diff --git a/cmd/compose/compose.go b/cmd/compose/compose.go
index 58e519ad9c..52daddcb36 100644
--- a/cmd/compose/compose.go
+++ b/cmd/compose/compose.go
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ func RootCommand(dockerCli command.Cli, backendOptions *BackendOptions) *cobra.C
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
-			applyDisplayMode(dockerCli, ansi)
+			applyAnsiMode(dockerCli, ansi)
 
 			detached, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("detach")
 			ep, err := selectEventProcessor(dockerCli, opts.Progress, ansi, detached)
@@ -619,22 +619,16 @@ func resolveAnsiMode(cmd *cobra.Command, ansi string, noAnsi bool) (string, erro
 	return ansi, nil
 }
 
-// applyDisplayMode configures ANSI output and the progress display mode,
-// honoring the NO_COLOR convention (https://no-color.org).
-func applyDisplayMode(dockerCli command.Cli, ansi string) {
+// applyAnsiMode configures ANSI output, honoring the NO_COLOR convention
+// (https://no-color.org). The progress display mode is resolved separately,
+// by selectEventProcessor.
+func applyAnsiMode(dockerCli command.Cli, ansi string) {
 	formatter.SetANSIMode(dockerCli, ansi)
 
 	if noColor, ok := os.LookupEnv("NO_COLOR"); ok && noColor != "" {
 		display.NoColor()
 		formatter.SetANSIMode(dockerCli, formatter.Never)
 	}
-
-	switch ansi {
-	case "never":
-		display.Mode = display.ModePlain
-	case "always":
-		display.Mode = display.ModeTTY
-	}
 }
 
 // normalizeProjectOptions handles the deprecated --workdir flag and makes
@@ -689,7 +683,9 @@ func stdinfo(dockerCli command.Cli) io.Writer {
 	return dockerCli.Err()
 }
 
