diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/templates.go b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/templates.go
index ab1782ab..0cf0e225 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/templates.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/templates.go
@@ -204,18 +204,9 @@ func (h *TemplatesHandler) List(c *gin.Context) {
 			return
 		}
 		runtime := strings.TrimSuffix(strings.TrimSpace(raw.Runtime), "-default")
-		// Empty runtime is the legacy / pre-runtime_config shape: those
-		// templates declare `model:` at the top level and never set
-		// runtime. TestTemplatesList_LegacyTopLevelModel pins the
-		// backward-compat contract that they keep surfacing. The
-		// narrow-catalog filter (a5211050) applies only when a runtime
-		// is declared — declared runtimes must be in the allowlist;
-		// absent ones fall through unchanged.
-		if runtime != "" {
-			if _, ok := knownRuntimes[runtime]; !ok {
-				log.Printf("templates list: skip %s: unsupported runtime %q", id, raw.Runtime)
-				return
-			}
+		if _, ok := knownRuntimes[runtime]; !ok {
+			log.Printf("templates list: skip %s: unsupported runtime %q", id, raw.Runtime)
+			return
 		}
 
 		// Model comes from either top-level (legacy) or runtime_config.model (current).