diff --git a/internal/runner/autodiscovery.go b/internal/runner/autodiscovery.go
index 0cf481ec..57765d07 100644
--- a/internal/runner/autodiscovery.go
+++ b/internal/runner/autodiscovery.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package runner
 
 import (
 	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/projectdiscovery/cloudlist/pkg/inventory"
 	"github.com/projectdiscovery/cloudlist/pkg/schema"
@@ -9,8 +11,7 @@ import (
 )
 
 // autoDiscoveryProviders resolve credentials without config through their SDK
-// default chains: environment variables, CLI logins, instance metadata and
-// in-cluster service accounts.
+// default credential chains.
 var autoDiscoveryProviders = []string{"aws", "gcp", "azure", "kubernetes"}
 
 func autoDiscoveryConfig() schema.Options {
@@ -25,19 +26,27 @@ func (r *Runner) newInventory(config schema.Options) (*inventory.Inventory, erro
 	if !r.options.AutoDiscovery {
 		return inventory.New(config)
 	}
-	// A provider fails to initialize when the environment has no credentials
-	// for it, which is expected here, so skip it instead of aborting.
+	if len(config) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no auto-discovery provider matches the -p/-id filters, supported: %s", strings.Join(autoDiscoveryProviders, ","))
+	}
+	// Init fails for missing credentials but also for denied, expired or
+	// unreachable ones, so skip failed providers and report why.
 	discovered := &inventory.Inventory{}
+	var errs []error
 	for _, block := range config {
 		inv, err := inventory.New(schema.Options{block})
 		if err != nil {
-			gologger.Verbose().Msgf("Skipping %s: %s", block["provider"], err)
+			errs = append(errs, err)
 			continue
 		}
 		discovered.Providers = append(discovered.Providers, inv.Providers...)
 	}
 	if len(discovered.Providers) == 0 {
-		return nil, errors.New("no provider credentials found in the environment")
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no provider could be initialized: %w", errors.Join(errs...))
+	}
+	for _, err := range errs {
+		// Info stays visible at the default log level. Warning is dropped unless -v is set.
+		gologger.Info().Msgf("Skipping provider: %s", err)
 	}
 	return discovered, nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/runner/autodiscovery_test.go b/internal/runner/autodiscovery_test.go
index d2b78444..8587c281 100644
--- a/internal/runner/autodiscovery_test.go
+++ b/internal/runner/autodiscovery_test.go
@@ -3,13 +3,52 @@ package runner
 import (
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/projectdiscovery/cloudlist/pkg/schema"
+	"github.com/projectdiscovery/gologger"
+	"github.com/projectdiscovery/gologger/levels"
+	"github.com/projectdiscovery/gologger/writer"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
-func TestNewInventorySkipsProvidersWithoutCredentials(t *testing.T) {
+type logRecord struct {
+	message string
+	level   levels.Level
+}
+
+type captureWriter struct {
+	records []logRecord
+}
+
+func (w *captureWriter) Write(data []byte, level levels.Level) {
+	w.records = append(w.records, logRecord{message: string(data), level: level})
+}
+
+func captureDefaultLog(t *testing.T) *captureWriter {
+	t.Helper()
+	captured := &captureWriter{}
+	gologger.DefaultLogger.SetMaxLevel(levels.LevelInfo)
+	gologger.DefaultLogger.SetWriter(captured)
+	t.Cleanup(func() {
+		gologger.DefaultLogger.SetMaxLevel(levels.LevelInfo)
+		gologger.DefaultLogger.SetWriter(writer.NewCLI())
+	})
+	return captured
+}
+
+func skipMessage(records []logRecord) string {
+	for _, rec := range records {
+		if rec.level == levels.LevelInfo && strings.Contains(rec.message, "Skipping provider") {
+			return rec.message
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func writeKubeconfig(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
 	kubeconfig := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "config")
 	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(kubeconfig, []byte(`apiVersion: v1
 kind: Config
@@ -23,7 +62,13 @@ contexts:
     cluster: test
 current-context: test
 `), 0o600))
+	return kubeconfig
+}
+
+func TestNewInventorySkipsProvidersWithoutCredentials(t *testing.T) {
+	kubeconfig := writeKubeconfig(t)
 	r := &Runner{options: &Options{AutoDiscovery: true}}
+	logs := captureDefaultLog(t)
 
 	inv, err := r.newInventory(schema.Options{
 		{"provider": "kubernetes", "kubeconfig_file": filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "missing")},
@@ -31,11 +76,23 @@ current-context: test
 	})
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	require.Len(t, inv.Providers, 1)
+	skip := skipMessage(logs.records)
+	require.Contains(t, skip, "could not create provider kubernetes")
 
+	logs.records = nil
 	_, err = r.newInventory(schema.Options{
 		{"provider": "kubernetes", "kubeconfig_file": filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "missing")},
 	})
-	require.EqualError(t, err, "no provider credentials found in the environment")
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "no provider could be initialized")
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "could not create provider kubernetes")
+	require.Empty(t, skipMessage(logs.records))
+}
+
+func TestNewInventoryWithoutMatchingProviders(t *testing.T) {
+	r := &Runner{options: &Options{AutoDiscovery: true}}
+
+	_, err := r.newInventory(schema.Options{})
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "no auto-discovery provider matches the -p/-id filters")
 }
 
 func TestNewInventoryFailsFastWithoutAutoDiscovery(t *testing.T) {
@@ -43,6 +100,7 @@ func TestNewInventoryFailsFastWithoutAutoDiscovery(t *testing.T) {
 
 	_, err := r.newInventory(schema.Options{
 		{"provider": "kubernetes", "kubeconfig_file": filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "missing")},
+		{"provider": "kubernetes", "kubeconfig_file": writeKubeconfig(t)},
 	})
-	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "could not create provider kubernetes")
 }
diff --git a/internal/runner/options.go b/internal/runner/options.go
index 3d93efeb..d3887d68 100644
--- a/internal/runner/options.go
+++ b/internal/runner/options.go
@@ -123,7 +123,9 @@ func ParseOptions() *Options {
 		}
 	}
 
-	checkAndCreateProviderConfigFile(options)
+	if !options.AutoDiscovery {
+		checkAndCreateProviderConfigFile(options)
+	}
 	return options
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/runner/runner_test.go b/internal/runner/runner_test.go
index 463e1c34..6eac0ebc 100644
--- a/internal/runner/runner_test.go
+++ b/internal/runner/runner_test.go
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 package runner
 
 import (
+	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/projectdiscovery/cloudlist/pkg/schema"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestSanitizePrivateIPs(t *testing.T) {
@@ -56,3 +58,14 @@ func TestSanitizePrivateIPsOnMisclassifiedFields(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected public addresses to remain when exclusion enabled")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestNewWithAutoDiscoveryIgnoresProviderConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	r, err := New(&Options{AutoDiscovery: true, ProviderConfig: filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "missing.yaml")})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var providers []string
+	for _, block := range r.config {
+		providers = append(providers, block["provider"])
+	}
+	require.Equal(t, autoDiscoveryProviders, providers)
+}