diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 75c356d..7f7b50f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ All notable changes to **basou** are recorded here. The project follows
   without opening a browser or reading the config file by hand. It reads only
   the config and probes existence + `.basou` presence — it never runs the
   `basou view --check` redundancy/footprint safety preflight, which stays its
-  own surface.
+  own surface. Both `basou portfolio` and `basou portfolio list` list; passing
+  `--check` (which belongs to `basou view`) prints a pointer to
+  `basou view --portfolio --check` instead of a bare `unknown option` error.
 
 ## 0.34.0 — 2026-07-14
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.test.ts
index 7dfc782..62bbff3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.test.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   type PortfolioListContext,
   type PortfolioListResult,
   renderPortfolioList,
+  runPortfolioCommand,
   runPortfolioList,
 } from "./portfolio.js";
 
@@ -122,6 +123,53 @@ describe("doRunPortfolioList", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("runPortfolioCommand", () => {
+  it("lists on the bare invocation (action undefined) and on the explicit `list`", async () => {
+    const a = join(getDir(), "alpha-planning");
+    const configPath = await writeConfig(`workspaces:\n  - path: ${a}\n    label: alpha\n`);
+    const ctx: PortfolioListContext = {
+      configPath,
+      pathExists: () => true,
+      isInitialized: () => true,
+    };
+    for (const action of [undefined, "list"] as const) {
+      const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+      await runPortfolioCommand(action, {}, ctx);
+      expect(log.mock.calls[0]?.[0]).toContain("# Portfolio (workspaces you orient across)");
+      log.mockRestore();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("redirects --check to `basou view --portfolio --check` (exit 1, never lists or reads the config)", async () => {
+    const prevExit = process.exitCode;
+    const err = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+    try {
+      // configPath points nowhere: a working redirect must short-circuit before any read.
+      await runPortfolioCommand(undefined, { check: true }, { configPath: "/nope/nope.yaml" });
+      expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+      expect(err).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringMatching(/basou view --portfolio --check/));
+      expect(log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally {
+      process.exitCode = prevExit;
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an unknown action with a pointer (exit 1, never lists or reads the config)", async () => {
+    const prevExit = process.exitCode;
+    const err = vi.spyOn(console, "error").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+    const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+    try {
+      await runPortfolioCommand("bogus", {}, { configPath: "/nope/nope.yaml" });
+      expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+      expect(err).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.stringMatching(/Unknown portfolio action 'bogus'/));
+      expect(log).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally {
+      process.exitCode = prevExit;
+    }
+  });
+});
+
 describe("renderPortfolioList", () => {
   it("marks a healthy master as initialized", () => {
     const out = renderPortfolioList({
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.ts
index a804fb5..819a19d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/portfolio.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ export type PortfolioListOptions = {
   verbose?: boolean;
 };
 
+/** Options for the `basou portfolio` command surface: the list options plus the `--check` redirect flag. */
+export type PortfolioCommandOptions = PortfolioListOptions & {
+  /** Set by the natural `basou portfolio --check` mistake; prints a pointer to `basou view --portfolio --check`. */
+  check?: boolean;
+};
+
 /**
  * Injectable seams for {@link doRunPortfolioList} so tests stay hermetic: the
  * config path to read, and the two on-disk probes (existence and `.basou`
@@ -63,10 +69,23 @@ export function registerPortfolioCommand(program: Command): void {
     .description(
       "List the workspaces you orient across (read-only): every planning master registered in ~/.basou/portfolio.yaml, with its path and whether it exists / is initialized. The headless text/JSON counterpart to the `basou view --portfolio` GUI — for discovering where a sibling project lives without opening a browser",
     )
+    // Accept the explicit `list` spelling as an alias for the bare command, so
+    // both `basou portfolio` and `basou portfolio list` work (an agent reaching
+    // for a `list` sub-verb should not hit a `too many arguments` foot-gun). Any
+    // other word is a typo — rejected with a pointer, not silently listed.
+    .argument("[action]", "optional literal `list` (the only, and default, action)")
     .option("--json", "Output the result as JSON")
+    // `--check` belongs to `basou view` (the redundancy/footprint safety
+    // preflight). It is declared here ONLY to turn the natural `basou portfolio
+    // --check` mistake into a pointer instead of a bare `unknown option` error;
+    // it never runs a preflight (the scope boundary vs `view --check` holds).
+    .option(
+      "--check",
+      "moved: the redundancy/footprint safety preflight is `basou view --portfolio --check` (this prints that pointer and exits)",
+    )
     .option("-v, --verbose", "Show error causes")
-    .action(async (opts: PortfolioListOptions) => {
-      await runPortfolioList(opts);
+    .action(async (action: string | undefined, opts: PortfolioCommandOptions) => {
+      await runPortfolioCommand(action, opts);
     });
 }
 
@@ -79,6 +98,36 @@ function isDirectory(path: string): boolean {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Dispatch the `basou portfolio [action]` surface. Bare and the explicit `list`
+ * spelling both list; `--check` is redirected to `basou view --portfolio
+ * --check` (this command never runs the preflight); any other action word is a
+ * typo, rejected with a pointer. Non-list branches write to stderr and set
+ * exitCode 1 (the CLI's usage-error convention, matching commander's own
+ * unknown-option/argument exit) rather than throwing.
+ */
+export async function runPortfolioCommand(
+  action: string | undefined,
+  options: PortfolioCommandOptions,
+  ctx: PortfolioListContext = {},
+): Promise<void> {
+  if (options.check === true) {
+    console.error(
+      "`basou portfolio` is a read-only listing; it has no safety preflight.\nRun `basou view --portfolio --check` for the redundancy/footprint check.",
+    );
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+    return;
+  }
+  if (action !== undefined && action !== "list") {
+    console.error(
+      `Unknown portfolio action '${action}'. Run \`basou portfolio\` or \`basou portfolio list\` to list the registered workspaces.`,
+    );
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+    return;
+  }
+  await runPortfolioList(options, ctx);
+}
+
 /** Programmatic entry that owns `process.exitCode`. Tests prefer {@link doRunPortfolioList}. */
 export async function runPortfolioList(
   options: PortfolioListOptions,