-// selectEventProcessor picks the EventProcessor for Compose progress rendering.
+// selectEventProcessor picks the EventProcessor for Compose progress rendering,
+// and resolves display.Mode to the mode actually rendered: every branch assigns
+// it, so after command setup the global never holds ModeAuto.
 //
 // In auto mode we probe Err() (not Out()) because the renderer writes to stderr;
 // probing stdout would force plain mode whenever stdout is redirected (e.g.
@@ -702,8 +698,10 @@ func selectEventProcessor(dockerCli command.Cli, progress, ansi string, detached
 			display.Mode = display.ModePlain
 			return display.Plain(dockerCli.Err()), nil
 		case dockerCli.Err().IsTerminal():
+			display.Mode = display.ModeTTY
 			return display.Full(dockerCli.Err(), stdinfo(dockerCli), detached), nil
 		default:
+			display.Mode = display.ModePlain
 			return display.Plain(dockerCli.Err()), nil
 		}
 	case display.ModeTTY:
diff --git a/cmd/compose/compose_progress_test.go b/cmd/compose/compose_progress_test.go
index c94760ec66..5756782f11 100644
--- a/cmd/compose/compose_progress_test.go
+++ b/cmd/compose/compose_progress_test.go
@@ -86,18 +86,21 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_AutoMode(t *testing.T) {
 		errIsTTY bool
 		ansi     string
 		wantType string
+		wantMode string
 	}{
 		{
 			name:     "stderr TTY, stdout piped -> Full",
 			errIsTTY: true,
 			ansi:     "auto",
 			wantType: "*display.ttyWriter",
+			wantMode: display.ModeTTY,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "stderr piped, stdout TTY -> Plain (do not fall back to stdout)",
 			outIsTTY: true,
 			ansi:     "auto",
 			wantType: "*display.plainWriter",
+			wantMode: display.ModePlain,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "both TTY -> Full",
@@ -105,11 +108,13 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_AutoMode(t *testing.T) {
 			errIsTTY: true,
 			ansi:     "auto",
 			wantType: "*display.ttyWriter",
+			wantMode: display.ModeTTY,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "both piped -> Plain",
 			ansi:     "auto",
 			wantType: "*display.plainWriter",
+			wantMode: display.ModePlain,
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "ansi never forces Plain even when stderr is TTY",
@@ -117,6 +122,7 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_AutoMode(t *testing.T) {
 			errIsTTY: true,
 			ansi:     "never",
 			wantType: "*display.plainWriter",
+			wantMode: display.ModePlain,
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -128,6 +134,8 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_AutoMode(t *testing.T) {
 			ep, err := selectEventProcessor(cli, "", tc.ansi, false)
 			assert.NilError(t, err)
 			assert.Equal(t, fmt.Sprintf("%T", ep), tc.wantType)
+			// the global must hold the mode actually rendered, never ModeAuto
+			assert.Equal(t, display.Mode, tc.wantMode)
 		})
 	}
 }
@@ -138,12 +146,14 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_ExplicitMode(t *testing.T) {
 		progress    string
 		ansi        string
 		wantType    string
+		wantMode    string
 		wantErrText string
 	}{
 		{
 			name:     "progress=tty forces Full regardless of streams",
 			progress: display.ModeTTY,
 			ansi:     "auto",
+			wantMode: display.ModeTTY,
 			wantType: "*display.ttyWriter",
 		},
 		{
@@ -156,6 +166,7 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_ExplicitMode(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "progress=plain forces Plain",
 			progress: display.ModePlain,
 			ansi:     "auto",
+			wantMode: display.ModePlain,
 			wantType: "*display.plainWriter",
 		},
 		{
@@ -168,18 +179,21 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_ExplicitMode(t *testing.T) {
 			name:     "progress=quiet returns Quiet",
 			progress: display.ModeQuiet,
 			ansi:     "auto",
+			wantMode: display.ModeQuiet,
 			wantType: "*display.quiet",
 		},
 		{
 			name:     `progress="none" aliases to Quiet`,
 			progress: "none",
 			ansi:     "auto",
+			wantMode: display.ModeQuiet,
 			wantType: "*display.quiet",
 		},
 		{
 			name:     "progress=json returns JSON",
 			progress: display.ModeJSON,
 			ansi:     "auto",
+			wantMode: display.ModeJSON,
 			wantType: "*display.jsonWriter",
 		},
 		{
@@ -204,6 +218,8 @@ func TestSelectEventProcessor_ExplicitMode(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			assert.NilError(t, err)
 			assert.Equal(t, fmt.Sprintf("%T", ep), tc.wantType)
+			// the global must hold the mode actually rendered, never ModeAuto
+			assert.Equal(t, display.Mode, tc.wantMode)
 		})
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cmd/compose/up.go b/cmd/compose/up.go
index 14e071ecbb..e69e455e27 100644
--- a/cmd/compose/up.go
+++ b/cmd/compose/up.go
@@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ func runUp(
 			WaitTimeout:    timeout,
 			Watch:          upOptions.watch,
 			Services:       services,
-			NavigationMenu: upOptions.navigationMenu && display.Mode != "plain" && dockerCli.In().IsTerminal(),
+			NavigationMenu: upOptions.navigationMenu && display.Mode != display.ModePlain && dockerCli.In().IsTerminal(),
 		},
 	})
 }
diff --git a/cmd/display/mode.go b/cmd/display/mode.go
index d66777b472..c8da90a21c 100644
--- a/cmd/display/mode.go
+++ b/cmd/display/mode.go
@@ -16,7 +16,13 @@
 
 package display
 
-// Mode define how progress should be rendered, either as ModePlain or ModeTTY
+// Mode is the effective progress rendering mode for the current command.
+//
+// It starts as ModeAuto and is resolved during command setup by
+// selectEventProcessor (cmd/compose), which assigns the mode matching the
+// renderer it returns — so code running after setup never observes ModeAuto.
+// The only other writers are the `--quiet` flags of `run` and `build`, which
+// force ModeQuiet from their PreRun hooks.
 var Mode = ModeAuto
 
 const (