diff --git a/src/infrastructure/router/cascade.py b/src/infrastructure/router/cascade.py
index 2de133d6..6f158b00 100644
--- a/src/infrastructure/router/cascade.py
+++ b/src/infrastructure/router/cascade.py
@@ -545,8 +545,12 @@ class CascadeRouter:
             if any(m["name"] == model_name for m in provider.models):
                 return model_name
 
-        # Direct capability lookup as a secondary pass
-        cap_model = provider.get_model_with_capability(chain_key)
+        # Direct capability lookup — only return if a model explicitly has the tag
+        # (do not use get_model_with_capability here as it falls back to the default)
+        cap_model = next(
+            (m["name"] for m in provider.models if chain_key in m.get("capabilities", [])),
+            None,
+        )
         if cap_model:
             return cap_model