diff --git a/src/Controller/Admin/QueueController.php b/src/Controller/Admin/QueueController.php
index fd7bb282..10c201cf 100644
--- a/src/Controller/Admin/QueueController.php
+++ b/src/Controller/Admin/QueueController.php
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 use Queue\Queue\AddFromBackendInterface;
 use Queue\Queue\AddInterface;
 use Queue\Queue\TaskFinder;
+use Queue\Queue\TaskMetadata;
 
 /**
  * @property \Queue\Model\Table\QueuedJobsTable $QueuedJobs
@@ -66,9 +67,7 @@ public function index() {
 
 		$taskDescriptions = [];
 		foreach ($tasks as $task => $className) {
-			/** @var \Queue\Queue\Task $taskObject */
-			$taskObject = new $className();
-			$taskDescriptions[$task] = $taskObject->description();
+			$taskDescriptions[$task] = TaskMetadata::fromClass($className)->description;
 		}
 
 		$servers = $QueueProcesses->serverList();
@@ -132,8 +131,8 @@ public function addJob() {
 			throw new NotFoundException('Class not found for job `' . $job . '`');
 		}
 
-		$object = new $className();
-		if ($object instanceof AddInterface) {
+		if (is_subclass_of($className, AddInterface::class)) {
+			$object = new $className();
 			$object->add(null);
 		} else {
 			$this->QueuedJobs->createJob($job);
diff --git a/src/Queue/Config.php b/src/Queue/Config.php
index 3bc3d32c..e72ec457 100644
--- a/src/Queue/Config.php
+++ b/src/Queue/Config.php
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ public static function ignoredTasks(): array {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * @param array<string> $tasks
+	 * @param array<string, class-string<\Queue\Queue\Task>> $tasks
 	 *
 	 * @throws \RuntimeException
 	 *
@@ -134,13 +134,12 @@ public static function taskConfig(array $tasks): array {
 		foreach ($tasks as $task => $className) {
 			[$pluginName, $taskName] = pluginSplit($task);
 
-			/** @var \Queue\Queue\Task $taskObject */
-			$taskObject = new $className();
+			$taskMeta = TaskMetadata::fromClass($className);
 
 			// Get task-specific config overrides from Configure
 			$taskConfig = $taskOverrides[$task] ?? [];
 
-			$taskTimeout = $taskConfig['timeout'] ?? $taskObject->timeout ?? $defaultTimeout;
+			$taskTimeout = $taskConfig['timeout'] ?? $taskMeta->timeout ?? $defaultTimeout;
 
 			// Auto-cap task timeout to defaultRequeueTimeout to prevent duplicate execution
 			if ($taskTimeout > $defaultTimeout) {
@@ -151,12 +150,10 @@ public static function taskConfig(array $tasks): array {
 			$config[$task]['name'] = $taskName;
 			$config[$task]['plugin'] = $pluginName;
 			$config[$task]['timeout'] = $taskTimeout;
-			$config[$task]['retries'] = $taskConfig['retries'] ?? $taskObject->retries ?? static::defaultworkerretries();
-			$config[$task]['rate'] = $taskConfig['rate'] ?? $taskObject->rate;
-			$config[$task]['costs'] = $taskConfig['costs'] ?? $taskObject->costs;
-			$config[$task]['unique'] = $taskConfig['unique'] ?? $taskObject->unique;
-
-			unset($taskObject);
+			$config[$task]['retries'] = $taskConfig['retries'] ?? $taskMeta->retries ?? static::defaultworkerretries();
+			$config[$task]['rate'] = $taskConfig['rate'] ?? $taskMeta->rate;
+			$config[$task]['costs'] = $taskConfig['costs'] ?? $taskMeta->costs;
+			$config[$task]['unique'] = $taskConfig['unique'] ?? $taskMeta->unique;
 		}
 
