diff --git a/airbyte/sources/base.py b/airbyte/sources/base.py
index dbd90a1ec..07096eec6 100644
--- a/airbyte/sources/base.py
+++ b/airbyte/sources/base.py
@@ -455,14 +455,14 @@ def _get_sync_mode(stream: AirbyteStream) -> SyncMode:
             # Use getattr to handle mocks or streams without supported_sync_modes attribute
             supported_modes = getattr(stream, "supported_sync_modes", None)
 
-            if force_full_refresh:
-                # When force_full_refresh is True, prefer full_refresh if supported
-                if supported_modes and SyncMode.full_refresh in supported_modes:
-                    return SyncMode.full_refresh
-                # Fall back to incremental if full_refresh is not supported
-                return SyncMode.incremental
-
-            # Default behavior: preserve previous semantics (always incremental)
+            if (
+                supported_modes
+                and SyncMode.full_refresh in supported_modes
+                and (force_full_refresh or SyncMode.incremental not in supported_modes)
+            ):
+                return SyncMode.full_refresh
+
+            # Prefer incremental unless full_refresh is required or explicitly requested.
             return SyncMode.incremental
 
         return ConfiguredAirbyteCatalog(
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/sources/test_source_sync_modes.py b/tests/unit_tests/sources/test_source_sync_modes.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..00deb2832
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/sources/test_source_sync_modes.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2023 Airbyte, Inc., all rights reserved.
+"""Catalog sync modes must respect the stream's advertised capabilities."""
+
+from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
+
+import pytest
+from airbyte.sources.base import Source
+from airbyte_protocol.models import AirbyteCatalog, AirbyteStream, SyncMode
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "supported_modes,force_full_refresh,expected_mode",
+    [
+        pytest.param(
+            [SyncMode.full_refresh], False, SyncMode.full_refresh, id="full-only"
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            [SyncMode.incremental], False, SyncMode.incremental, id="incremental-only"
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            [SyncMode.full_refresh, SyncMode.incremental],
+            False,
+            SyncMode.incremental,
+            id="prefer-incremental",
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            [SyncMode.full_refresh], True, SyncMode.full_refresh, id="force-full-only"
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            [SyncMode.incremental],
+            True,
+            SyncMode.incremental,
+            id="force-incremental-only",
+        ),
+        pytest.param(
+            [SyncMode.full_refresh, SyncMode.incremental],
+            True,
+            SyncMode.full_refresh,
+            id="force-prefer-full",
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_configured_catalog_respects_supported_sync_modes(
+    supported_modes: list[SyncMode],
+    force_full_refresh: bool,
+    expected_mode: SyncMode,
+) -> None:
+    """A full-refresh-only stream must never be configured as incremental."""
+    discovered_catalog = AirbyteCatalog(
+        streams=[
+            AirbyteStream(
+                name="records",
+                json_schema={"type": "object", "properties": {}},
+                supported_sync_modes=supported_modes,
+            )
+        ]
+    )
+    source = Source(executor=Mock(), name="source-test")
+
+    with patch.object(Source, "_discover", return_value=discovered_catalog):
+        configured_catalog = source.get_configured_catalog(
+            force_full_refresh=force_full_refresh
+        )
+
+    assert configured_catalog.streams[0].sync_mode == expected_mode