@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ def load_view(self, identifier: str | Identifier) -> View:
 
     @override
     def load_namespace_properties(self, namespace: str | Identifier) -> Properties:
-        dataset_name = self.identifier_to_database(namespace)
+        dataset_name = self.identifier_to_database(namespace, NoSuchNamespaceError)
 
         try:
             dataset = self.client.get_dataset(DatasetReference(project=self.project_id, dataset_id=dataset_name))
 
@@ -31,8 +31,9 @@
 from pyiceberg.cli.output import ConsoleOutput, JsonOutput, Output
 from pyiceberg.exceptions import NoSuchNamespaceError, NoSuchPropertyException, NoSuchTableError
 from pyiceberg.io import WAREHOUSE
-from pyiceberg.table import TableProperties
+from pyiceberg.table import Table, TableProperties
 from pyiceberg.table.refs import SnapshotRef, SnapshotRefType
+from pyiceberg.typedef import Properties
 from pyiceberg.utils.properties import property_as_int
 
 
@@ -142,38 +143,62 @@ def list(ctx: Context, parent: str | None) -> None:  # pylint: disable=redefined
 
 
 @run.command()
-@click.option("--entity", type=click.Choice(["any", "namespace", "table"]), default="any")
+@click.option(
+    "--entity",
+    type=click.Choice(["any", "namespace", "table"]),
+    default="any",
+    help="Entity type. 'any' auto-detects and requires --entity when ambiguous.",
+)
 @click.argument("identifier")
 @click.pass_context
 @catch_exception()
-def describe(ctx: Context, entity: Literal["name", "namespace", "table"], identifier: str) -> None:
+def describe(ctx: Context, entity: Literal["any", "namespace", "table"], identifier: str) -> None:
     """Describe a namespace or a table."""
     catalog, output = _catalog_and_output(ctx)
     identifier_tuple = Catalog.identifier_to_tuple(identifier)
 
-    is_namespace = False
-    if entity in {"namespace", "any"} and len(identifier_tuple) > 0:
-        try:
-            namespace_properties = catalog.load_namespace_properties(identifier_tuple)
-            output.describe_properties(namespace_properties)
-            is_namespace = True
-        except NoSuchNamespaceError as exc:
-            if entity != "any" or len(identifier_tuple) == 1:  # type: ignore
-                raise exc
-
-    is_table = False
-    if entity in {"table", "any"} and len(identifier_tuple) > 1:
-        try:
-            catalog_table = catalog.load_table(identifier)
-            output.describe_table(catalog_table)
-            is_table = True
-        except NoSuchTableError as exc:
-            if entity != "any":
-                raise exc
-
-    if is_namespace is False and is_table is False:
+    if entity == "namespace":
+        output.describe_properties(catalog.load_namespace_properties(identifier_tuple))
+        return
+    if entity == "table":
+        output.describe_table(catalog.load_table(identifier))
+        return
+
+    # For the default "any" entity, auto-detect the entity type.
+    if len(identifier_tuple) == 1:
+        output.describe_properties(catalog.load_namespace_properties(identifier_tuple))
+        return
+
+    matches: tuple[str, ...] = ()
+    namespace_properties: Properties | None = None
+    catalog_table: Table | None = None
+
+    try:
+        namespace_properties = catalog.load_namespace_properties(identifier_tuple)
+        matches += ("namespace",)
+    except NoSuchNamespaceError:
+        pass
+
+    try:
+        catalog_table = catalog.load_table(identifier)
+        matches += ("table",)
+    except NoSuchTableError:
+        pass
+
+    if len(matches) > 1:
+        raise ValueError(
+            f"Identifier {identifier} matches multiple entity types: {', '.join(matches)}. Use --entity to disambiguate."
+        )
+    if not matches:
         raise NoSuchTableError(f"Table or namespace does not exist: {identifier}")
 
+    if matches[0] == "namespace":
+        assert namespace_properties is not None
+        output.describe_properties(namespace_properties)
+    else:
+        assert catalog_table is not None
+        output.describe_table(catalog_table)
+
 
 @run.command()
 @click.argument("identifier")
 
