diff --git a/src/application/ClientConfigurationFiles.ts b/src/application/ClientConfigurationFiles.ts
index 5b1665f29a..4781e1490d 100644
--- a/src/application/ClientConfigurationFiles.ts
+++ b/src/application/ClientConfigurationFiles.ts
@@ -172,3 +172,47 @@ export const effectiveClientConfiguration = (
   }
   return { ...last, servers, legacyServers: {} };
 };
+
+/** Read the configuration ZCode will load, preserving its same-scope fallback rule. */
+export const readEffectiveClientRegistrationConfiguration = async (
+  client: SetupClient,
+  resources?: ArtifactResourceScope,
+): Promise<
+  Result<
+    {
+      readonly document: ClientConfigurationDocument | undefined;
+      readonly configPath: string;
+    },
+    ClientConfigurationFileError
+  >
+> => {
+  const nativeSources = await readClientConfigurationFiles(client, resources);
+  if (!nativeSources.ok) return nativeSources;
+  const nativeDocument = effectiveClientConfiguration(nativeSources.value);
+  const fallbackPath =
+    client.format === "zcode" ? client.zcodeFallbackPath : undefined;
+  if (
+    fallbackPath === undefined ||
+    (nativeDocument !== undefined &&
+      Object.keys(nativeDocument.servers).length > 0)
+  )
+    return ok({ document: nativeDocument, configPath: client.configPath });
+
+  const fallbackClient: SetupClient = {
+    ...client,
+    configPath: fallbackPath,
+    configPaths: [fallbackPath],
+    format: "zcode_fallback",
+  };
+  const fallbackSources = await readClientConfigurationFiles(
+    fallbackClient,
+    resources,
+  );
+  if (!fallbackSources.ok) return fallbackSources;
+  const fallbackDocument = effectiveClientConfiguration(fallbackSources.value);
+  return ok(
+    fallbackDocument === undefined
+      ? { document: nativeDocument, configPath: client.configPath }
+      : { document: fallbackDocument, configPath: fallbackPath },
+  );
+};
diff --git a/src/application/ClientRegistrationStatus.ts b/src/application/ClientRegistrationStatus.ts
index 878abd0d5b..0afbf59686 100644
--- a/src/application/ClientRegistrationStatus.ts
+++ b/src/application/ClientRegistrationStatus.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 import { readClientPolicyBlock } from "./GeminiClientSettings.js";
-import {
-  effectiveClientConfiguration,
-  readClientConfigurationFiles,
-} from "./ClientConfigurationFiles.js";
+import { readEffectiveClientRegistrationConfiguration } from "./ClientConfigurationFiles.js";
 import {
   clientServerForcedEnabled,
   clientServerListedDisabled,
@@ -144,24 +141,26 @@ export const readClientRegistrationInspections = async (
         });
       continue;
     }
+    let selectedConfigPath = client.configPath;
     try {
-      const files = await readClientConfigurationFiles(
+      const configuration = await readEffectiveClientRegistrationConfiguration(
         client,
         options.resources,
       );
-      if (!files.ok) {
+      if (!configuration.ok) {
         record({
           client: client.name,
-          config_path: client.configPath,
+          config_path: configuration.error.path,
           command: [],
           state: "invalid",
-          remediation: files.error.detail,
+          remediation: configuration.error.detail,
         });
         continue;
       }
-      const parsed = effectiveClientConfiguration(files.value);
+      const { document: parsed, configPath } = configuration.value;
+      selectedConfigPath = configPath;
       if (parsed === undefined) {
-        record(unavailableStatus(client, "missing"));
+        record(unavailableStatus(client, "missing", configPath));
         continue;
       }
       const policy = await readClientPolicyBlock(
@@ -173,7 +172,7 @@ export const readClientRegistrationInspections = async (
       if (!policy.ok) {
         record({
           client: client.name,
-          config_path: client.configPath,
+          config_path: configPath,
           command: [],
           state: "invalid",
           remediation: policy.error.detail,
@@ -190,17 +189,26 @@ export const readClientRegistrationInspections = async (
         if (editabilityError !== undefined) {
           record({
             client: client.name,
-            config_path: client.configPath,
+            config_path: configPath,
             command: [],
             state: "invalid",
             remediation: editabilityError.message,
           });
           continue;
         }
-        record(unavailableStatus(client, "missing"));
+        record(unavailableStatus(client, "missing", configPath));
         continue;
       }
-      const registration = parseRegistration(raw, client);
+      const effectiveClient: SetupClient =
+        parsed.dialect === "zcode_fallback"
+          ? {
+              ...client,
+              configPath,
+              configPaths: [configPath],
+              format: "zcode_fallback",
+            }
+          : client;
+      const registration = parseRegistration(raw, effectiveClient);
       const command: RegistrationCommand = [
         registration.command,
         ...registration.args,
@@ -213,13 +221,13 @@ export const readClientRegistrationInspections = async (
         packageVersion !== PRODUCT_IDENTITY.packageVersion;
       record(
         configuredStatus(
-          client,
+          effectiveClient,
           command,
           activation === "enabled" &&
             !packageVersionDrift &&
             registrationAligned(
               registration,
-              client,
+              effectiveClient,
               currentCommandPath,
               options.platform ?? process.platform,
             ) &&
@@ -237,7 +245,11 @@ export const readClientRegistrationInspections = async (
       );
     } catch (cause: unknown) {
       record(
-        unavailableStatus(client, isMissing(cause) ? "missing" : "invalid"),
+        unavailableStatus(
+          client,
+          isMissing(cause) ? "missing" : "invalid",
+          selectedConfigPath,
+        ),
       );
     }
   }
@@ -254,7 +266,8 @@ const registrationActivation = (
   (client.format !== "grok" && registration.disabled === true) ||
   (registration.enabled === false &&
     !clientServerForcedEnabled(parsed, PRODUCT_IDENTITY.mcpServerKey)) ||
