diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/sf/auto-dispatch.ts b/src/resources/extensions/sf/auto-dispatch.ts
index 066137234..d15c4dfa5 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/sf/auto-dispatch.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/sf/auto-dispatch.ts
@@ -900,7 +900,7 @@ export const DISPATCH_RULES: DispatchRule[] = [
   },
 ];
 
-import { getRegistry } from "./rule-registry.js";
+import { getRegistry, hasRegistry } from "./rule-registry.js";
 
 // ─── Resolver ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -915,13 +915,18 @@ import { getRegistry } from "./rule-registry.js";
 export async function resolveDispatch(
   ctx: DispatchContext,
 ): Promise<DispatchAction> {
-  // Delegate to registry when available
-  try {
-    const registry = getRegistry();
-    return await registry.evaluateDispatch(ctx);
-  } catch (err) {
-    // Registry not initialized — fall back to inline loop
-    logWarning("dispatch", `registry dispatch failed, falling back to inline rules: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
+  // Delegate to registry when available. Callers that run outside auto-mode
+  // (e.g. `sf headless query`, `sf headless status`) never initialize the
+  // registry — falling through to inline rules is the intended behavior,
+  // not an error, so we silent-probe instead of warning on every call.
+  if (hasRegistry()) {
+    try {
+      return await getRegistry().evaluateDispatch(ctx);
+    } catch (err) {
+      // Genuine registry evaluation failure (rule threw, etc.) — log so we
+      // surface real bugs, then fall back.
+      logWarning("dispatch", `registry dispatch failed, falling back to inline rules: ${err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)}`);
+    }
   }
 
   for (const rule of DISPATCH_RULES) {
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/sf/rule-registry.ts b/src/resources/extensions/sf/rule-registry.ts
index 74af0ad3d..3068c9393 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/sf/rule-registry.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/sf/rule-registry.ts
@@ -561,6 +561,12 @@ export class RuleRegistry {
 
 let _registry: RuleRegistry | null = null;
 
+/** True when the singleton registry has been initialized. Lets callers branch
+ * without paying for try/catch on a hot path. */
+export function hasRegistry(): boolean {
+  return _registry !== null;
+}
+
 /** Get the singleton registry. Throws if not initialized. */
 export function getRegistry(): RuleRegistry {
   if (!_registry) {