diff --git a/.changeset/validate-app-security-config.md b/.changeset/validate-app-security-config.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6702c081e76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/validate-app-security-config.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@shopify/app': patch
+---
+
+Validate the selected App Security configuration before showing recovery guidance for existing review artifacts.
diff --git a/packages/app/src/cli/commands/app/security/check.integration.test.ts b/packages/app/src/cli/commands/app/security/check.integration.test.ts
index cdcc955ed1e..82b47f90b3a 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/cli/commands/app/security/check.integration.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/cli/commands/app/security/check.integration.test.ts
@@ -177,6 +177,40 @@ describe('app security check command boundary', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  test('rejects a missing config before reporting a protected trace', async () => {
+    await inTemporaryDirectory(async (directory) => {
+      const paths = appSecurityArtifactPaths(directory)
+      await createApp(directory)
+
+      const scan = await runCommand(['--path', directory, '--json', '--skip-instructions'])
+      expect(scan.exitCode).toBe(0)
+
+      await writeFile(paths.findingsPath, findingsDocument(await readReviewPack(paths.reviewPath)))
+      const compile = await runCommand([
+        '--path',
+        directory,
+        '--findings',
+        paths.findingsPath,
+        '--json',
+        '--skip-instructions',
+      ])
+      expect(compile.exitCode).toBe(0)
+
+      const refused = await runCommand([
+        '--path',
+        directory,
+        '--config',
+        'shopify.app.dev-dashboard.json',
+        '--skip-instructions',
+      ])
+
+      expect(refused.exitCode).toBe(1)
+      const message = errorText(refused.stderr)
+      expect(message).toContain("Couldn't find app configuration at")
+      expectMentionsPath(message, joinPath(directory, 'shopify.app.shopifyappdev-dashboardjson.toml'))
+    })
+  })
+
   test('refuses a plain scan while default agent findings are pending', async () => {
     await inTemporaryDirectory(async (directory) => {
       const {nestedDirectory} = await createApp(directory)
diff --git a/packages/app/src/cli/services/app-security-api.test.ts b/packages/app/src/cli/services/app-security-api.test.ts
index 3f1f62bc11c..842295c5f16 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/cli/services/app-security-api.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/cli/services/app-security-api.test.ts
@@ -619,9 +619,9 @@ describe('App Security CLI integration', () => {
           artifactPaths: appSecurityArtifactPaths,
           findingsFileExists: fileExists,
           readTrace,
-          execute: async ({appRoot, findingsPath}) => {
+          execute: async ({appRoot, configFileName, findingsPath}) => {
             const findings = findingsPath ? await loadAppSecurityFindings(findingsPath) : undefined
-            return executeAppSecurity({appRoot, findings})
+            return executeAppSecurity({appRoot, configFileName, findings})
           },
           writeArtifacts: writeAppSecurityArtifacts,
           canPrompt: () => false,
diff --git a/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.test.ts b/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.test.ts
index 4ca20564199..8b5246d9244 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.test.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,12 @@ import type {AppSecurityExecution} from './app-security-api.js'
 import type {AppSecurityInstructionsDestination} from './security-check.js'
 import type {ScanResult, TraceV3} from './app-security-engine/index.js'
 
+vi.mock('./app-security-config.js', async (importOriginal) => {
+  const original = await importOriginal<typeof import('./app-security-config.js')>()
+  // Unit tests use a fake app directory; check.integration.test.ts covers the missing-config error.
+  return {...original, requireSecurityConfigFileName: original.resolveSecurityConfigFileName}
+})
+
 const scan: ScanResult = {
   version: '0.1.0',
   timestamp: '2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z',
@@ -140,7 +146,7 @@ describe('securityCheck', () => {
     expect(dependencies.resolveRoot).toHaveBeenCalledWith('/tmp/unlinked-app')
     expect(dependencies.execute).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       appRoot: '/tmp/unlinked-app',
-      configName: undefined,
+      configFileName: 'shopify.app.toml',
       findingsPath: undefined,
     })
     expect(dependencies.writeArtifacts).toHaveBeenCalledWith(scanExecution, {clean: false})
@@ -165,7 +171,7 @@ describe('securityCheck', () => {
 
     expect(dependencies.execute).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
       appRoot: '/tmp/unlinked-app',
-      configName: 'staging',
+      configFileName: 'shopify.app.staging.toml',
       findingsPath: undefined,
     })
     expect(dependencies.renderReport).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
diff --git a/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.ts b/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.ts
index a0ea627b7ef..f79ecd0ee5d 100644
--- a/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.ts
+++ b/packages/app/src/cli/services/security-check.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import {
   resolveAppSecurityRoot,
 } from './app-security-api.js'
 import {appSecurityArtifactPaths, readTrace, writeAppSecurityArtifacts} from './app-security-artifacts.js'
-import {requireSecurityConfigFileName, resolveSecurityConfigFileName} from './app-security-config.js'
+import {requireSecurityConfigFileName} from './app-security-config.js'
 import deliverAppSecurityInstructions from './app-security-instructions.js'
 import {
   formatAppSecurityCommand,
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ interface SecurityDependencies {
   artifactPaths(appRoot: string): ResolvedAppSecurityArtifactPaths
   findingsFileExists(path: string): Promise<boolean>
   readTrace(path: string): Promise<ReadTraceResult>
-  execute(options: {appRoot: string; configName?: string; findingsPath?: string}): Promise<AppSecurityExecution>
+  execute(options: {appRoot: string; configFileName: string; findingsPath?: string}): Promise<AppSecurityExecution>
   writeArtifacts(
     execution: AppSecurityExecution,
     options: WriteAppSecurityArtifactsOptions,
@@ -82,13 +82,9 @@ const defaultDependencies: SecurityDependencies = {
   artifactPaths: appSecurityArtifactPaths,
   findingsFileExists: fileExists,
   readTrace,
-  execute: async ({appRoot, configName, findingsPath}) => {
+  execute: async ({appRoot, configFileName, findingsPath}) => {
     const findings = findingsPath ? await loadAppSecurityFindings(findingsPath) : undefined
-    return executeAppSecurity({
-      appRoot,
-      findings,
-      configFileName: requireSecurityConfigFileName(appRoot, configName),
-    })
+    return executeAppSecurity({appRoot, findings, configFileName})
   },
   writeArtifacts: writeAppSecurityArtifacts,
   canPrompt: terminalSupportsPrompting,
@@ -156,14 +152,15 @@ export default async function securityCheck(
   dependencies: SecurityDependencies = defaultDependencies,
 ): Promise<void> {
   const appRoot = dependencies.resolveRoot(options.directory)
-  const commands = resolveAppSecurityCommands(appRoot, resolveSecurityConfigFileName(appRoot, options.configName))
+  const configFileName = requireSecurityConfigFileName(appRoot, options.configName)
+  const commands = resolveAppSecurityCommands(appRoot, configFileName)
   if (!options.findingsPath && !options.clean) {
     await assertCanStartScan(dependencies.artifactPaths(appRoot), commands, dependencies)
   }
 
   const execution = await dependencies.execute({
     appRoot,
-    configName: options.configName,
+    configFileName,
     findingsPath: options.findingsPath,
   })
   const artifacts = await dependencies.writeArtifacts(execution, {clean: options.clean})