diff --git a/weed/command/mini.go b/weed/command/mini.go
index a7a0ba01a..a02d40e7d 100644
--- a/weed/command/mini.go
+++ b/weed/command/mini.go
@@ -1344,6 +1344,10 @@ func runMini(cmd *Command, args []string) bool {
 	tableBucketSpec := *miniTableBucket
 	if tableBucketSpec == "" {
 		tableBucketSpec = os.Getenv("S3_TABLE_BUCKET")
+	} else if os.Getenv("S3_TABLE_BUCKET") == "" {
+		// The catalog routes unprefixed requests to the first S3_TABLE_BUCKET
+		// entry; let the -tableBucket flag mean the same thing.
+		os.Setenv("S3_TABLE_BUCKET", tableBucketSpec)
 	}
 	if err := ensureMiniTableBuckets(tableBucketSpec); err != nil {
 		glog.Warningf("failed to ensure table buckets %q: %v", tableBucketSpec, err)
diff --git a/weed/s3api/iceberg/iceberg_issue_9103_test.go b/weed/s3api/iceberg/iceberg_issue_9103_test.go
index 555d09c9e..760dd4871 100644
--- a/weed/s3api/iceberg/iceberg_issue_9103_test.go
+++ b/weed/s3api/iceberg/iceberg_issue_9103_test.go
@@ -81,3 +81,25 @@ func TestBuildFileIOConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+func TestGetBucketFromPrefix_TableBucketEnvFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	r := httptest.NewRequest("GET", "/v1/namespaces", nil)
+
+	t.Setenv("S3_TABLE_BUCKET", " ,analytics, other")
+	if got := getBucketFromPrefix(r); got != "analytics" {
+		t.Fatalf("first S3_TABLE_BUCKET entry: got %q, want analytics", got)
+	}
+
+	// The explicit default still wins over the table bucket list.
+	t.Setenv("S3TABLES_DEFAULT_BUCKET", "explicit")
+	if got := getBucketFromPrefix(r); got != "explicit" {
+		t.Fatalf("S3TABLES_DEFAULT_BUCKET override: got %q, want explicit", got)
+	}
+
+	// A prefixless value with neither env set falls through to the default.
+	t.Setenv("S3TABLES_DEFAULT_BUCKET", "")
+	t.Setenv("S3_TABLE_BUCKET", " , ")
+	if got := getBucketFromPrefix(r); got != "warehouse" {
+		t.Fatalf("empty specs: got %q, want warehouse", got)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/weed/s3api/iceberg/utils.go b/weed/s3api/iceberg/utils.go
index 84f02c47a..266d975e3 100644
--- a/weed/s3api/iceberg/utils.go
+++ b/weed/s3api/iceberg/utils.go
@@ -236,6 +236,14 @@ func getBucketFromPrefix(r *http.Request) string {
 	if bucket := os.Getenv("S3TABLES_DEFAULT_BUCKET"); bucket != "" {
 		return bucket
 	}
+	// Some writers commit to the unprefixed path even though their reads
+	// honor the /v1/config prefix; the deployment's first table bucket is
+	// where those commits belong.
+	for _, name := range strings.Split(os.Getenv("S3_TABLE_BUCKET"), ",") {
+		if name = strings.TrimSpace(name); name != "" {
+			return name
+		}
+	}
 	// Default bucket if no prefix - use "warehouse" for Iceberg
 	return "warehouse"
 }