diff --git a/scripts/test-live-media.ts b/scripts/test-live-media.ts
index c7e539f7296f..2b1c362d606e 100644
--- a/scripts/test-live-media.ts
+++ b/scripts/test-live-media.ts
@@ -256,6 +256,26 @@ function hasExplicitProviderSelection(options: CliOptions): boolean {
   return options.globalProviders !== null || Object.keys(options.suiteProviders).length > 0;
 }
 
+function hasExplicitProviderSelectionForSuite(options: CliOptions, suiteId: MediaSuiteId): boolean {
+  if (Object.hasOwn(options.suiteProviders, suiteId)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  if (!options.globalProviders) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  return MEDIA_SUITES[suiteId].providers.some((provider) => options.globalProviders?.has(provider));
+}
+
+export function findSkippedExplicitProviderSelections(
+  options: CliOptions,
+  plan: SuiteRunPlan[],
+): SuiteRunPlan[] {
+  return plan.filter(
+    (entry) =>
+      entry.providers.length === 0 && hasExplicitProviderSelectionForSuite(options, entry.suite.id),
+  );
+}
+
 function selectProviders(params: {
   suite: MediaSuiteConfig;
   globalProviders: Set<string> | null;
@@ -396,6 +416,13 @@ export async function runCli(argv: string[]): Promise<number> {
       `[live:media] skip ${entry.suite.id}: ${entry.skippedReason ?? "no providers selected"}`,
     );
   }
+  const skippedExplicit = findSkippedExplicitProviderSelections(options, plan);
+  if (skippedExplicit.length > 0) {
+    console.error(
+      `[live:media] no runnable providers matched explicit provider selection for: ${skippedExplicit.map((entry) => entry.suite.id).join(", ")}`,
+    );
+    return 1;
+  }
   if (runnable.length === 0) {
     console.log("[live:media] nothing to run");
     if (hasExplicitProviderSelection(options)) {
diff --git a/test/scripts/test-live-media.test.ts b/test/scripts/test-live-media.test.ts
index c3bddef60c03..6316f3a1e1f1 100644
--- a/test/scripts/test-live-media.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/test-live-media.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 // Test Live Media tests cover test live media script behavior.
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { parseArgs } from "../../scripts/test-live-media.ts";
+import {
+  MEDIA_SUITES,
+  findSkippedExplicitProviderSelections,
+  parseArgs,
+} from "../../scripts/test-live-media.ts";
 
 describe("scripts/test-live-media", () => {
   it("rejects unknown global providers for the selected suites", () => {
@@ -39,4 +43,40 @@ describe("scripts/test-live-media", () => {
       passthroughArgs: ["--project", "tooling", "-t", "media-smoke"],
     });
   });
+
+  it("fails explicit suite selections that auth filtering would skip", () => {
+    const options = parseArgs([
+      "image",
+      "music",
+      "--image-providers",
+      "openai",
+      "--music-providers",
+      "minimax",
+    ]);
+    const skipped = findSkippedExplicitProviderSelections(options, [
+      { suite: MEDIA_SUITES.image, providers: ["openai"] },
+      {
+        suite: MEDIA_SUITES.music,
+        providers: [],
+        skippedReason: "no providers with usable auth",
+      },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(skipped.map((entry) => entry.suite.id)).toEqual(["music"]);
+  });
+
+  it("does not fail global provider filters for suites without provider overlap", () => {
+    const options = parseArgs(["image", "music", "video", "--providers", "openai"]);
+    const skipped = findSkippedExplicitProviderSelections(options, [
+      { suite: MEDIA_SUITES.image, providers: ["openai"] },
+      {
+        suite: MEDIA_SUITES.music,
+        providers: [],
+        skippedReason: "no providers selected",
+      },
+      { suite: MEDIA_SUITES.video, providers: ["openai"] },
+    ]);
+
+    expect(skipped).toEqual([]);
+  });
 });