diff --git a/pkg/engine/contract_render_test.go b/pkg/engine/contract_render_test.go
index f77cb5c..ec4b7ec 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/contract_render_test.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/contract_render_test.go
@@ -56,6 +56,33 @@ func TestContract_Render_NoTemplateFilesError(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Contract: the empty-TemplateFiles guard fires BEFORE any chart
+// rendering. When no template is requested, talm must surface the
+// actionable "templates are not set" error without first rendering the
+// chart — otherwise a render-time failure (here a `fail` directive,
+// online a live `lookup` against an unreachable node) masks the real
+// problem with a misleading error. The chart body below errors if it is
+// ever executed; the guard must short-circuit before that happens.
+func TestContract_Render_NoTemplateFilesShortCircuitsBeforeRender(t *testing.T) {
+	chartRoot := createTestChart(t, "tc", "config.yaml",
+		`{{ fail "chart body must not render when no templates are requested" }}`)
+	_, err := Render(context.Background(), nil, Options{
+		Offline: true,
+		Root:    chartRoot,
+		// TemplateFiles intentionally empty
+	})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for empty TemplateFiles")
+	}
+	msg := err.Error()
+	if strings.Contains(msg, "chart body must not render") {
+		t.Errorf("chart was rendered before the no-templates guard fired; the guard must run first. got: %s", msg)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(msg, "templates are not set") {
+		t.Errorf("expected the 'templates are not set' guard error, got: %s", msg)
+	}
+}
+
 // Contract: Render with a TemplateFiles entry that does not exist in
 // the chart surfaces an error naming the missing template. Operators
 // hit this when they typo a path or when a template file is renamed
diff --git a/pkg/engine/engine.go b/pkg/engine/engine.go
index de9480c..e575a5a 100644
--- a/pkg/engine/engine.go
+++ b/pkg/engine/engine.go
@@ -1602,6 +1602,17 @@ func Render(ctx context.Context, c *client.Client, opts Options) ([]byte, error)
 		helmEngine.LookupFunc = newLookupFunction(ctx, c, cmdName, opts.TalosEndpoints)
 	}
 
+	// Require at least one template before loading and rendering the chart.
+	// Rendering it first would be wasted (the output is discarded when no
+	// template is selected) and, worse, the render fires live lookups whose
+	// "connection refused" then masks the real problem: the operator forgot
+	// --file / --template. Fail fast with the actionable error instead. This
+	// runs after the online multi-node guard, which is a cheaper precondition
+	// with no network I/O.
+	if len(opts.TemplateFiles) == 0 {
+		return nil, errors.New("templates are not set for the command: please use `--file` or `--template` flag")
+	}
+
 	chartPath, err := os.Getwd()
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "resolving working directory")
@@ -1633,10 +1644,6 @@ func Render(ctx context.Context, c *client.Client, opts Options) ([]byte, error)
 		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "rendering chart")
 	}
 
-	if len(opts.TemplateFiles) == 0 {
-		return nil, errors.New("templates are not set for the command: please use `--file` or `--template` flag")
-	}
-
 	configPatches := []string{}
 
 	for _, templateFile := range opts.TemplateFiles {