diff --git a/internal/webhooksync/service.go b/internal/webhooksync/service.go
index 596dcaf7..db2b7cb2 100644
--- a/internal/webhooksync/service.go
+++ b/internal/webhooksync/service.go
@@ -255,18 +255,16 @@ func (s *Service) ProcessWebhook(ctx context.Context, secret string, r *http.Req
 		slog.Warn("webhook sync: failed to upsert seen external user", "connection_id", conn.ID, "external_user_id", event.UserID, "error", err)
 	}
 
-	profileID := conn.DefaultProfileID
 	if mapping, err := s.repo.GetMappingByUser(ctx, conn.ID, event.UserID); err != nil {
 		return s.failWebhook(ctx, conn.ID, result, err, "Failed to resolve profile mapping")
-	} else if mapping != nil && mapping.SiloProfileID != nil && *mapping.SiloProfileID != "" {
-		profileID = *mapping.SiloProfileID
-	}
-	result.ProfileID = profileID
-	if profileID == "" {
+	} else if profileID, ok := resolveWebhookProfileID(mapping); ok {
+		result.ProfileID = profileID
+	} else {
 		result.Outcome = OutcomeSkipped
-		result.Summary = "Skipped because no default or user-specific profile is configured"
+		result.Summary = "Skipped because external user is not linked to a Silo profile"
 		return result, nil
 	}
+	profileID := result.ProfileID
 
 	record := event.Record.toHistoryImportRecord()
 	match, _, err := s.matcher.Match(ctx, record)
@@ -432,6 +430,13 @@ func shouldSkipEvent(state *ItemState, event *CanonicalEvent) bool {
 	return true
 }
 
+func resolveWebhookProfileID(mapping *ProfileMapping) (string, bool) {
+	if mapping == nil || mapping.SiloProfileID == nil || strings.TrimSpace(*mapping.SiloProfileID) == "" {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	return *mapping.SiloProfileID, true
+}
+
 func buildWebhookURL(baseURL, secret string) string {
 	if baseURL == "" {
 		return webhookSyncPathPrefix + secret
diff --git a/internal/webhooksync/service_test.go b/internal/webhooksync/service_test.go
index e2e0ecf0..ff0ca492 100644
--- a/internal/webhooksync/service_test.go
+++ b/internal/webhooksync/service_test.go
@@ -42,6 +42,52 @@ func TestBuildWebhookURL(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestResolveWebhookProfileRequiresExplicitMapping(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	linkedProfileID := "linked-profile"
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		name    string
+		mapping *ProfileMapping
+		want    string
+		wantOK  bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "missing mapping is skipped",
+			wantOK: false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "unmapped external user is skipped",
+			mapping: &ProfileMapping{},
+			wantOK:  false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "empty profile mapping is skipped",
+			mapping: &ProfileMapping{SiloProfileID: ptrString("")},
+			wantOK:  false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:    "explicit profile mapping is used",
+			mapping: &ProfileMapping{SiloProfileID: &linkedProfileID},
+			want:    linkedProfileID,
+			wantOK:  true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		tc := tc
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Parallel()
+
+			got, ok := resolveWebhookProfileID(tc.mapping)
+			if ok != tc.wantOK || got != tc.want {
+				t.Fatalf("resolveWebhookProfileID() = (%q, %v), want (%q, %v)", got, ok, tc.want, tc.wantOK)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFilterDiscoveredAccounts(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -82,3 +128,7 @@ func TestFilterDiscoveredAccountsFallsBackWhenFlagsMissing(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("unexpected fallback accounts: %#v", filtered)
 	}
 }
+
+func ptrString(value string) *string {
+	return &value
+}
diff --git a/web/src/pages/settings/WebhookSyncSettings.tsx b/web/src/pages/settings/WebhookSyncSettings.tsx
index d85f2dab..b34fda51 100644
--- a/web/src/pages/settings/WebhookSyncSettings.tsx
+++ b/web/src/pages/settings/WebhookSyncSettings.tsx
@@ -678,7 +678,7 @@ export default function WebhookSyncSettings() {
           <div className="min-w-0 space-y-0.5">
             <Label className="text-sm font-medium">Default profile</Label>
             <p className="text-muted-foreground text-[13px] leading-relaxed">
-              Activity from unmapped users goes to this profile.
+              The signed-in external user is linked to this profile when the connection is created.
             </p>
           </div>
           <Select
@@ -894,7 +894,7 @@ export default function WebhookSyncSettings() {
                             <SelectValue placeholder="Choose a profile" />
                           </SelectTrigger>
                           <SelectContent>
-                            <SelectItem value={UNMAPPED_VALUE}>No fallback profile</SelectItem>
+                            <SelectItem value={UNMAPPED_VALUE}>No default profile</SelectItem>
                             {profiles.map((candidate) => (
                               <SelectItem key={candidate.id} value={candidate.id}>
                                 {candidate.name}
@@ -941,8 +941,7 @@ export default function WebhookSyncSettings() {
                     <div className="space-y-0.5">
                       <Label className="text-sm font-medium">Profile mapping</Label>
                       <p className="text-muted-foreground text-[13px] leading-relaxed">
-                        Map each external user to a Silo profile. Unmapped users fall back to the
-                        default profile above.
+                        Map each external user to a Silo profile. Unmapped users are ignored.
                       </p>
                     </div>
 
@@ -987,7 +986,7 @@ export default function WebhookSyncSettings() {
                                 <SelectValue placeholder="Choose a profile" />
                               </SelectTrigger>
                               <SelectContent>
-                                <SelectItem value={UNMAPPED_VALUE}>Use default profile</SelectItem>
+                                <SelectItem value={UNMAPPED_VALUE}>Ignore this user</SelectItem>
                                 {profiles.map((candidate) => (
                                   <SelectItem key={candidate.id} value={candidate.id}>
                                     {candidate.name}