diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index bd1f292cd7..4867710b12 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/Microsoft/go-winio v0.6.3-0.20251027160822-ad3df93bed29
 	github.com/acarl005/stripansi v0.0.0-20180116102854-5a71ef0e047d
 	github.com/buger/goterm v1.0.4
-	github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.0
+	github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.1-0.20260825154407-6c1c2d727681
 	github.com/containerd/console v1.0.5
 	github.com/containerd/containerd/v2 v2.3.3
 	github.com/containerd/errdefs v1.0.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 97d942f32c..5266c37f7d 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -110,8 +110,8 @@ github.com/cloudflare/circl v1.6.3 h1:9GPOhQGF9MCYUeXyMYlqTR6a5gTrgR/fBLXvUgtVcg
 github.com/cloudflare/circl v1.6.3/go.mod h1:2eXP6Qfat4O/Yhh8BznvKnJ+uzEoTQ6jVKJRn81BiS4=
 github.com/codahale/rfc6979 v0.0.0-20141003034818-6a90f24967eb h1:EDmT6Q9Zs+SbUoc7Ik9EfrFqcylYqgPZ9ANSbTAntnE=
 github.com/codahale/rfc6979 v0.0.0-20141003034818-6a90f24967eb/go.mod h1:ZjrT6AXHbDs86ZSdt/osfBi5qfexBrKUdONk989Wnk4=
-github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.0 h1:uaJeo5B3+OVlu+Rx2qLBcAdXPEUUzm5nQrRiGJafRAQ=
-github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.0/go.mod h1:ZU6zlcweCZKyiB7BVfCizQT9XmkEIMFE+PRZydVcsZg=
+github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.1-0.20260825154407-6c1c2d727681 h1:jqD2pgesJ/zRJwgaefxuSuT+/TGUlarjB93Zde40UtI=
+github.com/compose-spec/compose-go/v2 v2.14.1-0.20260825154407-6c1c2d727681/go.mod h1:ZU6zlcweCZKyiB7BVfCizQT9XmkEIMFE+PRZydVcsZg=
 github.com/containerd/cgroups/v3 v3.1.3 h1:eUNflyMddm18+yrDmZPn3jI7C5hJ9ahABE5q6dyLYXQ=
 github.com/containerd/cgroups/v3 v3.1.3/go.mod h1:PKZ2AcWmSBsY/tJUVhtS/rluX0b1uq1GmPO1ElCmbOw=
 github.com/containerd/console v1.0.5 h1:R0ymNeydRqH2DmakFNdmjR2k0t7UPuiOV/N/27/qqsc=
diff --git a/pkg/compose/create.go b/pkg/compose/create.go
index c52c2e5863..a8c0371812 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/create.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/create.go
@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ func (s *composeService) create(ctx context.Context, project *types.Project, opt
 		options.Services = project.ServiceNames()
 	}
 
+	// resolve the model once: optional depends_on references left dangling by
+	// profiles or service selection are pruned before anything (dependency
+	// graph, container labels) reads them
+	project = project.WithoutUnresolvedOptionalDependencies()
+
 	err := project.CheckContainerNameUnicity()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/pkg/compose/dependencies.go b/pkg/compose/dependencies.go
index 215e92a3c0..a502b4645c 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/dependencies.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/dependencies.go
@@ -247,7 +247,11 @@ func (v *Vertex) GetChildren() []*Vertex {
 	return res
 }
 
-// NewGraph returns the dependency graph of the services
+// NewGraph returns the dependency graph of the services. It never modifies
+// the project: an optional (required: false) dependency on a service absent
+// from the model simply contributes no edge; pruning such references from
+// the model itself is the caller's explicit decision — see
+// Project.WithoutUnresolvedOptionalDependencies.
 func NewGraph(project *types.Project, initialStatus ServiceStatus) (*Graph, error) {
 	graph := &Graph{
 		lock:     sync.RWMutex{},
@@ -258,13 +262,11 @@ func NewGraph(project *types.Project, initialStatus ServiceStatus) (*Graph, erro
 		graph.AddVertex(s.Name, s.Name, initialStatus)
 	}
 
-	for index, s := range project.Services {
+	for _, s := range project.Services {
 		for _, name := range s.GetDependencies() {
 			err := graph.AddEdge(s.Name, name)
 			if err != nil {
 				if !s.DependsOn[name].Required {
-					delete(s.DependsOn, name)
-					project.Services[index] = s
 					continue
 				}
 				if api.IsNotFoundError(err) {
diff --git a/pkg/compose/dependencies_test.go b/pkg/compose/dependencies_test.go
index 947a9bd4a3..74b22f583b 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/dependencies_test.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/dependencies_test.go
@@ -323,6 +323,40 @@ func TestBuildGraphDependsOn(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// NewGraph must never rewrite the project it reads: pruning unresolved
+// optional dependencies is an explicit, separate step. Building a graph any
+// number of times leaves the model byte-identical, so what later readers
+// (dependency waits, container labels) observe no longer depends on how many
+// graphs were built before them.
+func TestNewGraphDoesNotMutateProject(t *testing.T) {
+	project := &types.Project{
+		Services: types.Services{
+			"app": {
+				Name: "app",
+				DependsOn: types.DependsOnConfig{
+					"db":    {Condition: types.ServiceConditionStarted, Required: true},
+					"debug": {Condition: types.ServiceConditionStarted, Required: false},
+				},
+			},
+			"db": {Name: "db"},
+		},
+		DisabledServices: types.Services{
+			"debug": {Name: "debug", Profiles: []string{"debug"}},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for range 2 {
+		graph, err := NewGraph(project, ServiceStopped)
+		assert.NilError(t, err)
+		// the unresolved optional dependency contributes no edge...
+		assert.Equal(t, len(graph.Vertices["app"].Children), 1)
+		// ...but stays in the model
+		assert.Equal(t, len(project.Services["app"].DependsOn), 2)
+		_, ok := project.Services["app"].DependsOn["debug"]
+		assert.Check(t, ok)
+	}
+}
+
 func isVertexEqual(a, b Vertex) bool {
 	childrenEquality := true
 	for c := range a.Children {
diff --git a/pkg/compose/start.go b/pkg/compose/start.go
index 8af52e97c1..302fb5885b 100644
--- a/pkg/compose/start.go
+++ b/pkg/compose/start.go
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ func (s *composeService) start(ctx context.Context, projectName string, options
 			return err
 		}
 	}
+	// resolve the model once: optional depends_on references left dangling by
+	// profiles or service selection are pruned before the dependency graph
+	// and the dependency waits read them
+	project = project.WithoutUnresolvedOptionalDependencies()
 
 	res, err := s.apiClient().ContainerList(ctx, client.ContainerListOptions{
 		Filters: projectFilter(project.Name).Add("label", oneOffFilter(false)),