(undefined);
     vi.mocked(runEmbeddedPiAgent).mockClear();
     vi.mocked(loadModelCatalog).mockResolvedValue([]);
   });
diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent.skips-delivery-without-whatsapp-recipient-besteffortdeliver-true.test.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent.skips-delivery-without-whatsapp-recipient-besteffortdeliver-true.test.ts
index 5abbb453f35..639c207459e 100644
--- a/src/cron/isolated-agent.skips-delivery-without-whatsapp-recipient-besteffortdeliver-true.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/isolated-agent.skips-delivery-without-whatsapp-recipient-besteffortdeliver-true.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import "./isolated-agent.mocks.js";
 import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import * as modelSelection from "../agents/model-selection.js";
 import { runSubagentAnnounceFlow } from "../agents/subagent-announce.js";
 import type { CliDeps } from "../cli/deps.js";
 import {
@@ -261,6 +262,7 @@ async function assertExplicitTelegramTargetDelivery(params: {
 
 describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.spyOn(modelSelection, "resolveThinkingDefault").mockReturnValue(undefined);
     setupIsolatedAgentTurnMocks();
   });
 
diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent.uses-last-non-empty-agent-text-as.test.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent.uses-last-non-empty-agent-text-as.test.ts
index 2a4b786f99c..5830029d9e7 100644
--- a/src/cron/isolated-agent.uses-last-non-empty-agent-text-as.test.ts
+++ b/src/cron/isolated-agent.uses-last-non-empty-agent-text-as.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import fs from "node:fs/promises";
 import path from "node:path";
 import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 import { loadModelCatalog } from "../agents/model-catalog.js";
+import * as modelSelection from "../agents/model-selection.js";
 import { runEmbeddedPiAgent } from "../agents/pi-embedded.js";
 import type { CliDeps } from "../cli/deps.js";
 import { runCronIsolatedAgentTurn } from "./isolated-agent.js";
@@ -15,6 +16,10 @@ import {
 } from "./isolated-agent.test-harness.js";
 import type { CronJob } from "./types.js";
 
+let resolveThinkingDefaultSpy: ReturnType<
+  typeof vi.spyOn<typeof modelSelection, "resolveThinkingDefault">
+>;
+
 function makeDeps(): CliDeps {
   return {
     sendMessageSlack: vi.fn(),
@@ -163,6 +168,9 @@ async function runStoredOverrideAndExpectModel(params: {
 
 describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn", () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
+    resolveThinkingDefaultSpy = vi
+      .spyOn(modelSelection, "resolveThinkingDefault")
+      .mockReturnValue(undefined);
     vi.mocked(runEmbeddedPiAgent).mockClear();
     vi.mocked(loadModelCatalog).mockResolvedValue([]);
   });
@@ -503,16 +511,9 @@ describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn", () => {
     });
   });
 
-  it("defaults thinking to low for reasoning-capable models", async () => {
+  it("passes through the resolved default thinking level", async () => {
     await withTempHome(async (home) => {
-      vi.mocked(loadModelCatalog).mockResolvedValueOnce([
-        {
-          id: "claude-opus-4-5",
-          name: "Opus 4.5",
-          provider: "anthropic",
-          reasoning: true,
-        },
-      ]);
+      resolveThinkingDefaultSpy.mockReturnValueOnce("low");
 
       await runCronTurn(home, {
         jobPayload: DEFAULT_AGENT_TURN_PAYLOAD,
diff --git a/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.ts b/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.ts
index 8a074338da7..9f3f28584e3 100644
--- a/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.ts
+++ b/src/cron/isolated-agent/run.ts
@@ -171,6 +171,27 @@ async function resolveCronDeliveryContext(params: {
   deliveryContract: IsolatedDeliveryContract;
 }) {
   const deliveryPlan = resolveCronDeliveryPlan(params.job);
+  if (!deliveryPlan.requested) {
+    const resolvedDelivery = {
+      ok: false as const,
+      channel: undefined,
+      to: undefined,
+      accountId: undefined,
+      threadId: undefined,
+      mode: "implicit" as const,
+      error: new Error("cron delivery not requested"),
+    };
+    return {
+      deliveryPlan,
+      deliveryRequested: false,
+      resolvedDelivery,
+      toolPolicy: resolveCronToolPolicy({
+        deliveryRequested: false,
+        resolvedDelivery,
+        deliveryContract: params.deliveryContract,
+      }),
+    };
+  }
   const resolvedDelivery = await resolveDeliveryTarget(params.cfg, params.agentId, {
     channel: deliveryPlan.channel ?? "last",
     to: deliveryPlan.to,