diff --git a/src/api/services/profile-lifecycle-validation.ts b/src/api/services/profile-lifecycle-validation.ts
index 7ff09654..d7902584 100644
--- a/src/api/services/profile-lifecycle-validation.ts
+++ b/src/api/services/profile-lifecycle-validation.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ const ALLOWED_ANTHROPIC_ENV_KEYS = new Set<string>([
   'ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL',
   'ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN',
   'ANTHROPIC_API_KEY',
+  // Written by profile-writer when --extra-models is supplied
+  'ANTHROPIC_EXTRA_MODELS',
   ...MODEL_ENV_KEYS,
 ]);
 
diff --git a/src/ccs.ts b/src/ccs.ts
index 28a89ec3..e8fe5996 100644
--- a/src/ccs.ts
+++ b/src/ccs.ts
@@ -46,31 +46,37 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
     return;
   }
 
-  // Phase C: profile + target detection (extracted to dispatcher/profile-resolver.ts)
-  const resolvedProfile = await resolveProfileAndTarget({ args, browserLaunchOverride, cliLogger });
-  const { profile, profileInfo, resolvedTarget, nativeClaudeRemainingArgs } = resolvedProfile;
-
-  // Dynamic imports needed by Phase E flows — preserve original load ordering.
-  const InstanceManagerModule = await import('./management/instance-manager');
-  const InstanceManager = InstanceManagerModule.default;
-  const ProfileRegistryModule = await import('./auth/profile-registry');
-  const ProfileRegistry = ProfileRegistryModule.default;
-  const AccountContextModule = await import('./auth/account-context');
-  const { resolveAccountContextPolicy, isAccountContextMetadata } = AccountContextModule;
-  const ProfileContinuityModule = await import('./auth/profile-continuity-inheritance');
-  const { resolveProfileContinuityInheritance } = ProfileContinuityModule;
-
-  // Build full dispatch context (Phase E)
-  const dispatchCtx = {
-    ...resolvedProfile,
-    InstanceManager,
-    ProfileRegistry,
-    resolveAccountContextPolicy,
-    isAccountContextMetadata,
-    resolveProfileContinuityInheritance,
-  };
-
   try {
+    // Phase C: profile + target detection — inside try so ProfileNotFoundError
+    // reaches the rich showProfileNotFound() handler below instead of falling
+    // through to the bare unhandledRejection handler.
+    const resolvedProfile = await resolveProfileAndTarget({
+      args,
+      browserLaunchOverride,
+      cliLogger,
+    });
+    const { profile, profileInfo, resolvedTarget, nativeClaudeRemainingArgs } = resolvedProfile;
+
+    // Dynamic imports needed by Phase E flows — preserve original load ordering.
+    const InstanceManagerModule = await import('./management/instance-manager');
+    const InstanceManager = InstanceManagerModule.default;
+    const ProfileRegistryModule = await import('./auth/profile-registry');
+    const ProfileRegistry = ProfileRegistryModule.default;
+    const AccountContextModule = await import('./auth/account-context');
+    const { resolveAccountContextPolicy, isAccountContextMetadata } = AccountContextModule;
+    const ProfileContinuityModule = await import('./auth/profile-continuity-inheritance');
+    const { resolveProfileContinuityInheritance } = ProfileContinuityModule;
+
+    // Build full dispatch context (Phase E)
+    const dispatchCtx = {
+      ...resolvedProfile,
+      InstanceManager,
+      ProfileRegistry,
+      resolveAccountContextPolicy,
+      isAccountContextMetadata,
+      resolveProfileContinuityInheritance,
+    };
+
     // Special case: headless delegation (-p/--prompt)
     // Keep existing behavior for Claude targets only; non-claude targets must continue
     // through normal adapter dispatch logic.
diff --git a/src/commands/api-command/create-command.ts b/src/commands/api-command/create-command.ts
index b0d799f8..77b585f3 100644
--- a/src/commands/api-command/create-command.ts
+++ b/src/commands/api-command/create-command.ts
@@ -196,14 +196,17 @@ async function resolveModelConfiguration(
   if (isOpenRouterUrl(baseUrl) && !providedModel) {
     console.log('');
     console.log(info('OpenRouter detected!'));
-    const useInteractive = await InteractivePrompt.confirm('Browse models interactively?', {
-      default: true,
-    });
-    if (useInteractive) {
-      const selection = await pickOpenRouterModel();
-      if (selection) {
-        openRouterModel = selection.model;
-        openRouterTierMapping = selection.tierMapping;
+    // --yes/-y suppresses interactive model browser; use preset defaultModel instead
+    if (!yes) {
+      const useInteractive = await InteractivePrompt.confirm('Browse models interactively?', {
+        default: true,
+      });
+      if (useInteractive) {
+        const selection = await pickOpenRouterModel();
+        if (selection) {
+          openRouterModel = selection.model;
+          openRouterTierMapping = selection.tierMapping;
+        }
       }
     }
     console.log('');
@@ -571,6 +574,17 @@ export async function handleApiCreateCommand(args: string[]): Promise<void> {
     console.log(
       `  ${color(`ccs ${name} --target claude "your prompt"`, 'command')} ${dim('# override to Claude')}`
     );
+  } else if (target === 'codex') {
+    console.log(
+      `  ${color(`ccs ${name} "your prompt"`, 'command')} ${dim('# uses Codex CLI by default')}`
+    );
+    console.log(
+      `  ${color(`ccs-codex ${name} "your prompt"`, 'command')} ${dim('# explicit Codex alias')}`
+    );
+    console.log(`  ${color(`ccsx ${name} "your prompt"`, 'command')} ${dim('# short alias')}`);
+    console.log(
+      `  ${color(`ccs ${name} --target claude "your prompt"`, 'command')} ${dim('# override to Claude')}`
+    );
   } else {
     console.log(
       `  ${color(`ccs ${name} "your prompt"`, 'command')} ${dim('# uses claude by default')}`
diff --git a/src/commands/proxy-command.ts b/src/commands/proxy-command.ts
index 53a11b11..ba066702 100644
--- a/src/commands/proxy-command.ts
+++ b/src/commands/proxy-command.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ import {
   startOpenAICompatProxy,
   stopOpenAICompatProxy,
 } from '../proxy';
-import { loadSettings } from '../config/config-loader-facade';
+import { loadConfigSafe, loadSettings } from '../config/config-loader-facade';
+import { ProfileError } from '../errors';
 
 function parseOptionValue(args: string[], key: string): string | undefined {
   const exactIndex = args.findIndex((arg) => arg === key);
@@ -82,11 +83,22 @@ function showHelp(): number {
 }
 
 function resolveProfile(profileName: string) {
+  // Pre-check profile in config to avoid the generic error() + npm-install hint from getSettingsPath.
+  const config = loadConfigSafe();
+  if (!config.profiles[profileName]) {
+    throw new ProfileError(
+      `Profile "${profileName}" is not configured for an OpenAI-compatible endpoint`,
+      profileName
+    );
+  }
   const settingsPath = expandPath(getSettingsPath(profileName));
   const settings = loadSettings(settingsPath);
   const profile = resolveOpenAICompatProfileConfig(profileName, settingsPath, settings.env || {});
   if (!profile) {
-    throw new Error(`Profile "${profileName}" is not configured for an OpenAI-compatible endpoint`);
+    throw new ProfileError(
+      `Profile "${profileName}" is not configured for an OpenAI-compatible endpoint`,
+      profileName
+    );
   }
   return profile;
 }