diff --git a/crates/kebab-app/src/error_signal.rs b/crates/kebab-app/src/error_signal.rs
index 9bc78d6..7d7ab6b 100644
--- a/crates/kebab-app/src/error_signal.rs
+++ b/crates/kebab-app/src/error_signal.rs
@@ -11,5 +11,5 @@
 pub use crate::doctor_signal::{DoctorUnhealthy, NoHitSignal, RefusalSignal};
 
 pub use kebab_llm_local::LlmError;
-pub use kebab_config::ConfigInvalid;
+pub use kebab_config::{ConfigInvalid, ConfigNotFound};
 pub use kebab_store_sqlite::NotIndexed;
diff --git a/crates/kebab-app/src/error_wire.rs b/crates/kebab-app/src/error_wire.rs
index 3df41d9..c0397cf 100644
--- a/crates/kebab-app/src/error_wire.rs
+++ b/crates/kebab-app/src/error_wire.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
 use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use serde_json::{Value, json};
 
-use crate::error_signal::{ConfigInvalid, LlmError, NotIndexed};
+use crate::error_signal::{ConfigInvalid, ConfigNotFound, LlmError, NotIndexed};
 
 // p9-fb-34: `stale_cursor` is constructed directly by `cursor::decode`
 // and surfaced through `StructuredError` (an anyhow-friendly wrapper
@@ -65,6 +65,20 @@ pub fn classify(err: &anyhow::Error, verbose: bool) -> ErrorV1 {
             hint: Some("check `--config <path>` and TOML syntax".to_string()),
         };
     }
+    if let Some(s) = err.downcast_ref::<ConfigNotFound>() {
+        return ErrorV1 {
+            schema_version: ERROR_V1_ID.to_string(),
+            code: "config_not_found".to_string(),
+            message: s.to_string(),
+            details: json!({
+                "path": s.path.to_string_lossy(),
+            }),
+            hint: Some(
+                "verify --config <path>; pass an existing toml file or omit --config to use XDG default"
+                    .to_string(),
+            ),
+        };
+    }
     if let Some(s) = err.downcast_ref::<NotIndexed>() {
         return ErrorV1 {
             schema_version: ERROR_V1_ID.to_string(),
diff --git a/crates/kebab-app/src/lib.rs b/crates/kebab-app/src/lib.rs
index 791869c..1761551 100644
--- a/crates/kebab-app/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/kebab-app/src/lib.rs
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ pub use app::{App, SearchResponse, short_query_hint};
 pub use ingest_progress::{AggregateCounts, IngestEvent, render_skipped_breakdown};
 pub use reset::{ResetReport, ResetScope, enumerate_orphans};
 pub use error_wire::{ERROR_V1_ID, ErrorV1, StructuredError, classify};
+pub use kebab_config::{ConfigInvalid, ConfigNotFound};
 pub use fetch::fetch_with_config;
 #[doc(hidden)]
 pub use bulk::{BULK_QUERIES_MAX, bulk_search_with_config};
diff --git a/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_config_not_found.rs b/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_config_not_found.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a782621
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_config_not_found.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+//! Integration tests for Bug #10: explicit --config <path> that does not exist
+//! must fail with exit≠0 and error.v1 code=config_not_found (not silently fall
+//! back to XDG defaults).
+
+use std::process::Command;
+use serde_json::Value;
+
+fn kebab_bin() -> String {
+    env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_kebab").to_string()
+}
+
+fn parse_error_v1(stderr: &str) -> Value {
+    let last = stderr.lines().last().expect("expected error.v1 ndjson on stderr");
+    serde_json::from_str(last)
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("expected ndjson on stderr: {e}\nstderr={stderr}"))
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn invalid_config_path_emits_error_v1_with_nonzero_exit() {
+    let absent = "/tmp/__kebab_bugfix3_absolute_nonexistent.toml";
+    assert!(!std::path::Path::new(absent).exists());
+
+    let out = Command::new(kebab_bin())
+        .args(["search", "rust", "--config", absent, "--json"])
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn kebab");
+
+    assert_ne!(out.status.code(), Some(0), "exit must be nonzero on missing --config");
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+    let v = parse_error_v1(&stderr);
+    assert_eq!(v["schema_version"], "error.v1");
+    assert_eq!(v["code"], "config_not_found");
+    assert!(v["hint"].is_string(), "hint must be present");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn invalid_relative_config_path_emits_config_not_found() {
+    // Bug #10 spec §6 R-1: relative path も cwd-relative で cover.
+    let tmp = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let out = Command::new(kebab_bin())
+        .args(["search", "rust", "--config", "nonexistent-rel.toml", "--json"])
+        .current_dir(tmp.path())
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn kebab");
+
+    assert_ne!(out.status.code(), Some(0));
+    let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+    let v = parse_error_v1(&stderr);
+    assert_eq!(v["schema_version"], "error.v1");
+    assert_eq!(v["code"], "config_not_found");
+}
diff --git a/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_error_wire.rs b/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_error_wire.rs
index b89ddc7..825ce9c 100644
--- a/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_error_wire.rs
+++ b/crates/kebab-cli/tests/cli_error_wire.rs
@@ -2,11 +2,10 @@
 //! on stderr while non-json mode emits the legacy `error:` text prefix.
 //!
 //! The `config_invalid` code is triggered by supplying an *existing* but
-//! malformed TOML file via `--config`. Note: supplying a *non-existent*
-//! path does NOT trigger this error — Config::load silently falls back to
-//! defaults when the specified config file is absent (by design, so that
-//! `kebab doctor` runs before `kebab init` is ever called). A file that
-//! exists but fails TOML parsing is the reliable path to `config_invalid`.
+//! malformed TOML file via `--config`. A file that exists but fails TOML
+//! parsing is the reliable path to `config_invalid`. Supplying a path that
+//! does not exist emits `config_not_found` instead (Bug #10 fix, v0.20.0
+//! bugfix3); see `cli_config_not_found.rs` for those tests.
 
