diff --git a/doc/DEVELOPING.md b/doc/DEVELOPING.md
index 7b07159f3b3..ea0ce2dad48 100644
--- a/doc/DEVELOPING.md
+++ b/doc/DEVELOPING.md
@@ -1895,6 +1895,10 @@ automatically alongside it; see [Agent commentary](agent-commentary.md).
 Other runtime skills remain controlled by
 `paperclipSkillSync.desiredSkills`. The native `paperclip_runner` does not use
 this legacy default because its protocol supplies the control-plane contract.
+An empty native runtime selection returns before company skill inventory work.
+An explicit empty stored key set does the same. Nonempty selections still use
+the current inventory, version and access checks. Legacy automatic selections
+still resolve their operational and feedback skills.
 
 Validate the catalog without writing the manifest:
 
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/company-skills-empty-runtime.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/company-skills-empty-runtime.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..369546e4e40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/company-skills-empty-runtime.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { Db } from "@paperclipai/db";
+import { companySkillService } from "../services/company-skills.js";
+
+const databaseAccess = new Error("Runtime selection touched the inventory database");
+const db = new Proxy({} as Db, { get() { throw databaseAccess; } });
+
+it.each([
+  { onlyKeys: new Set<string>() },
+  { onlyKeys: new Set<string>(), includeLegacy: true, selectionConfig: { paperclipSkillSync: { desiredSkills: ["selected"] } } },
+  { selectionConfig: {} },
+  { selectionConfig: { paperclipSkillSync: { desiredSkills: [] } } },
+  { selectionConfig: { paperclipSkillSync: { desiredSkills: [" ", null, {}] } } },
+])("does no inventory work for an empty runtime selection: %o", async options => {
+  await expect(companySkillService(db).listRuntimeSkillEntries(randomUUID(), options)).resolves.toEqual([]);
+});
+
+it.each([
+  {},
+  { includeLegacy: true, selectionConfig: {} },
+  { includeLegacy: true, selectionConfig: { paperclipSkillSync: { desiredSkills: [] } } },
+  { selectionConfig: { paperclipSkillSync: { desiredSkills: ["selected"] } } },
+  { onlyKeys: new Set(["selected"]), selectionConfig: {} },
+])("retains inventory resolution for a requested or legacy skill set: %o", async options => {
+  await expect(companySkillService(db).listRuntimeSkillEntries(randomUUID(), options)).rejects.toBe(databaseAccess);
+});
diff --git a/server/src/services/company-skills.ts b/server/src/services/company-skills.ts
index c6da9f8bb86..0c4f5df645d 100644
--- a/server/src/services/company-skills.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/company-skills.ts
@@ -6143,6 +6143,8 @@ export function companySkillService(db: Db, options: { actor?: AuthorizationActo
     companyId: string,
     options: RuntimeSkillEntryOptions = {},
   ): Promise<PaperclipSkillEntry[]> {
+    if (options.onlyKeys?.size === 0 || (!options.onlyKeys && options.selectionConfig && !options.includeLegacy
+      && readPaperclipSkillSyncPreference(options.selectionConfig).desiredSkills.length === 0)) return [];
     const skills = await listFull(companyId);
     const selectedKeys = options.onlyKeys ?? (options.selectionConfig ? new Set(
       (options.includeLegacy ? resolveLegacyPaperclipDesiredSkillNames : resolvePaperclipDesiredSkillNames)(