diff --git a/pkg/api/handlers/modelprovider.go b/pkg/api/handlers/modelprovider.go
index a9864c88..eb496dcc 100644
--- a/pkg/api/handlers/modelprovider.go
+++ b/pkg/api/handlers/modelprovider.go
@@ -7,13 +7,11 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/gptscript-ai/go-gptscript"
 	"github.com/obot-platform/obot/apiclient/types"
-	"github.com/obot-platform/obot/logger"
 	"github.com/obot-platform/obot/pkg/api"
 	"github.com/obot-platform/obot/pkg/gateway/server/dispatcher"
 	"github.com/obot-platform/obot/pkg/invoke"
 	v1 "github.com/obot-platform/obot/pkg/storage/apis/otto.otto8.ai/v1"
 	"github.com/obot-platform/obot/pkg/system"
-	apierrors "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/errors"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/fields"
 	kclient "sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
@@ -115,8 +113,7 @@ func (mp *ModelProviderHandler) Validate(req api.Context) error {
 		return types.NewErrBadRequest("%q is not a model provider", ref.Name)
 	}
 
-	l := logger.Package()
-	l.Debugf("Validating model provider %q", ref.Name)
+	log.Debugf("Validating model provider %q", ref.Name)
 
 	var envVars map[string]string
 	if err := req.Read(&envVars); err != nil {
@@ -138,10 +135,8 @@ func (mp *ModelProviderHandler) Validate(req api.Context) error {
 		},
 	}
 
-	if err := req.Get(thread, thread.Name); apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
-		if err = req.Create(thread); err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to create thread: %w", err)
-		}
+	if err := req.Create(thread); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create thread: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	defer func() { _ = req.Delete(thread) }()
@@ -155,8 +150,11 @@ func (mp *ModelProviderHandler) Validate(req api.Context) error {
 	res, err := task.Result(req.Context())
 	if err != nil {
 		if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "tool not found: validate from "+ref.Spec.Reference) { // there's no simple way to do errors.As/.Is at this point unfortunately
-			l.Infof("Model provider %q does not provide a validate tool. Looking for 'validate from %s'", ref.Name, ref.Spec.Reference)
-			return nil // Do not fail if model provider doesn't provide a validate tool
+			log.Errorf("Model provider %q does not provide a validate tool. Looking for 'validate from %s'", ref.Name, ref.Spec.Reference)
+			return types.NewErrNotFound(
+				fmt.Sprintf("`validate from %s` tool not found", ref.Spec.Reference),
+				ref.Name,
+			)
 		}
 		return &ValidationError{Err: strings.Trim(err.Error(), "\"'")}
 	}