diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md
index 1ae0bccb09..ea001419d8 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/agent-lifecycle.md
@@ -615,7 +615,14 @@ least-privilege installs using that helper reported `provider_unavailable`
 on every report (#2511). Discovery hands the whole node back to `pct list`
 whenever it cannot establish a guest's state (no cgroup v2, an unreadable
 listing, config, cgroup or process, a search limit, or cancellation); only a
-guest without a cgroup counts as stopped. The fixed `lxc-info -n <vmid> -p`
+guest without a cgroup counts as stopped. Exactly 128 running guests remain
+admissible, but discovery must inspect the rest of the bounded config listing:
+a 129th running guest or an unestablished later guest makes discovery unavailable,
+not a truncated complete inventory. The existing bounded `pct list` fallback
+then either establishes the full node or remains degraded under PrivateNetwork.
+`TestSocketFreeProxmoxLXCDiscoveryCannotTruncateCompleteInventory` covers 127/128/129
+running guests and stopped/unknown guests after the limit through discovery and
+collection. The fixed `lxc-info -n <vmid> -p`
 PID lookup remains for that path, and `pct df` remains the per-container
 fallback, including through the `--grant-pct` wrapper.
 `TestHelperProxmoxLXCFilesystemsNeedNoPctOrLXCSockets` drives the collector
diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/monitoring.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/monitoring.md
index 74895f7439..d9105c18bf 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/monitoring.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/monitoring.md
@@ -966,7 +966,14 @@ opt-in owned tmpfs collector fixture. Installed-agent and model qualification
 are tracked separately in PATROL_ASSISTANT_CUSTOMER_JOURNEY.md.
 
 The same observer reads Proxmox LXC guests for the host agent and its typed
-helper (#2511). An `lxc` request names the decimal VMID; the pinned process
+helper (#2511). Its socket-free producer must not label the first 128 guests as
+a complete inventory without inspecting later configs. A 129th running guest or
+an unknown guest after the limit leaves collection unavailable/degraded through
+the existing bounded fallback; a stopped later guest does not invalidate 128
+established guests. This preserves the consumer's distinction between complete
+inventory replacement and explicit partial omissions. The producer boundary is
+covered by `TestSocketFreeProxmoxLXCDiscoveryCannotTruncateCompleteInventory`;
+partial-wire, omitted-reading and complete-empty cache tests remain authoritative. An `lxc` request names the decimal VMID; the pinned process
 must sit in that guest's exact `lxc/<vmid>` cgroup and be its init (`NSpid` is
 exactly `<pid> 1`, so the PID 1 of a namespace nested inside the guest, such
 as Docker in LXC, cannot stand in for it), checked before and after the read.
diff --git a/internal/hostagent/privilege_helper_client_test.go b/internal/hostagent/privilege_helper_client_test.go
index 6be8ec36c9..5070959942 100644
--- a/internal/hostagent/privilege_helper_client_test.go
+++ b/internal/hostagent/privilege_helper_client_test.go
@@ -609,3 +609,53 @@ func TestHelperProxmoxLXCFilesystemsNeedNoPctOrLXCSockets(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("126 disks = %+v, want rootfs and the mp0 mount with its own usage", got[0].Disks)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestSocketFreeProxmoxLXCDiscoveryCannotTruncateCompleteInventory(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name     string
+		running  int
+		tail     string
+		complete bool
+	}{
+		{"below limit", proxmoxLXCMaxContainers - 1, "", true},
+		{"exact limit", proxmoxLXCMaxContainers, "", true},
+		{"exact limit plus stopped", proxmoxLXCMaxContainers, "stopped", true},
+		{"over limit", proxmoxLXCMaxContainers + 1, "", false},
+		{"unknown after limit", proxmoxLXCMaxContainers, "unknown", false},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			h := newFakeProxmoxLXCHost()
+			for n := 0; n < tc.running; n++ {
+				vmid, pid := 100+n, 1000+n
+				h.config(vmid, fmt.Sprintf("hostname: ct%d\nrootfs: local:vm-%d-disk-0,size=1G\n", vmid, vmid))
+				h.cgroup(strconv.Itoa(vmid)+"/ns", pid)
+				h.proc(pid, fmt.Sprintf("%d\t1", pid), fmt.Sprintf("/lxc/%d/ns", vmid))
+				h.observations[pid] = map[string]lxcObservation{"/": lxcUsage(4096, 1024, 3072)}
+			}
+			if tc.tail != "" {
+				vmid := 100 + tc.running
+				h.config(vmid, "hostname: tail\nrootfs: local:tail,size=1G\n")
+				if tc.tail == "unknown" {
+					h.cgroup(strconv.Itoa(vmid) + "/ns") // exists, but has no established init
+				}
+			}
+			collector, commands := h.collector(t)
+			agent := &Agent{logger: zerolog.Nop(), collector: collector}
+			rows, ok := agent.discoverRunningProxmoxLXCContainers(t.Context())
+			if ok != tc.complete || (ok && len(rows) != tc.running) || (!ok && rows != nil) || *commands != 0 {
+				t.Fatalf("socket-free discovery: complete=%v rows=%d commands=%d", ok, len(rows), *commands)
+			}
+			result := agent.collectProxmoxLXCFilesystemsResult(t.Context())
+			if tc.complete {
+				if !result.Applicable || result.Degraded || result.Inventory == nil || result.Inventory.Status != "complete" || len(result.Inventory.Containers) != tc.running || *commands != 0 {
+					t.Fatalf("complete boundary inventory=%+v commands=%d", result, *commands)
+				}
+				if last := result.Inventory.Containers[tc.running-1]; last.VMID != 99+tc.running || len(last.Disks) != 1 || last.Disks[0].UsedBytes != 1024 {
+					t.Fatalf("boundary guest reading lost: %+v", last)
+				}
+			} else if !result.Applicable || !result.Degraded || result.Inventory != nil || *commands != 1 {
+				t.Fatalf("unestablished node appeared complete instead of one failed pct fallback: %+v commands=%d", result, *commands)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/hostagent/proxmox_lxc_running.go b/internal/hostagent/proxmox_lxc_running.go
index 8a33988788..65888f61e1 100644
--- a/internal/hostagent/proxmox_lxc_running.go
+++ b/internal/hostagent/proxmox_lxc_running.go
@@ -130,8 +130,11 @@ func (a *Agent) discoverRunningProxmoxLXCContainers(ctx context.Context) ([]prox
 			return nil, false
 		}
 		running = append(running, proxmoxLXCRunningContainer{VMID: vmid, Name: proxmoxLXCConfigName(string(raw), vmid), PID: pid})
-		if len(running) == proxmoxLXCMaxContainers {
-			break
+		if len(running) > proxmoxLXCMaxContainers {
+			// A truncated list cannot authoritatively declare the node complete.
+			// Keep the same bound as pct parsing and let the caller report a
+			// degraded fallback, rather than erase uninspected running guests.
+			return nil, false
 		}
 	}
 	return running, true