diff --git a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/use-vendor-roster-form.ts b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/use-vendor-roster-form.ts
index 6bf89b1f..c285f592 100644
--- a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/use-vendor-roster-form.ts
+++ b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/use-vendor-roster-form.ts
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ export interface VendorRosterForm {
   roster: VendorCompanyRoster | undefined;
   companies: VendorFacetCompany[];
   trades: string[];
+  tradesLoading: boolean;
   selectedCompanyId: string | number | null;
   selectCompany: (company: VendorFacetCompany | null) => Promise<void>;
   clearSelectedCompany: (nextName?: string) => void;
@@ -81,7 +82,7 @@ export function useVendorRosterForm({
     mode === "update" ? vendorId : undefined,
     mode === "update" ? companyId : undefined,
   );
-  const { data: facets } = useVendorFacets();
+  const { data: facets, isLoading: facetsLoading } = useVendorFacets();
   const save = useSaveVendorCompanyRoster();
   const [conflict, setConflict] = useState<VendorRosterConflict | null>(null);
 
@@ -168,6 +169,7 @@ export function useVendorRosterForm({
     roster: routeRoster,
     companies,
     trades,
+    tradesLoading: facetsLoading,
     selectedCompanyId: selection.selectedCompanyId,
     selectCompany: selection.selectCompany,
     clearSelectedCompany: selection.clearSelectedCompany,
diff --git a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-create-modal.tsx b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-create-modal.tsx
index 31804a3c..002a81bf 100644
--- a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-create-modal.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-create-modal.tsx
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ export function VendorCreateModal({ open, onClose }: VendorCreateModalProps) {
               errors={form.errors}
               companies={form.companies}
               tradeOptions={form.trades}
+              tradeOptionsLoading={form.tradesLoading}
               selectedCompanyId={form.selectedCompanyId}
               onSelectCompany={form.selectCompany}
               onClearSelectedCompany={form.clearSelectedCompany}
diff --git a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-detail-drawer.tsx b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-detail-drawer.tsx
index 74d6ef02..7a365a48 100644
--- a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-detail-drawer.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-detail-drawer.tsx
@@ -288,6 +288,7 @@ function DrawerEditor({
           control={form.control}
           errors={form.errors}
           tradeOptions={form.trades}
+          tradeOptionsLoading={form.tradesLoading}
           showTechnicianStatus={false}
         />
         {selectedIndex >= 0 && (
diff --git a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-form-fields.tsx b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-form-fields.tsx
index d6d5cbf7..93a10fd9 100644
--- a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-form-fields.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-form-fields.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ interface VendorRosterFormFieldsProps {
   errors: FieldErrors<VendorCompanyRosterFormValues>;
   companies?: VendorFacetCompany[];
   tradeOptions?: string[];
+  tradeOptionsLoading?: boolean;
   selectedCompanyId?: string | number | null;
   onSelectCompany?: (company: VendorFacetCompany | null) => Promise<void>;
   onClearSelectedCompany?: (nextName?: string) => void;
@@ -236,6 +237,7 @@ interface TechnicianRowProps {
   onRemove: () => void;
   canRemove: boolean;
   tradeOptions: string[];
+  tradeOptionsLoading?: boolean;
   showStatus: boolean;
 }
 
@@ -246,6 +248,7 @@ function TechnicianRow({
   onRemove,
   canRemove,
   tradeOptions,
+  tradeOptionsLoading,
   showStatus,
 }: TechnicianRowProps) {
   return (
@@ -315,7 +318,12 @@ function TechnicianRow({
           )}
         />
       </Stack>
-      <VendorTradeSpecialtiesField control={control} index={index} tradeOptions={tradeOptions} />
+      <VendorTradeSpecialtiesField
+        control={control}
+        index={index}
+        tradeOptions={tradeOptions}
+        tradeOptionsLoading={tradeOptionsLoading}
+      />
       {showStatus && (
         <Controller
           control={control}
@@ -341,11 +349,13 @@ function TechniciansFieldArray({
   control,
   errors,
   tradeOptions,
+  tradeOptionsLoading,
   showStatus,
 }: {
   control: Control<VendorCompanyRosterFormValues>;
   errors: FieldErrors<VendorCompanyRosterFormValues>;
   tradeOptions: string[];
+  tradeOptionsLoading?: boolean;
   showStatus: boolean;
 }) {
   const { fields, append, remove } = useFieldArray({ control, name: "technicians" });
@@ -389,6 +399,7 @@ function TechniciansFieldArray({
               onRemove={() => remove(index)}
               canRemove
               tradeOptions={tradeOptions}
+              tradeOptionsLoading={tradeOptionsLoading}
               showStatus={showStatus}
             />
           ))
@@ -399,7 +410,13 @@ function TechniciansFieldArray({
 }
 
 export function VendorRosterFormFields(props: VendorRosterFormFieldsProps) {
-  const { control, errors, tradeOptions = [], showTechnicianStatus = true } = props;
+  const {
+    control,
+    errors,
+    tradeOptions = [],
+    tradeOptionsLoading = false,
+    showTechnicianStatus = true,
+  } = props;
   return (
     <Stack spacing={3}>
       <CompanyFields {...props} />
@@ -408,6 +425,7 @@ export function VendorRosterFormFields(props: VendorRosterFormFieldsProps) {
         control={control}
         errors={errors}
         tradeOptions={tradeOptions}
+        tradeOptionsLoading={tradeOptionsLoading}
         showStatus={showTechnicianStatus}
       />
     </Stack>
diff --git a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-page.tsx b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-page.tsx
index f0316957..45f1bb19 100644
--- a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-page.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-roster-page.tsx
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ export default function VendorRosterPage({ vendorId, companyId }: VendorRosterPa
             control={form.control}
             errors={form.errors}
             tradeOptions={form.trades}
+            tradeOptionsLoading={form.tradesLoading}
             {...companySelectionProps}
           />
 
