diff --git a/src/Exceptions/DriverNotFoundException.php b/src/Exceptions/DriverNotFoundException.php
index 1ea354a..83d2995 100644
--- a/src/Exceptions/DriverNotFoundException.php
+++ b/src/Exceptions/DriverNotFoundException.php
@@ -10,10 +10,28 @@
 class DriverNotFoundException extends AetherException
 {
     /**
-     * Create an exception for an unknown driver name.
+     * Create an exception for a driver name a caller asked for explicitly.
+     *
+     * @param  list<string>  $available  The names that do resolve, so a typo is easy to spot.
      */
-    public static function forDriver(string $name): self
+    public static function forDriver(string $name, array $available = []): self
     {
-        return new self("Quantum driver [{$name}] is not registered. Check your 'aether.default' configuration.");
+        $known = $available === []
+            ? ''
+            : ' Registered drivers: '.implode(', ', array_map(static fn (string $driver): string => "'{$driver}'", $available)).'.';
+
+        return new self(
+            "Quantum driver [{$name}] is not registered.{$known} Register a custom one with Quantum::extend('{$name}', ...) or check the name for a typo."
+        );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create an exception for a default driver that resolves to nothing.
+     */
+    public static function forDefaultDriver(string $name): self
+    {
+        return new self(
+            "Quantum driver [{$name}] is configured as the default but is not registered. Check the 'aether.default' setting (AETHER_DRIVER) in config/aether.php, or register the driver with Quantum::extend()."
+        );
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/QuantumManager.php b/src/QuantumManager.php
index b288eaa..af74752 100644
--- a/src/QuantumManager.php
+++ b/src/QuantumManager.php
@@ -32,7 +32,11 @@ class QuantumManager extends Manager
      */
     public function getDefaultDriver(): string
     {
-        return $this->config->get('aether.default', 'local');
+        // A null or blank aether.default (an empty AETHER_DRIVER= line) must
+        // still resolve to a driver, not surface later as a TypeError.
+        $default = $this->config->get('aether.default');
+
+        return is_string($default) && $default !== '' ? $default : 'local';
     }
 
     /**
@@ -139,17 +143,39 @@ public function bridge(): PythonBridge
      */
     protected function createDriver($driver)
     {
-        if (isset($this->customCreators[$driver])) {
-            return $this->callCustomCreator($driver);
+        // Manager has already turned an enum into its value, which may be an int.
+        $name = (string) $driver;
+
+        if (isset($this->customCreators[$name])) {
+            return $this->callCustomCreator($name);
         }
 
-        $method = 'create'.Str::studly($driver).'Driver';
+        $method = 'create'.Str::studly($name).'Driver';
 
-        if (method_exists($this, $method)) {
+        if ($name !== '' && method_exists($this, $method)) {
             return $this->$method();
         }
 
-        throw DriverNotFoundException::forDriver($driver);
+        // Manager resolves a null argument to the default before calling us, so
+        // an unknown name that equals the default points at configuration; any
+        // other unknown name was asked for explicitly by the caller.
+        throw $name === $this->getDefaultDriver()
+            ? DriverNotFoundException::forDefaultDriver($name)
+            : DriverNotFoundException::forDriver($name, $this->availableDrivers());
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * The driver names that resolve today: the built-ins plus every extend()ed one.
+     *
+     * @return list<string>
+     */
+    private function availableDrivers(): array
+    {
+        return array_values(array_unique([
+            'local',
+            'aws',
+            ...array_map(strval(...), array_keys($this->customCreators)),
+        ]));
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/tests/Feature/QuantumManagerTest.php b/tests/Feature/QuantumManagerTest.php
index 0f99548..2b7a2a6 100644
--- a/tests/Feature/QuantumManagerTest.php
+++ b/tests/Feature/QuantumManagerTest.php
@@ -24,6 +24,54 @@
     expect(app(QuantumManager::class)->driver('aws'))->toBeInstanceOf(AwsBraketDriver::class);
 });
 
+it('blames the driver name, not the default setting, when an explicit driver is unknown', function () {
+    config(['aether.default' => 'local']);
+
+    try {
+        app(QuantumManager::class)->driver('ionq');
+        $this->fail('Expected DriverNotFoundException.');
+    } catch (DriverNotFoundException $e) {
+        expect($e->getMessage())
+            ->toContain("Quantum::extend('ionq'")
+            ->not->toContain('aether.default');
+    }
+});
+
+it('names the extended drivers in the message for an unknown explicit driver', function () {
+    $manager = app(QuantumManager::class);
+    $manager->extend('ionq', fn () => Mockery::mock(QuantumDevice::class));
+
+    try {
+        $manager->driver('ionk');
+        $this->fail('Expected DriverNotFoundException.');
+    } catch (DriverNotFoundException $e) {
+        expect($e->getMessage())->toContain("'ionq'");
+    }
+});
+
+it('falls back to the local driver when aether.default is null or blank', function (mixed $default) {
+    config(['aether.default' => $default]);
+
+    expect(app(QuantumManager::class)->driver())->toBeInstanceOf(LocalSimulatorDriver::class);
+})->with(['null' => [null], 'blank' => ['']]);
+
+it('still throws DriverNotFoundException for an unknown driver when aether.default is null', function () {
+    config(['aether.default' => null]);
+
+    expect(fn () => app(QuantumManager::class)->driver('ionq'))->toThrow(DriverNotFoundException::class);
+});
+
+it('blames the aether.default setting when the configured default driver is unknown', function () {
+    config(['aether.default' => 'ionq']);
+
+    try {
+        app(QuantumManager::class)->driver();
+        $this->fail('Expected DriverNotFoundException.');
+    } catch (DriverNotFoundException $e) {
+        expect($e->getMessage())->toContain('aether.default');
+    }
+});
+
 it('throws DriverNotFoundException for unknown driver', function () {
     app(QuantumManager::class)->driver('unknown');
 })->throws(DriverNotFoundException::class);
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Exceptions/ExceptionHierarchyTest.php b/tests/Unit/Exceptions/ExceptionHierarchyTest.php
index 10064e7..74e9176 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Exceptions/ExceptionHierarchyTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Exceptions/ExceptionHierarchyTest.php
@@ -77,11 +77,30 @@
     expect(is_subclass_of(DriverNotFoundException::class, AetherException::class))->toBeTrue();
 });
 
-it('for driver includes driver name', function (): void {
+it('for driver includes driver name and points at registration, not at the default setting', function (): void {
     $exception = DriverNotFoundException::forDriver('braket');
 
     expect($exception)->toBeInstanceOf(DriverNotFoundException::class);
-    expect($exception->getMessage())->toContain('braket');
+    expect($exception->getMessage())
+        ->toContain('braket')
+        ->toContain("Quantum::extend('braket'")
+        ->not->toContain('aether.default');
+});
+
+it('for driver lists the registered drivers when given', function (): void {
+    $exception = DriverNotFoundException::forDriver('ionk', ['local', 'aws', 'ionq']);
+
+    expect($exception->getMessage())->toContain("Registered drivers: 'local', 'aws', 'ionq'.");
+});
+
+it('for default driver points at the aether.default setting', function (): void {
+    $exception = DriverNotFoundException::forDefaultDriver('braket');
+
+    expect($exception)->toBeInstanceOf(DriverNotFoundException::class);
+    expect($exception->getMessage())
+        ->toContain('braket')
+        ->toContain('aether.default')
+        ->toContain('AETHER_DRIVER');
 });
 
 // -------------------------------------------------------------------------