 		return $config;
diff --git a/src/Queue/TaskMetadata.php b/src/Queue/TaskMetadata.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d0d87267
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Queue/TaskMetadata.php
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Queue\Queue;
+
+use ReflectionClass;
+use Throwable;
+
+/**
+ * Reads task metadata (timeout, retries, etc.) from a task class
+ * without instantiating it.
+ *
+ * This allows introspection of tasks that have required constructor
+ * parameters (e.g. DI dependencies) where `new $className()` would fail.
+ */
+class TaskMetadata {
+
+	public function __construct(
+		public readonly string $class,
+		public readonly ?int $timeout,
+		public readonly ?int $retries,
+		public readonly int $rate,
+		public readonly int $costs,
+		public readonly bool $unique,
+		public readonly ?string $description,
+	) {
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Build metadata for a task class by reading declared property defaults
+	 * and calling description() without a full constructor.
+	 *
+	 * @phpstan-param class-string<\Queue\Queue\Task> $className
+	 *
+	 * @param string $className
+	 *
+	 * @return self
+	 */
+	public static function fromClass(string $className): self {
+		$reflection = new ReflectionClass($className);
+
+		$timeout = static::propertyDefault($reflection, 'timeout');
+		$retries = static::propertyDefault($reflection, 'retries');
+		$rate = static::propertyDefault($reflection, 'rate') ?? 0;
+		$costs = static::propertyDefault($reflection, 'costs') ?? 0;
+		$unique = static::propertyDefault($reflection, 'unique') ?? false;
+
+		$description = null;
+		try {
+			/** @var \Queue\Queue\Task $instance */
+			$instance = $reflection->newInstanceWithoutConstructor();
+			$description = $instance->description();
+		} catch (Throwable) {
+		}
+
+		return new self($className, $timeout, $retries, $rate, $costs, $unique, $description);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @param \ReflectionClass<\Queue\Queue\Task> $reflection
+	 * @param string $property
+	 *
+	 * @return mixed
+	 */
+	protected static function propertyDefault(ReflectionClass $reflection, string $property): mixed {
+		if (!$reflection->hasProperty($property)) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		$prop = $reflection->getProperty($property);
+		if (!$prop->hasDefaultValue()) {
+			return null;
+		}
+
+		return $prop->getDefaultValue();
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/TestCase/Command/InfoCommandTest.php b/tests/TestCase/Command/InfoCommandTest.php
index cf512562..b0e1bd0d 100644
--- a/tests/TestCase/Command/InfoCommandTest.php
+++ b/tests/TestCase/Command/InfoCommandTest.php
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public function testExecute(): void {
 		$this->exec('queue info');
 
 		$output = $this->_out->output();
-		$this->assertStringContainsString('16 tasks available:', $output);
+		$this->assertStringContainsString('17 tasks available:', $output);
 		$this->assertExitCode(0);
 	}
 
diff --git a/tests/TestCase/Queue/TaskMetadataTest.php b/tests/TestCase/Queue/TaskMetadataTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..551456e1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/TestCase/Queue/TaskMetadataTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace Queue\Test\TestCase\Queue;
+
+use Cake\TestSuite\TestCase;
+use Queue\Queue\TaskMetadata;
+use TestApp\Queue\Task\InjectedTask;
+use TestApp\Queue\Task\MetadataTask;
+
+class TaskMetadataTest extends TestCase {
+
+	/**
+	 * Test that fromClass reads declared property defaults correctly.
+	 *
+	 * @return void
+	 */
+	public function testFromClassReadsPropertyDefaults(): void {
+		$meta = TaskMetadata::fromClass(MetadataTask::class);
+
+		$this->assertSame(MetadataTask::class, $meta->class);
+		$this->assertSame(42, $meta->timeout);
+		$this->assertSame(3, $meta->retries);
+		$this->assertSame(5, $meta->rate);
+		$this->assertSame(75, $meta->costs);
+		$this->assertTrue($meta->unique);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Test that fromClass reads description() from tasks that override it.
+	 *
+	 * @return void
+	 */
+	public function testFromClassReadsDescription(): void {
+		$meta = TaskMetadata::fromClass(MetadataTask::class);
+
+		$this->assertSame('A task for testing metadata introspection', $meta->description);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Test that fromClass works for tasks with required constructor DI params
+	 * that cannot be instantiated with new $className().
+	 *
+	 * @return void
+	 */
+	public function testFromClassWithDiConstructor(): void {
+		$meta = TaskMetadata::fromClass(InjectedTask::class);
+
+		$this->assertSame(InjectedTask::class, $meta->class);
+		$this->assertSame(10, $meta->timeout);
+		$this->assertNull($meta->retries);
+		$this->assertSame(0, $meta->rate);
+		$this->assertSame(0, $meta->costs);
+		$this->assertFalse($meta->unique);
+	}
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/test_app/src/Queue/Task/MetadataTask.php b/tests/test_app/src/Queue/Task/MetadataTask.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..76afd5e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_app/src/Queue/Task/MetadataTask.php
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace TestApp\Queue\Task;
+
+use Queue\Queue\Task;
+
+/**
+ * Test task with explicit values for all metadata properties.
+ *
+ * Used to verify TaskMetadata reads the correct declared defaults
+ * without instantiating the task.
+ */
+class MetadataTask extends Task {
+
+	public ?int $timeout = 42;
+
+	public ?int $retries = 3;
+
+	public int $rate = 5;
+
+	public int $costs = 75;
+
+	public bool $unique = true;
+
+	public function run(array $data, int $jobId): void {
+	}
+
+	public function description(): ?string {
+		return 'A task for testing metadata introspection';
+	}
+
+}