diff --git a/artifactory/commands/setup/setup.go b/artifactory/commands/setup/setup.go
index 85651aa6..04d6ab62 100644
--- a/artifactory/commands/setup/setup.go
+++ b/artifactory/commands/setup/setup.go
@@ -143,12 +143,36 @@ func (sc *SetupCommand) SetProjectKey(projectKey string) *SetupCommand {
 	return sc
 }
 
+// validateRepoExistsFn is overridable so tests can stub out the network call.
+var validateRepoExistsFn = validateRepoExists
+
+// validateRepoExists checks that the repository explicitly requested via --repo exists in Artifactory,
+// so that a bad repo name fails fast with a clear error instead of surfacing later as a confusing
+// package-manager-specific failure.
+func validateRepoExists(sc *SetupCommand) error {
+	serviceDetails, err := sc.serverDetails.CreateArtAuthConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return utils.ValidateRepoExists(sc.repoName, serviceDetails)
+}
+
 // Run executes the configuration method corresponding to the package manager specified for the command.
 func (sc *SetupCommand) Run() (err error) {
 	if !IsSupportedPackageManager(sc.packageManager) {
 		return errorutils.CheckErrorf("unsupported package manager: %s", sc.packageManager)
 	}
 
+	// Validate the explicitly provided repository up front. This runs inside Run() (rather than in the
+	// CLI layer before Run() is invoked) so that every return path from here on is covered by the single
+	// usage-report call site in commands.Exec/ExecWithPackageManager - no separate reporting is needed
+	// for this failure.
+	if sc.repoName != "" {
+		if err = validateRepoExistsFn(sc); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
 	// If the repository name is not provided, and the package manager is not Docker or Podman, prompt the user to select a repository.
 	// Docker and Podman do not require a repository name as they authenticate directly with the platform and require the repository name as part of the image name.
 	if sc.repoName == "" && sc.packageManager != project.Docker && sc.packageManager != project.Podman {
diff --git a/artifactory/commands/setup/setup_test.go b/artifactory/commands/setup/setup_test.go
index c02ec8d2..1edcb004 100644
--- a/artifactory/commands/setup/setup_test.go
+++ b/artifactory/commands/setup/setup_test.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/jfrog/jfrog-cli-core/v2/utils/coreutils"
 	"github.com/jfrog/jfrog-cli-core/v2/utils/ioutils"
 	"github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/auth"
+	"github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/utils/errorutils"
 	"github.com/jfrog/jfrog-client-go/utils/io"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
@@ -29,6 +30,18 @@ const (
 	goProxyEnv = "GOPROXY"
 )
 
+// TestMain stubs out validateRepoExistsFn for every test in this package, since
+// createTestSetupCommand points serverDetails at a fake host (acme.jfrog.io)
+// that can't answer a real repo-existence check. Tests that specifically want
+// to exercise validateRepoExists restore the real function for their own scope.
+func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
+	realValidateRepoExistsFn := validateRepoExistsFn
+	validateRepoExistsFn = func(*SetupCommand) error { return nil }
+	code := m.Run()
+	validateRepoExistsFn = realValidateRepoExistsFn
+	os.Exit(code)
+}
+
 // testCredential returns a fake JWT-like string for testing. NOT a real credential.
 func testCredential() string {
 	// Construct fake JWT parts separately to avoid secret detection
@@ -67,6 +80,21 @@ func createTestSetupCommand(packageManager project.ProjectType) *SetupCommand {
 	return cmd
 }
 
+// TestSetupCommand_RepoValidationFailure verifies that Run() returns the repo-validation
+// error immediately, before attempting any package-manager-specific configuration.
+func TestSetupCommand_RepoValidationFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	realValidateRepoExistsFn := validateRepoExistsFn
+	defer func() { validateRepoExistsFn = realValidateRepoExistsFn }()
+
+	expectedErr := errorutils.CheckErrorf("the repository 'test-repo' does not exist")
+	validateRepoExistsFn = func(*SetupCommand) error { return expectedErr }
+
+	cmd := createTestSetupCommand(project.Npm)
+	err := cmd.Run()
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, expectedErr, err)
+}
+
 func TestSetupCommand_NotSupported(t *testing.T) {
 	notSupportedLoginCmd := createTestSetupCommand(project.Cocoapods)
 	err := notSupportedLoginCmd.Run()