diff --git a/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.test.ts b/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.test.ts
index e0ae123df..9eed262ab 100644
--- a/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.test.ts
+++ b/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -284,6 +284,34 @@ describe("team lifecycle tools", () => {
     expect(hasRuntime(created.teamRunId)).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  test("team_create denies a hard-reject caller even when spec has an explicit lead field", async () => {
+    // given
+    const teamCreateTool = createTeamCreateToolForTest()
+    const prometheusContext = {
+      ...createToolContext("lead-session"),
+      agent: "prometheus",
+    }
+    const inlineSpec = {
+      name: "alpha-team",
+      lead: { kind: "subagent_type", subagent_type: "sisyphus" },
+      members: [{ kind: "category", name: "member-a", category: "quick", prompt: "Do the assigned work" }],
+    }
+
+    // when
+    let errorMessage = ""
+    try {
+      await teamCreateTool.execute({ inline_spec: inlineSpec }, prometheusContext)
+    } catch (error) {
+      errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+    }
+
+    // then
+    expect(errorMessage).toContain("team_create denied")
+    expect(errorMessage).toContain("prometheus")
+    expect(errorMessage).toContain("hard-reject")
+    expect(createTeamRunMock).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   test("team_reject_shutdown records the rejection reason", async () => {
     // given
     const createTool = createTeamCreateToolForTest()
diff --git a/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.ts b/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.ts
index 5fd4f0787..fdda0129d 100644
--- a/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.ts
+++ b/src/features/team-mode/tools/lifecycle.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ import { mergeCategories } from "../../../shared/merge-categories"
 import type { OpencodeClient } from "../../../tools/delegate-task/types"
 import type { BackgroundManager } from "../../background-agent/manager"
 import type { TmuxSessionManager } from "../../tmux-subagent/manager"
+import { getAgentConfigKey } from "../../../shared/agent-display-names"
 import { resolveCallerTeamLead } from "../resolve-caller-team-lead"
+import { AGENT_ELIGIBILITY_REGISTRY } from "../types"
 import { loadTeamSpec, normalizeTeamSpecInput } from "../team-registry/loader"
 import { validateSpec } from "../team-registry/validator"
 import { createTeamRun } from "../team-runtime/create"
@@ -197,6 +199,13 @@ export function createTeamCreateTool(
       if (!leadSessionId) throw new Error("team_create requires leadSessionId or tool context sessionID")
       const projectRoot = typeof runtimeContext.directory === "string" ? runtimeContext.directory : process.cwd()
       const callerTeamLead = resolveCallerTeamLead(runtimeContext.agent)
+      if (callerTeamLead.displayName !== undefined) {
+        const callerAgentKey = getAgentConfigKey(callerTeamLead.displayName)
+        const callerRegistryEntry = AGENT_ELIGIBILITY_REGISTRY[callerAgentKey]
+        if (callerRegistryEntry?.verdict === "hard-reject") {
+          throw new Error(`team_create denied: caller '${callerAgentKey}' is a hard-reject agent and cannot create teams regardless of an explicit 'lead' in the spec. ${callerRegistryEntry.rejectionMessage ?? `Agent '${callerAgentKey}' is not eligible to lead a team.`}`)
+        }
+      }
       const defaultCategoryName = resolveDefaultInlineCategory(executorConfig?.userCategories)
       const spec = args.teamName
         ? await deps.loadTeamSpec(args.teamName, config, projectRoot, { callerTeamLead })