-  (client.format === "zcode" && registration.enable === false) ||
+  ((parsed.dialect === "zcode" || parsed.dialect === "zcode_fallback") &&
+    registration.enable === false) ||
   clientServerListedDisabled(parsed, PRODUCT_IDENTITY.mcpServerKey)
     ? "disabled"
     : "enabled";
@@ -435,9 +448,10 @@ const packageVersionRemediation = (
 const unavailableStatus = (
   client: SetupClient,
   state: "missing" | "invalid",
+  configPath: string = client.configPath,
 ): ClientRegistrationStatus => ({
   client: client.name,
-  config_path: client.configPath,
+  config_path: configPath,
   command: [],
   state,
   remediation: remediation(client),
diff --git a/tests/boundary/filesystem/zcodeClientConfiguration.test.ts b/tests/boundary/filesystem/zcodeClientConfiguration.test.ts
index 2687473564..9e1b6026c3 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/filesystem/zcodeClientConfiguration.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/filesystem/zcodeClientConfiguration.test.ts
@@ -457,6 +457,115 @@ describe("ZCode disabled registrations", () => {
     ).toBe("configured");
     expect(await statusFor()).toMatchObject({ state: "aligned", command });
   });
+
+  it("reports the effective same-scope fallback registration and source path", async () => {
+    const { home, client } = await zcodeClient();
+    const fallback = client.zcodeFallbackPath;
+    if (fallback === undefined) throw new Error("missing ZCode fallback path");
+    await mkdir(join(home, ".agents"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(
+      fallback,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        mcpServers: {
+          rea: { command: command[0], args: command.slice(1) },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      (
+        await readClientRegistrationStatuses(home, undefined, {
+          platform: process.platform,
+          environment: {},
+        })
+      ).find(({ client }) => client === "zcode"),
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      config_path: fallback,
+      command,
+      state: "aligned",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("reports a selected fallback parse failure as invalid at its source path", async () => {
+    const { home, client } = await zcodeClient();
+    const fallback = client.zcodeFallbackPath;
+    if (fallback === undefined) throw new Error("missing ZCode fallback path");
+    await mkdir(join(home, ".agents"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(fallback, "{ malformed");
+
+    expect(
+      (
+        await readClientRegistrationStatuses(home, undefined, {
+          platform: process.platform,
+          environment: {},
+        })
+      ).find(({ client }) => client === "zcode"),
+    ).toMatchObject({ config_path: fallback, state: "invalid" });
+  });
+
+  it("reports disabled fallback registrations as stale at the fallback path", async () => {
+    const { home, client } = await zcodeClient();
+    const fallback = client.zcodeFallbackPath;
+    if (fallback === undefined) throw new Error("missing ZCode fallback path");
+    await mkdir(join(home, ".agents"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(
+      fallback,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        mcpServers: {
+          rea: { command: command[0], args: command.slice(1), enable: false },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      (
+        await readClientRegistrationStatuses(home, undefined, {
+          platform: process.platform,
+          environment: {},
+        })
+      ).find(({ client }) => client === "zcode"),
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      config_path: fallback,
+      command,
+      state: "stale",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("prefers a nonempty native server table over the fallback", async () => {
+    const { home, client } = await zcodeClient();
+    const fallback = client.zcodeFallbackPath;
+    if (fallback === undefined) throw new Error("missing ZCode fallback path");
+    await mkdir(join(home, ".agents"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(
+      fallback,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        mcpServers: {
+          rea: { command: "fallback-command", args: ["mcp"] },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+    await writeFile(
+      client.configPath,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        mcp: {
+          servers: { rea: { command: command[0], args: command.slice(1) } },
+        },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    expect(
+      (
+        await readClientRegistrationStatuses(home, undefined, {
+          platform: process.platform,
+          environment: {},
+        })
+      ).find(({ client }) => client === "zcode"),
+    ).toMatchObject({
+      config_path: client.configPath,
+      command,
+      state: "aligned",
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 describe("ZCode strict native JSON", () => {
diff --git a/tests/process-global/updateMaintenance.test.ts b/tests/process-global/updateMaintenance.test.ts
index 141cf23ec6..a57864da14 100644
--- a/tests/process-global/updateMaintenance.test.ts
+++ b/tests/process-global/updateMaintenance.test.ts
@@ -146,6 +146,22 @@ describe("maintenance activation and layered configuration", () => {
     expect(await readFile(configPath, "utf8")).toBe(original);
   });
 
+  it("selects a ZCode registration loaded from the same-scope fallback", async () => {
+    await writeClient("zcode", JSON.stringify({ mcp: { servers: {} } }));
+    const fallbackPath = join(home, ".agents", "mcp.json");
+    await mkdir(join(home, ".agents"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(
+      fallbackPath,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        mcpServers: { rea: { command: entryPoint, args: ["mcp"] } },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    await expect(
+      existingMaintenanceScope(home, entryPoint, process.env),
+    ).resolves.toMatchObject({ clients: ["zcode"] });
+  });
+
   it("selects an enabled registration inherited through layered OpenCode files", async () => {
     const directory = join(home, ".config", "opencode");
     await mkdir(directory, { recursive: true });