diff --git a/src/claude_agent_sdk/_internal/query.py b/src/claude_agent_sdk/_internal/query.py
index 7a4f8a447..af97a5168 100644
--- a/src/claude_agent_sdk/_internal/query.py
+++ b/src/claude_agent_sdk/_internal/query.py
@@ -303,8 +303,16 @@ async def _read_messages(self) -> None:
                     self._first_result_event.set()
                     if message.get("is_error"):
                         errors = message.get("errors") or []
-                        self._last_error_result_text = "; ".join(errors) or str(
-                            message.get("subtype", "unknown error")
+                        # Prefer the joined errors[] list, then the
+                        # human-readable "result" field, before falling back to
+                        # the subtype. For some API-level errors (e.g.
+                        # model_not_found) errors[] is empty and subtype is
+                        # "success", which would otherwise produce the
+                        # contradictory "returned an error result: success".
+                        self._last_error_result_text = (
+                            "; ".join(errors)
+                            or message.get("result")
+                            or str(message.get("subtype", "unknown error"))
                         )
                     else:
                         self._last_error_result_text = None
diff --git a/tests/test_query.py b/tests/test_query.py
index 3ae65093d..b946c3950 100644
--- a/tests/test_query.py
+++ b/tests/test_query.py
@@ -1059,6 +1059,44 @@ async def _test():
 
         anyio.run(_test)
 
+    def test_process_error_empty_errors_uses_result_field_not_subtype(self):
+        """Regression for #1031: when errors[] is empty but the result carries
+        a human-readable "result" field (e.g. a model_not_found 404 where the
+        protocol-level subtype is "success"), surface the result text instead
+        of the misleading "Claude Code returned an error result: success"."""
+
+        async def _test():
+            transport = self._make_transport_then_raise(
+                messages=[
+                    self._error_result(
+                        subtype="success",
+                        errors=[],
+                        result=(
+                            "There's an issue with the selected model "
+                            "(nonexistent-model). It may not exist or you may "
+                            "not have access to it."
+                        ),
+                        api_error_status=404,
+                    )
+                ],
+                exc=ProcessError(
+                    "Command failed with exit code 1", exit_code=1, stderr=""
+                ),
+            )
+            q = Query(transport=transport, is_streaming_mode=True)
+            await q.start()
+
+            with pytest.raises(
+                Exception,
+                match=r"Claude Code returned an error result: There's an issue "
+                r"with the selected model \(nonexistent-model\)\.",
+            ):
+                async for _ in q.receive_messages():
+                    pass
+            await q.close()
+
+        anyio.run(_test)
+
     def test_process_error_without_result_keeps_original_message(self):
         async def _test():
             transport = self._make_transport_then_raise(