 use std::process::Command;
 
diff --git a/crates/kebab-config/src/lib.rs b/crates/kebab-config/src/lib.rs
index 672bc4c..aaaf194 100644
--- a/crates/kebab-config/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/kebab-config/src/lib.rs
@@ -24,6 +24,15 @@ pub struct ConfigInvalid {
     pub cause: String,
 }
 
+/// p20-bugfix3 Bug #10: explicit `--config <path>` was missing → silent
+/// fallback to defaults instead of fail-fast. `kebab-app::error_wire::classify`
+/// downcasts → `code: "config_not_found"` ErrorV1.
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+#[error("config file does not exist: {path}")]
+pub struct ConfigNotFound {
+    pub path: PathBuf,
+}
+
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, PartialEq, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct Config {
     pub schema_version: u32,
@@ -688,7 +697,11 @@ impl Config {
     pub fn load(path: Option<&Path>) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
         let from_disk = match path {
             Some(p) if p.exists() => Self::from_file(p)?,
-            Some(_) => Self::defaults(),
+            Some(p) => {
+                return Err(anyhow::Error::new(ConfigNotFound {
+                    path: p.to_path_buf(),
+                }));
+            }
             None => {
                 let p = Self::xdg_config_path();
                 if p.exists() {
@@ -1817,4 +1830,17 @@ mod fb27_tests {
             signal.cause
         );
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn config_load_explicit_nonexistent_path_returns_config_not_found() {
+        // Bug #10: --config /tmp/nonexistent.toml → silent fallback 금지.
+        let p = std::path::Path::new("/tmp/__kebab_bugfix3_nonexistent.toml");
+        assert!(!p.exists(), "test precondition: path must not exist");
+
+        let err = Config::load(Some(p)).expect_err("expected ConfigNotFound");
+        let signal = err
+            .downcast_ref::<ConfigNotFound>()
+            .expect("from_load error should downcast to ConfigNotFound");
+        assert_eq!(signal.path, p.to_path_buf());
+    }
 }