diff --git a/tests/tools/test_skills_hub.py b/tests/tools/test_skills_hub.py
index c2eb9866a4..a7d0e14b42 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_skills_hub.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_skills_hub.py
@@ -1874,6 +1874,37 @@ class TestIndexMissFallback:
         assert source_counts == {"hermes-index": 1}
         assert skills_sh.calls == 0 and github.calls == 0
 
+    def test_provider_filter_miss_skips_registries_without_provider_data(self):
+        # `--source nvidia` selects like "all"; the fallback registries carry no
+        # extra.provider so re-asking them is guaranteed-empty and only burns budget.
+        index, skills_sh, github = self._sources([])
+        clawhub = _FakeSource("clawhub", sleep=5)
+
+        started = time.monotonic()
+        results, source_counts, timed_out = parallel_search_sources(
+            [index, skills_sh, clawhub, github], query="foo", source_filter="nvidia", overall_timeout=5.0)
+
+        assert time.monotonic() - started < 1.0
+        assert results == [] and timed_out == []
+        assert source_counts == {"hermes-index": 0}
+        assert skills_sh.calls == 0 and clawhub.calls == 0
+
+    def test_fallback_pass_has_its_own_short_budget(self, monkeypatch):
+        # A slow registry (ClawHub takes minutes) must not stall a miss for the
+        # callers' full 30 s overall_timeout when the index answered instantly.
+        monkeypatch.setattr("tools.skills_hub_search._INDEX_MISS_FALLBACK_BUDGET", 0.3, raising=False)
+        index, skills_sh, github = self._sources([])
+        clawhub = _FakeSource("clawhub", sleep=5)
+
+        started = time.monotonic()
+        results, source_counts, timed_out = parallel_search_sources(
+            [index, skills_sh, clawhub, github], query="humanizar", overall_timeout=30.0)
+
+        assert time.monotonic() - started < 2.0
+        assert [r.identifier for r in results] == ["skills-sh/humanizar"]
+        assert source_counts == {"hermes-index": 0, "skills-sh": 1}
+        assert timed_out == ["clawhub"]
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # _load_hermes_index — centralized index fetch (Browse-hub landing / search)
diff --git a/tools/skills_hub_search.py b/tools/skills_hub_search.py
index 9f04ae4737..ce06ba96ae 100644
--- a/tools/skills_hub_search.py
+++ b/tools/skills_hub_search.py
@@ -88,6 +88,10 @@ _API_SOURCE_IDS = frozenset({"github", "skills-sh", "clawhub", "lobehub", "well-
 # live on skills.sh may not be in it yet. GitHub stays out — one miss (a typo)
 # would burn an unauthenticated user's whole hourly GitHub budget.
 _INDEX_MISS_FALLBACK_IDS = _API_SOURCE_IDS - {"github"}
+# Cap on the fallback pass. ClawHub can take minutes; without its own budget
+# every unfiltered miss (a typo) would stall CLI/TUI/dashboard for the callers'
+# full 30 s ``overall_timeout`` where the index alone answered instantly.
+_INDEX_MISS_FALLBACK_BUDGET = 8.0
 
 
 def create_source_router(auth: Optional[GitHubAuth] = None) -> List[SkillSource]:
@@ -149,15 +153,20 @@ def _select_active_sources(sources: List[SkillSource], source_filter: str) -> Li
 
 def _index_miss_fallback_sources(
     sources: List[SkillSource], active: List[SkillSource], query: str, source_counts: Dict[str, int],
+    provider_filter: str = "",
 ) -> List[SkillSource]:
     """Registries to consult after the index stood in for them and found nothing.
 
     Empty for a browse (no query), when the index was not consulted (no skip
-    happened), or when it returned matches.
+    happened), when it returned matches, or when it did not answer at all
+    (timed out: no budget is left and the registries would only be blamed as
+    late without being asked). Also empty under a provider filter
+    (``--source nvidia``): the fallback registries carry no ``extra.provider``,
+    so their results would all be cut and the calls would only burn budget.
     """
-    if not query.strip() or not any(src.source_id() == "hermes-index" for src in active):
+    if not query.strip() or provider_filter or not any(src.source_id() == "hermes-index" for src in active):
         return []
-    if source_counts.get("hermes-index"):
+    if source_counts.get("hermes-index") != 0:
         return []
     return [src for src in sources if src.source_id() in _INDEX_MISS_FALLBACK_IDS and src not in active]
 
@@ -222,8 +231,10 @@ def parallel_search_sources(
 
     When the centralized index stood in for the external registries and found
     nothing for a non-empty query, those registries are queried within the
-    same ``overall_timeout`` so every caller (CLI, TUI gateway, dashboard)
-    still finds skills the index has not picked up yet.
+    same ``overall_timeout`` — capped at ``_INDEX_MISS_FALLBACK_BUDGET`` so a
+    slow registry cannot turn an instant index miss into a 30 s stall — so
+    every caller (CLI, TUI gateway, dashboard) still finds skills the index
+    has not picked up yet.
     """
     per_source_limits = per_source_limits or {}
     active = _select_active_sources(sources, source_filter)
@@ -237,9 +248,10 @@ def parallel_search_sources(
     deadline = time.monotonic() + overall_timeout
     _fan_out(active, query, per_source_limits, provider_filter, deadline, on_source_done,
              all_results, source_counts, timed_out_ids)
-    fallback = _index_miss_fallback_sources(sources, active, query, source_counts)
+    fallback = _index_miss_fallback_sources(sources, active, query, source_counts, provider_filter)
     if fallback:
-        _fan_out(fallback, query, per_source_limits, provider_filter, deadline, on_source_done,
+        fallback_deadline = min(deadline, time.monotonic() + _INDEX_MISS_FALLBACK_BUDGET)
+        _fan_out(fallback, query, per_source_limits, provider_filter, fallback_deadline, on_source_done,
                  all_results, source_counts, timed_out_ids)
     return all_results, source_counts, timed_out_ids
 
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/features/skills.md b/website/docs/user-guide/features/skills.md
index e084880892..fd4fc32b56 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/features/skills.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/features/skills.md
@@ -702,7 +702,7 @@ in the pending JSON file). Memory writes have the same gate under
 
 Browse, search, install, and manage skills from online registries, `skills.sh`, direct well-known skill endpoints, and official optional skills.
 
-Unfiltered searches (CLI, TUI, and the dashboard) are answered from a cached centralized index that covers the external registries. That index is rebuilt periodically, so when it has no match for your query Hermes also asks `skills.sh`, ClawHub, LobeHub and well-known endpoints directly within the same search budget — a skill published minutes ago still shows up. Custom GitHub taps are not part of that fallback (search them with `--source github`, or via the index once it catches up).
+Unfiltered searches (CLI, TUI, and the dashboard) are answered from a cached centralized index that covers the external registries. That index is rebuilt periodically, so when it has no match for your query Hermes also asks `skills.sh`, ClawHub, LobeHub and well-known endpoints directly — a skill published minutes ago still shows up. That extra pass gets at most 8 seconds of the search budget, so a slow registry cannot turn a miss into a long wait. Custom GitHub taps are not part of that fallback (search them with `--source github`, or via the index once it catches up), and provider filters such as `--source nvidia` do not trigger it (those registries carry no provider data).
 
 ### Common commands