diff --git a/cmd/cli/commands/run.go b/cmd/cli/commands/run.go
index 2f18aaee..d25dd287 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/commands/run.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/commands/run.go
@@ -608,7 +608,7 @@ func newRunCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			}
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
-			model := args[0]
+			model := normalizeModelIdentifier(args[0])
 			prompt := ""
 			argsLen := len(args)
 			if argsLen > 1 {
diff --git a/cmd/cli/commands/utils.go b/cmd/cli/commands/utils.go
index c77f472b..1f9f3654 100644
--- a/cmd/cli/commands/utils.go
+++ b/cmd/cli/commands/utils.go
@@ -156,6 +156,29 @@ func stripDefaultsFromModelName(model string) string {
 	return model
 }
 
+// normalizeModelIdentifier expands a user-provided model reference into a fully
+// qualified model identifier expected by the engine.
+//
+// The CLI intentionally strips default values (org and tag) when displaying
+// models to improve readability. However, users should be able to pass the same
+// shorthand forms back to the CLI (e.g. "mxbai-embed-large").
+//
+// This function restores the implicit defaults to ensure round-trip consistency
+// between `docker model list` output and subsequent CLI commands.
+func normalizeModelIdentifier(model string) string {
+	// If no organization is provided, assume the default org.
+	if !strings.Contains(model, "/") {
+		model = defaultOrg + "/" + model
+	}
+
+	// If no tag is provided, assume the default tag.
+if lastSlash := strings.LastIndex(model, "/"); !strings.Contains(model[lastSlash+1:], ":") {
+		model = model + ":" + defaultTag
+	}
+
+	return model
+}
+
 // requireExactArgs returns a cobra.PositionalArgs validator that ensures exactly n arguments are provided
 func requireExactArgs(n int, cmdName string, usageArgs string) cobra.PositionalArgs {
 	return func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {