diff --git a/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync.go b/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync.go
index 5dff6ff3..34331188 100644
--- a/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync.go
+++ b/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync.go
@@ -24,10 +24,11 @@ import (
 //  4. Rejects plugin.json.type values outside the registry allowlist
 //     (catches accidental scaffold re-registration per workflow#762
 //     Layer (d) step 5).
-//  5. Compares manifest.version + downloads URLs; with --fix rewrites.
-//  6. Fetches tagged plugin.json from upstream; syncs capabilities,
+//  5. Skips built-in/core manifests; those are owned by "registry-sync core".
+//  6. Compares manifest.version + downloads URLs; with --fix rewrites.
+//  7. Fetches tagged plugin.json from upstream; syncs capabilities,
 //     minEngineVersion, iacProvider into registry manifest.
-//  7. (--verify-capabilities) Downloads release tarball + spawns binary;
+//  8. (--verify-capabilities) Downloads release tarball + spawns binary;
 //     reuses wfctl plugin verify-capabilities to diff runtime GetManifest
 //     against the registry manifest.
 func runPluginRegistrySync(args []string) error {
@@ -123,6 +124,10 @@ func syncDefault(registryDir string, fix bool, pluginFilter string, verifyCaps b
 			mismatches++
 			continue
 		}
+		if isCoreRegistryManifestType(manifestType) {
+			fmt.Printf("  SKIP  %s — %s manifests are synced by registry-sync core\n", pluginName, manifestType)
+			continue
+		}
 
 		repoURL, _ := raw["repository"].(string)
 		if repoURL == "" {
@@ -214,6 +219,15 @@ func syncDefault(registryDir string, fix bool, pluginFilter string, verifyCaps b
 	return nil
 }
 
+func isCoreRegistryManifestType(manifestType string) bool {
+	switch manifestType {
+	case "builtin", "core":
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
 func readJSONFile(path string) (map[string]any, error) {
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(path) // #nosec G304 -- operator-supplied path
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_core.go b/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_core.go
index fa6031d6..e3c57afc 100644
--- a/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_core.go
+++ b/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_core.go
@@ -123,7 +123,8 @@ func syncCorePluginManifests(registryDir string, plugins []coreRegistryPlugin, f
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		if !reflect.DeepEqual(current, expected) {
+		hasDownloads := coreManifestHasDownloads(currentRaw)
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(current, expected) || hasDownloads {
 			if fix {
 				if err := writeCoreManifest(expectedPath, expected, currentRaw); err != nil {
 					return err
@@ -131,7 +132,11 @@ func syncCorePluginManifests(registryDir string, plugins []coreRegistryPlugin, f
 				fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "updated %s\n", relRegistryPath(registryDir, expectedPath))
 				continue
 			}
-			fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "core plugin manifest drift for %s: %s\n", p.Name, relRegistryPath(registryDir, expectedPath))
+			if hasDownloads {
+				fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "core plugin manifest drift for %s: %s (builtin manifests must not include downloads)\n", p.Name, relRegistryPath(registryDir, expectedPath))
+			} else {
+				fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "core plugin manifest drift for %s: %s\n", p.Name, relRegistryPath(registryDir, expectedPath))
+			}
 			failures++
 		}
 	}
@@ -147,6 +152,11 @@ func syncCorePluginManifests(registryDir string, plugins []coreRegistryPlugin, f
 	return nil
 }
 
