diff --git a/src/core/observability.rs b/src/core/observability.rs
index fb1c093ec..05e2cf15e 100644
--- a/src/core/observability.rs
+++ b/src/core/observability.rs
@@ -233,7 +233,17 @@ pub fn expected_error_kind(message: &str) -> Option<ExpectedErrorKind> {
     if lower.contains("local ai is disabled") {
         return Some(ExpectedErrorKind::LocalAiDisabled);
     }
-    if lower.contains("api key not set") || lower.contains("missing api key") {
+    // `"no api key is configured"` covers the composio direct-mode factory
+    // bail (`client.rs`: "composio direct mode selected but no api key is
+    // configured"). `composio_list_connections` now short-circuits that
+    // state to an empty list, so the dominant 5 s-poll leak (TAURI-RUST-R4)
+    // no longer reaches here — but other direct-mode ops the user invokes
+    // explicitly (execute / authorize) can still surface it, and it is the
+    // same user-config state with no Sentry-actionable signal.
+    if lower.contains("api key not set")
+        || lower.contains("missing api key")
+        || lower.contains("no api key is configured")
+    {
         return Some(ExpectedErrorKind::ApiKeyMissing);
     }
     // Check `ChannelSupervisorRestart` BEFORE `is_loopback_unavailable` and
@@ -1957,6 +1967,33 @@ mod tests {
         );
     }
 
+    /// Sentry TAURI-RUST-R4: the composio direct-mode factory bail must
+    /// classify as `ApiKeyMissing` so any residual emit (explicit
+    /// execute/authorize call with no key) stays out of Sentry. Uses the
+    /// verbatim wire shape from `client.rs`.
+    #[test]
+    fn classifies_composio_direct_no_api_key_as_api_key_missing() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            expected_error_kind(
+                "[composio] list_connections: composio direct mode selected but no api key \
+                 is configured (set via composio.set_api_key RPC or config.composio.api_key)"
+            ),
+            Some(ExpectedErrorKind::ApiKeyMissing)
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// Guard against over-suppression: a genuine BYO-key auth failure
+    /// (wrong/expired key the upstream rejected) is an actionable bug
+    /// shape and MUST still reach Sentry (stay `None`), not get demoted by
+    /// the new "no api key is configured" substring.
+    #[test]
+    fn does_not_classify_invalid_api_key_401_as_missing() {
+        assert_eq!(
+            expected_error_kind("OpenAI API error (401 Unauthorized): invalid_api_key"),
+            None
+        );
+    }
+
     /// Task B (issue #2898): prove the canonical 429 error message produced by
     /// the embedding clients is already classified as `TransientUpstreamHttp`
     /// so Sentry events are suppressed even without backoff.
diff --git a/src/openhuman/composio/ops.rs b/src/openhuman/composio/ops.rs
index a357cc43f..fd1209f00 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/composio/ops.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/composio/ops.rs
@@ -84,6 +84,40 @@ fn resolve_client(config: &Config) -> OpResult<ComposioClient> {
     })
 }
 
+/// True when the user has selected Composio **direct** mode but has not yet
+/// configured an API key (neither in the keychain nor `config.toml`).
+///
+/// This is a valid, user-controlled *setup* state — the user just flipped to
+/// direct mode and is about to paste their key — NOT an operation failure.
+/// Callers short-circuit to an empty result instead of letting the
+/// mode-aware factory bail with "composio direct mode selected but no api key
+/// is configured", which the desktop UI's 5 s poll would otherwise funnel to
+/// Sentry on every tick (TAURI-RUST-R4).
+///
+/// Key presence MUST mirror the factory's own resolution in
+/// [`create_composio_client`] (`client.rs`): a key counts if it is in the
+/// keychain (`credentials::get_composio_api_key`) **or** in `config.toml`
+/// (`config.composio.api_key`). Checking only the keychain would wrongly
+/// short-circuit to an empty list for a user who configured their key via
+/// `config.toml`, hiding their real connections.
+fn direct_mode_without_key(config: &Config) -> OpResult<bool> {
+    if config.composio.mode.trim() != crate::openhuman::config::schema::COMPOSIO_MODE_DIRECT {
+        return Ok(false);
+    }
+    let has_key = crate::openhuman::credentials::get_composio_api_key(config)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("[composio] get_composio_api_key failed: {e}"))?
+        .or_else(|| {
+            config
+                .composio
+                .api_key
+                .as_ref()
+                .map(|k| k.trim().to_string())
+                .filter(|k| !k.is_empty())
+        })
+        .is_some();
+    Ok(!has_key)
+}
+
 /// Defense-in-depth Sentry funnel for composio op-layer errors.
 ///
 /// The shared [`crate::openhuman::integrations::IntegrationClient`]
@@ -266,6 +300,30 @@ pub async fn composio_list_connections(
     config: &Config,
 ) -> OpResult<RpcOutcome<ComposioConnectionsResponse>> {
     tracing::debug!("[composio] rpc list_connections");
+    // [Sentry TAURI-RUST-R4] Direct mode with no API key yet is a valid,
+    // user-controlled *setup* state — not an operation failure. The desktop
+    // UI polls this RPC every 5 s; without this guard the mode-aware factory
+    // bails ("composio direct mode selected but no api key is configured") on
+    // every tick and the error funnels to Sentry until the user pastes a key
+    // (~3.2 k events, single user, release 0.57.5). Mirror `periodic.rs`'s
+    // graceful skip and return the truthful empty list (no key → no tenant →
+    // no connections). The Settings → Composio panel drives the "enter your
+    // key" prompt off the separate `api_key_set` status, so the user is still
+    // told what to do. We return BEFORE `create_composio_client` and
+    // `sync_cache_with_connections`, so no error is constructed and the
+    // integrations cache is left untouched.
+    if direct_mode_without_key(config)? {
+        tracing::debug!(
+            "[composio] list_connections: direct mode selected, no api key configured yet \
+             — returning empty connection list (valid setup state, not an error)"
+        );
+        return Ok(RpcOutcome::new(
+            ComposioConnectionsResponse {
+                connections: Vec::new(),
+            },
+            vec!["composio: direct mode — no api key configured yet, 0 connection(s)".to_string()],
+        ));
+    }
     // Route through the mode-aware factory so direct-mode users do NOT
     // accidentally see the tinyhumans-tenant connections from the
     // backend-proxied path. Mixing the two tenants is the bug behind the
diff --git a/src/openhuman/composio/ops_tests.rs b/src/openhuman/composio/ops_tests.rs
index 5e7d92813..2d31701b1 100644
--- a/src/openhuman/composio/ops_tests.rs
+++ b/src/openhuman/composio/ops_tests.rs
@@ -1838,6 +1838,82 @@ async fn composio_list_connections_routes_through_direct_mode() {
     }
 }
 
