diff --git a/.changeset/sturdy-seals-fly.md b/.changeset/sturdy-seals-fly.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..798b1daa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/sturdy-seals-fly.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+type: Fixed
+pr: 2442
+---
+**`~/.gsd/defaults.json` no longer silently drops `model_policy`, `model_profile_overrides`, and `runtime`** — the global-defaults path of config load now forwards these three keys identically to a project's `.planning/config.json`, so a machine-wide model policy / runtime / overrides specified globally is honored even outside a project. (#2069)
diff --git a/src/config-loader.cts b/src/config-loader.cts
index 658297723..ebf3181d0 100644
--- a/src/config-loader.cts
+++ b/src/config-loader.cts
@@ -731,6 +731,14 @@ function loadConfigResolved(cwd: string, options: Record<string, unknown> = {}):
         fast_mode: (globalDefaults['fast_mode']) || null,
         agent_skills: (globalDefaults['agent_skills']) || {},
         response_language: (globalDefaults['response_language']) || null,
+        // #2069: forward model_policy / model_profile_overrides / runtime so the global-defaults
+        // path is at parity with the project-config path (which forwards these three from
+        // parsed['…'] at the top of this function). Without these entries, ~/.gsd/defaults.json
+        // silently drops them — model_policy/provider/budget etc. are honored when set in a
+        // project but ignored when set globally.
+        runtime: (globalDefaults['runtime']) || null,
+        model_profile_overrides: (globalDefaults['model_profile_overrides']) || null,
+        model_policy: (globalDefaults['model_policy']) || null,
       };
       // Branch D: global-defaults
       try {
diff --git a/tests/defaults-json-fallback.test.cjs b/tests/defaults-json-fallback.test.cjs
index 4cfec0a2f..a3eb17c3e 100644
--- a/tests/defaults-json-fallback.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/defaults-json-fallback.test.cjs
@@ -140,4 +140,107 @@ describe('loadConfig ~/.gsd/defaults.json fallback (#1683)', () => {
     assert.strictEqual(config.model_profile, 'balanced');
     assert.strictEqual(config.context_window, 200000);
   });
+
+  // ─── #2069: global-defaults must forward model_policy / model_profile_overrides / runtime ─
+  // The _globalBaseCfg whitelist in Branch D of loadConfigResolved previously omitted these
+  // three keys, so they were silently dropped from ~/.gsd/defaults.json while the identical
+  // keys in a project's .planning/config.json were honored. The tests below are fail-first:
+  // each asserts the global path forwards its key, mirroring the project-config parity test.
+
+  test('#2069 defaults.json model_policy → forwarded from global defaults', (t) => {
+    const tmpDir = createBareTmpDir();
+    const policy = { provider: 'anthropic', budget: 'high' };
+
+    const gsdDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.gsd');
+    fs.mkdirSync(gsdDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(gsdDir, 'defaults.json'),
+      JSON.stringify({ model_policy: policy })
+    );
+
+    process.env.GSD_HOME = tmpDir;
+    t.after(() => { delete process.env.GSD_HOME; cleanup(tmpDir); });
+
+    const config = loadConfig(tmpDir);
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(config.model_policy, policy);
+  });
+
+  test('#2069 defaults.json model_profile_overrides → forwarded from global defaults', (t) => {
+    const tmpDir = createBareTmpDir();
+    const overrides = { claude: { planner: { model: 'claude-opus-4-5' } } };
+
+    const gsdDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.gsd');
+    fs.mkdirSync(gsdDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(gsdDir, 'defaults.json'),
+      JSON.stringify({ model_profile_overrides: overrides })
+    );
+
+    process.env.GSD_HOME = tmpDir;
+    t.after(() => { delete process.env.GSD_HOME; cleanup(tmpDir); });
+
+    const config = loadConfig(tmpDir);
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(config.model_profile_overrides, overrides);
+  });
+
+  test('#2069 defaults.json runtime → forwarded from global defaults', (t) => {
+    const tmpDir = createBareTmpDir();
+    const runtime = 'codex';
+
+    const gsdDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.gsd');
+    fs.mkdirSync(gsdDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(gsdDir, 'defaults.json'),
+      JSON.stringify({ runtime })
+    );
+
+    process.env.GSD_HOME = tmpDir;
+    t.after(() => { delete process.env.GSD_HOME; cleanup(tmpDir); });
+
+    const config = loadConfig(tmpDir);
+    assert.strictEqual(config.runtime, runtime);
+  });
+
+  test('#2069 defaults.json parity: model_policy / model_profile_overrides / runtime survive identically to project-config path', (t) => {
+    // Identical values in ~/.gsd/defaults.json (no .planning/) vs .planning/config.json (no defaults.json)
+    // must produce identical config.<key> for each of the three previously-dropped keys. A future
+    // regression breaking shape-parity for just one key — e.g. changing the project path to
+    // `parsed['runtime'] ?? null` — would slip a single-key test, so all three are asserted here.
+    const policy = { provider: 'anthropic', budget: 'low' };
+    const overrides = { claude: { planner: { model: 'claude-opus-4-5' } } };
+    const runtime = 'codex';
+
+    // Global path: ~/.gsd/defaults.json only, no .planning/
+    const globalDir = createBareTmpDir();
+    const globalGsdDir = path.join(globalDir, '.gsd');
+    fs.mkdirSync(globalGsdDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(globalGsdDir, 'defaults.json'),
+      JSON.stringify({ model_policy: policy, model_profile_overrides: overrides, runtime })
+    );
+
+    process.env.GSD_HOME = globalDir;
+    const globalConfig = loadConfig(globalDir);
+    delete process.env.GSD_HOME;
+    t.after(() => { cleanup(globalDir); });
+
+    // Project path: .planning/config.json only, no defaults.json
+    const projectDir = createBareTmpDir();
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.join(projectDir, '.planning'), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(projectDir, '.planning', 'config.json'),
+      JSON.stringify({ model_policy: policy, model_profile_overrides: overrides, runtime })
+    );
+
+    // GSD_HOME pointing somewhere with no defaults.json so the project path is the sole source.
+    const emptyHome = createBareTmpDir();
+    process.env.GSD_HOME = emptyHome;
+    const projectConfig = loadConfig(projectDir);
+    delete process.env.GSD_HOME;
+    t.after(() => { cleanup(projectDir); cleanup(emptyHome); });
+
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(globalConfig.model_policy, projectConfig.model_policy);
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(globalConfig.model_profile_overrides, projectConfig.model_profile_overrides);
+    assert.strictEqual(globalConfig.runtime, projectConfig.runtime);
+  });
 });