+func coreManifestHasDownloads(raw map[string]any) bool {
+	_, ok := raw["downloads"]
+	return ok
+}
+
 type coreManifest struct {
 	Name         string                   `json:"name"`
 	Version      string                   `json:"version"`
diff --git a/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_test.go b/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_test.go
index ac858616..adbdc524 100644
--- a/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_test.go
+++ b/cmd/wfctl/plugin_registry_sync_test.go
@@ -108,6 +108,34 @@ func TestPluginRegistrySync_DownloadsMatchVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
+func TestPluginRegistrySync_DefaultSkipsBuiltinManifests(t *testing.T) {
+	registry := t.TempDir()
+	mustWrite(t, filepath.Join(registry, "plugins", "admincore", "manifest.json"), `{
+  "name": "workflow-plugin-admincore",
+  "version": "0.69.6",
+  "description": "Workflow admin core",
+  "source": "github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow",
+  "repository": "https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow",
+  "type": "builtin",
+  "tier": "core"
+}`)
+
+	binDir := t.TempDir()
+	marker := filepath.Join(binDir, "gh-called")
+	mustWrite(t, filepath.Join(binDir, "gh"), "#!/bin/sh\ntouch "+marker+"\nexit 1\n")
+	if err := os.Chmod(filepath.Join(binDir, "gh"), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Setenv("PATH", binDir+string(os.PathListSeparator)+os.Getenv("PATH"))
+
+	if err := syncDefault(registry, false, "", false); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("syncDefault returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(marker); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		t.Fatalf("default registry sync must not query GitHub for builtin manifests; marker stat err=%v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 // TestPluginRegistrySync_PublishGradeSemverGate verifies the shared regex
 // rejects non-publish-grade tags (workflow#762 plan C2 fixture pin).
 func TestPluginRegistrySync_PublishGradeSemverGate(t *testing.T) {
@@ -249,6 +277,69 @@ func TestPluginRegistrySyncCore_DetectsAndFixesManifestDrift(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPluginRegistrySyncCore_DetectsAndFixesDownloadsOnlyDrift(t *testing.T) {
+	registry := t.TempDir()
+	manifest := filepath.Join(registry, "plugins", "corealpha", "manifest.json")
+	mustWrite(t, manifest, `{
+  "name": "workflow-plugin-core-alpha",
+  "version": "1.2.3",
+  "author": "GoCodeAlone",
+  "description": "current",
+  "source": "github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow",
+  "path": "plugins/corealpha",
+  "type": "builtin",
+  "tier": "core",
+  "license": "MIT",
+  "homepage": "https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow",
+  "repository": "https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow",
+  "downloads": [{
+    "os": "linux",
+    "arch": "amd64",
+    "url": "https://github.com/GoCodeAlone/workflow/releases/download/v0.69.6/wfctl-linux-amd64.tar.gz"
+  }],
+  "capabilities": {
+    "moduleTypes": ["alpha"],
+    "stepTypes": ["step"],
+    "triggerTypes": ["trigger"],
+    "workflowHandlers": ["handler"],
+    "wiringHooks": ["hook"]
+  }
+}`)
+
+	plugins := []coreRegistryPlugin{{
+		Name:             "workflow-plugin-core-alpha",
+		Version:          "1.2.3",
+		Description:      "current",
+		ModuleTypes:      []string{"alpha"},
+		StepTypes:        []string{"step"},
+		TriggerTypes:     []string{"trigger"},
+		WorkflowHandlers: []string{"handler"},
+		WiringHooks:      []string{"hook"},
+	}}
+
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+	err := syncCorePluginManifests(registry, plugins, false, &stderr)
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "core manifest validation failed") {
+		t.Fatalf("dry-run error = %v, stderr=%s", err, stderr.String())
+	}
+
+	stderr.Reset()
+	if err := syncCorePluginManifests(registry, plugins, true, &stderr); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("fix returned error: %v", err)
+	}
+	raw, err := os.ReadFile(manifest)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var got map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := got["downloads"]; ok {
+		t.Fatalf("downloads should be removed from builtin core manifest: %#v", got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestPluginRegistrySync_SelectPlatformReleaseAsset(t *testing.T) {
 	assets := []releaseAsset{
 		{Name: "workflow-plugin-foo-linux-amd64.tar.gz", OS: "linux", Arch: "amd64", URL: "linux-amd64"},