@@ -17,13 +17,14 @@
 import os
 from unittest.mock import MagicMock
 
+import pytest
 from google.api_core.exceptions import NotFound
 from google.cloud.bigquery import Dataset, DatasetReference, Table, TableReference
 from google.cloud.bigquery.external_config import ExternalCatalogDatasetOptions, ExternalCatalogTableOptions
 from pytest_mock import MockFixture
 
 from pyiceberg.catalog.bigquery_metastore import ICEBERG_TABLE_TYPE_VALUE, TABLE_TYPE_PROP, BigQueryMetastoreCatalog
-from pyiceberg.exceptions import NoSuchTableError
+from pyiceberg.exceptions import NoSuchNamespaceError, NoSuchTableError
 from pyiceberg.schema import Schema
 
 
@@ -178,3 +179,15 @@ def test_list_namespaces(mocker: MockFixture) -> None:
     assert ("dataset1",) in namespaces
     assert ("dataset2",) in namespaces
     client_mock.list_datasets.assert_called_once()
+
+
+def test_load_namespace_properties_rejects_multipart_namespace(mocker: MockFixture) -> None:
+    client_mock = MagicMock()
+    mocker.patch("pyiceberg.catalog.bigquery_metastore.Client", return_value=client_mock)
+    mocker.patch.dict(os.environ, values={"PYICEBERG_LEGACY_CURRENT_SNAPSHOT_ID": "True"})
+    catalog = BigQueryMetastoreCatalog("test_catalog", **{"gcp.bigquery.project-id": "my-project"})
+
+    with pytest.raises(NoSuchNamespaceError, match="hierarchical namespaces are not supported"):
+        catalog.load_namespace_properties(("dataset", "table"))
+
+    client_mock.get_dataset.assert_not_called()
@@ -159,11 +159,12 @@ def test_list_namespace(catalog: InMemoryCatalog) -> None:
     assert result.output == "default.my_table\n"
 
 
-def test_describe_namespace(catalog: InMemoryCatalog, namespace_properties: Properties) -> None:
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("entity_args", [[], ["--entity", "namespace"]], ids=["any", "namespace"])
+def test_describe_namespace(catalog: InMemoryCatalog, namespace_properties: Properties, entity_args: list[str]) -> None:
     catalog.create_namespace(TEST_TABLE_NAMESPACE, namespace_properties)
 
     runner = CliRunner()
-    result = runner.invoke(run, ["describe", "default"])
+    result = runner.invoke(run, ["describe", *entity_args, "default"])
 
     assert result.exit_code == 0
     assert result.output == "location  s3://warehouse/database/location\n"
@@ -222,6 +223,36 @@ def test_describe_table_does_not_exists(catalog: InMemoryCatalog) -> None:
     assert result.output == "Table or namespace does not exist: default.doesnotexist\n"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("entity_args", [[], ["--entity", "table"]], ids=["any", "table"])
+def test_describe_table_entity_detection(catalog: InMemoryCatalog, mock_datetime_now: None, entity_args: list[str]) -> None:
+    catalog.create_namespace(TEST_TABLE_NAMESPACE)
+    catalog.create_table(
+        identifier=TEST_TABLE_IDENTIFIER,
+        schema=TEST_TABLE_SCHEMA,
+        partition_spec=TEST_TABLE_PARTITION_SPEC,
+    )
+
+    runner = CliRunner()
+    result = runner.invoke(run, ["describe", *entity_args, "default.my_table"])
+
+    assert result.exit_code == 0
+    assert "Table UUID" in result.output
+    assert "Current schema" in result.output
+
+
+def test_describe_ambiguous_entity(catalog: InMemoryCatalog, namespace_properties: Properties) -> None:
+    catalog.create_namespace(TEST_TABLE_NAMESPACE)
+    catalog.create_table(identifier=TEST_TABLE_IDENTIFIER, schema=TEST_TABLE_SCHEMA)
+    catalog.create_namespace(TEST_TABLE_IDENTIFIER, namespace_properties)
+
+    runner = CliRunner()
+    result = runner.invoke(run, ["describe", "default.my_table"])
+    assert result.exit_code == 1
+    assert " ".join(result.output.split()) == (
+        "Identifier default.my_table matches multiple entity types: namespace, table. Use --entity to disambiguate."
+    )
+
+
 def test_schema(catalog: InMemoryCatalog) -> None:
     catalog.create_namespace(TEST_TABLE_NAMESPACE)
     catalog.create_table(