diff --git a/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/tools/builtins/tool_search.py b/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/tools/builtins/tool_search.py
index 57b5ad026..ff46dd55f 100644
--- a/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/tools/builtins/tool_search.py
+++ b/backend/packages/harness/deerflow/tools/builtins/tool_search.py
@@ -81,8 +81,12 @@ class DeferredToolCatalog:
             return []
 
         if query.startswith("select:"):
+            # No cap: ``select:`` names the tools explicitly, so returning a
+            # subset silently drops schemas the model asked for by name. Mirrors
+            # ``SkillCatalog.search`` (``skills/catalog.py``); the ranked modes
+            # below stay capped at ``MAX_RESULTS``.
             wanted = {n.strip() for n in query[7:].split(",")}
-            return [t for t in self.tools if t.name in wanted][:MAX_RESULTS]
+            return [t for t in self.tools if t.name in wanted]
 
         if query.startswith("+"):
             parts = query[1:].split(None, 1)
@@ -150,7 +154,7 @@ def build_tool_search_tool(catalog: DeferredToolCatalog) -> BaseTool:
           - "notebook jupyter" -- keyword search, up to max_results best matches
           - "+slack send" -- require "slack" in the name, rank by remaining terms
         """
-        matched = catalog.search(query)[:MAX_RESULTS]
+        matched = catalog.search(query)
         if not matched:
             content, names = f"No tools found matching: {query}", []
         else:
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_deferred_catalog.py b/backend/tests/test_deferred_catalog.py
index 30aaddb59..131f3f492 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_deferred_catalog.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_deferred_catalog.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import pytest
 from langchain_core.tools import tool as as_tool
 
-from deerflow.tools.builtins.tool_search import DeferredToolCatalog
+from deerflow.tools.builtins.tool_search import MAX_RESULTS, DeferredToolCatalog
 
 
 @as_tool
@@ -30,6 +30,48 @@ def test_search_select(catalog):
     assert [t.name for t in got] == ["alpha_search"]
 
 
+def _make_tool(name: str):
+    @as_tool(name)
+    def _t(query: str) -> str:
+        "A searchable deferred tool."
+        return query
+
+    return _t
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def wide_catalog() -> DeferredToolCatalog:
+    """More tools than ``MAX_RESULTS`` so the cap boundary is reachable."""
+    return DeferredToolCatalog(tuple(_make_tool(f"tool_{c}") for c in "abcdefgh"))
+
+
+def test_search_select_returns_all_requested(wide_catalog):
+    """``select:`` returns every named tool without capping.
+
+    Mirrors ``test_skill_catalog.py::test_select_returns_all_requested``. The
+    two catalogs share the same query grammar and the same ``MAX_RESULTS = 5``;
+    ``select:`` names its targets explicitly, so capping it silently drops
+    schemas the model asked for by name -- and picks the survivors by catalog
+    order, not request order.
+    """
+    wanted = [f"tool_{c}" for c in "abcdef"]  # 6 > MAX_RESULTS
+    got = [t.name for t in wide_catalog.search("select:" + ",".join(wanted))]
+
+    assert got == wanted
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("query", ["+tool_", "searchable"])
+def test_search_ranked_modes_stay_capped(wide_catalog, query):
+    """Only ``select:`` is uncapped; the ranked modes keep their ``MAX_RESULTS`` cap.
+
+    Guards the fix from being widened into the branches whose docstring does
+    promise "up to max_results best matches".
+    """
+    got = wide_catalog.search(query)
+
+    assert len(got) == MAX_RESULTS
+
+
 def test_search_plus_keyword(catalog):
     got = catalog.search("+beta translate")
     assert [t.name for t in got] == ["beta_translate"]
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_deferred_setup.py b/backend/tests/test_deferred_setup.py
index fb6099637..462e9c039 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_deferred_setup.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_deferred_setup.py
@@ -55,6 +55,33 @@ def test_tool_search_returns_command_with_hash_scoped_promotion():
     assert "mcp_calc" in msg.content
 
 
+def test_tool_search_promotes_every_selected_tool():
+    """``select:`` promotes all named tools -- the tool closure must not re-cap.
+
+    ``DeferredToolCatalog.search`` already caps the ranked modes internally, so
+    a second ``[:MAX_RESULTS]`` in the closure only truncates ``select:``. Its
+    sibling closure, ``skills/describe.py::describe_skill``, calls
+    ``catalog.search(name)`` with no slice. Without this test, dropping the cap
+    inside ``search`` alone would still leave ``select:`` capped here.
+    """
+
+    def _t(name: str):
+        @as_tool(name)
+        def _f(query: str) -> str:
+            "A deferred tool."
+            return query
+
+        return _f
+
+    names = [f"mcp_t{i}" for i in range(6)]  # 6 > MAX_RESULTS
+    catalog = DeferredToolCatalog(tuple(_t(n) for n in names))
+    ts = build_tool_search_tool(catalog)
+
+    out = ts.invoke({"type": "tool_call", "name": "tool_search", "args": {"query": "select:" + ",".join(names)}, "id": "tc3"})
+
+    assert out.update["promoted"]["names"] == names
+
+
 def test_tool_search_no_match_empty_names():
     catalog = DeferredToolCatalog((mcp_calc,))
     ts = build_tool_search_tool(catalog)