diff --git a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-trade-specialties-field.tsx b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-trade-specialties-field.tsx
index 490f554d..ef7b0043 100644
--- a/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-trade-specialties-field.tsx
+++ b/src/app/(protected)/vendors/_components/vendor-trade-specialties-field.tsx
@@ -81,16 +81,26 @@ interface VendorTradeSpecialtiesFieldProps {
   control: Control<VendorCompanyRosterFormValues>;
   index: number;
   tradeOptions: string[];
+  tradeOptionsLoading?: boolean;
 }
 
 export function VendorTradeSpecialtiesField({
   control,
   index,
   tradeOptions,
+  tradeOptionsLoading = false,
 }: VendorTradeSpecialtiesFieldProps) {
   const [tradeInput, setTradeInput] = useState("");
   const [feedbackMessage, setFeedbackMessage] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const knownTradesRef = useRef<Set<string>>(new Set());
+  // SH-249: an empty tradeOptions array means two different things. While the
+  // facets query is in flight it means "not loaded yet"; only once it settles
+  // does it mean "vocabulary genuinely unavailable". Failing open during the
+  // cold-fetch window let free text through the canonical gate permanently,
+  // because anything committed there is added to knownTradesRef and stays
+  // selectable after the real list arrives.
+  const tradeListUnavailable = !tradeOptionsLoading && tradeOptions.length === 0;
+  const gateActive = tradeOptions.length > 0 || tradeOptionsLoading;
 
   return (
     <Box>
@@ -114,9 +124,11 @@ export function VendorTradeSpecialtiesField({
               return;
             }
             const canonical = matchTradeOption(normalized, selectableTrades);
-            if (tradeOptions.length > 0 && !canonical) {
+            if (gateActive && !canonical) {
               setFeedbackMessage(
-                `"${normalized}" is not in the trades list. Pick a trade from the list.`,
+                tradeOptionsLoading
+                  ? "Trades are still loading. Wait for the list, then pick a trade."
+                  : `"${normalized}" is not in the trades list. Pick a trade from the list.`,
               );
               return;
             }
@@ -225,7 +237,7 @@ export function VendorTradeSpecialtiesField({
       />
       {/* Outside the spaced Stack: an always-mounted live region would otherwise inherit Stack
           spacing and add a permanent gap under the trades input, shifting the approved layout. */}
-      <TradeFeedbackRegions listUnavailable={tradeOptions.length === 0} message={feedbackMessage} />
+      <TradeFeedbackRegions listUnavailable={tradeListUnavailable} message={feedbackMessage} />
     </Box>
   );
 }
diff --git a/src/test/app/(protected)/vendors/vendor-trade-specialties-field.test.tsx b/src/test/app/(protected)/vendors/vendor-trade-specialties-field.test.tsx
index bff2a587..03990707 100644
--- a/src/test/app/(protected)/vendors/vendor-trade-specialties-field.test.tsx
+++ b/src/test/app/(protected)/vendors/vendor-trade-specialties-field.test.tsx
@@ -26,10 +26,12 @@ function TradeSpecialtiesSpy({
 
 function TradeSpecialtiesHarness({
   tradeOptions,
+  tradeOptionsLoading = false,
   initialTradeSpecialties = "",
   valuesRef,
 }: {
   tradeOptions: string[];
+  tradeOptionsLoading?: boolean;
   initialTradeSpecialties?: string;
   valuesRef: { current: string };
 }) {
@@ -41,7 +43,12 @@ function TradeSpecialtiesHarness({
   });
   return (
     <>
-      <VendorTradeSpecialtiesField control={control} index={0} tradeOptions={tradeOptions} />
+      <VendorTradeSpecialtiesField
+        control={control}
+        index={0}
+        tradeOptions={tradeOptions}
+        tradeOptionsLoading={tradeOptionsLoading}
+      />
       <TradeSpecialtiesSpy control={control} valuesRef={valuesRef} />
     </>
   );
@@ -79,6 +86,23 @@ describe("VendorTradeSpecialtiesField", () => {
     expect(valuesRef.current).toBe("HVAC");
   });
 
+  it("does not fail open while the trades facet is still loading", () => {
+    const valuesRef = { current: "" };
+    renderWithProviders(
+      <TradeSpecialtiesHarness tradeOptions={[]} tradeOptionsLoading valuesRef={valuesRef} />,
+    );
+
+    // A cold fetch must not look like an outage.
+    expect(screen.queryByText(/trade list is unavailable right now/i)).toBeNull();
+
+    const input = getAddTradeInput();
+    typeAndCommitTrade(input, "Plumbing", "enter");
+
+    expect(screen.getByText(/trades are still loading/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(screen.queryByText("Plumbing (primary)")).toBeNull();
+    expect(valuesRef.current).toBe("");
+  });
+
   it("has no selectable options when the trades facet is empty, warns, and still accepts typed trades", () => {
     const valuesRef = { current: "" };
     renderWithProviders(<TradeSpecialtiesHarness tradeOptions={[]} valuesRef={valuesRef} />);