+// ── Direct mode with no API key yet (Sentry TAURI-RUST-R4) ────────
+//
+// Direct mode selected but no key configured is a valid user *setup*
+// state, not an operation failure. `composio_list_connections` must
+// return an empty list (no key → no tenant → no connections) instead of
+// erroring, so the desktop UI's 5 s poll stops funnelling the factory's
+// "no api key is configured" error to Sentry on every tick.
+
+/// Direct mode selected, but NO key in the keychain and none in
+/// `config.toml`. The mode-aware factory would bail here with
+/// "composio direct mode selected but no api key is configured".
+fn direct_mode_no_key_config(tmp: &tempfile::TempDir) -> Config {
+    let mut c = Config::default();
+    c.workspace_dir = tmp.path().join("workspace");
+    c.config_path = tmp.path().join("config.toml");
+    c.composio.mode = crate::openhuman::config::schema::COMPOSIO_MODE_DIRECT.into();
+    c
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn direct_mode_without_key_is_false_in_backend_mode() {
+    let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    // Default mode is backend — the guard must never fire there, or
+    // backend users would get a silent empty list.
+    let config = test_config(&tmp);
+    assert!(!direct_mode_without_key(&config).unwrap());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn direct_mode_without_key_is_true_when_direct_and_no_key() {
+    let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let config = direct_mode_no_key_config(&tmp);
+    assert!(direct_mode_without_key(&config).unwrap());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn direct_mode_without_key_is_false_when_key_in_config_toml() {
+    let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    // Key supplied via config.toml (not the keychain) still counts —
+    // the factory accepts it, so the guard must NOT short-circuit and
+    // hide the user's real connections.
+    let mut config = direct_mode_no_key_config(&tmp);
+    config.composio.api_key = Some("  ck_cfg_key  ".into());
+    assert!(!direct_mode_without_key(&config).unwrap());
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn direct_mode_without_key_is_false_when_key_in_keychain() {
+    let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    // `direct_mode_config` stores a key via the auth store — the guard
+    // must see it and report "has key".
+    let config = direct_mode_config(&tmp);
+    assert!(!direct_mode_without_key(&config).unwrap());
+}
+
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn composio_list_connections_returns_empty_when_direct_mode_no_key() {
+    let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let config = direct_mode_no_key_config(&tmp);
+    // RC of TAURI-RUST-R4: this MUST be Ok(empty), not Err — no error is
+    // constructed, so nothing reaches Sentry and the 5 s poll stops
+    // churning.
+    let outcome = composio_list_connections(&config)
+        .await
+        .expect("direct mode with no key must return an empty list, not an error");
+    assert!(
+        outcome.value.connections.is_empty(),
+        "no key → no tenant → no connections"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        outcome.logs.iter().any(|l| l.contains("no api key")),
+        "log must explain the empty list is the no-key setup state, got {:?}",
+        outcome.logs
+    );
+}
+
 // ── Direct-mode authorize / list_tools / execute (commit 1, #1710) ─
 
 /// Direct-mode `composio_list_tools` now hits Composio v3 with the