diff --git a/src/huggingface_hub/hf_api.py b/src/huggingface_hub/hf_api.py
index f4bc1e5564..cfe980f75c 100644
--- a/src/huggingface_hub/hf_api.py
+++ b/src/huggingface_hub/hf_api.py
@@ -1178,8 +1178,8 @@ def model_info(
         Returns:
             [`huggingface_hub.hf_api.ModelInfo`]: The model repository information.
         """
-
-        token, _ = self._validate_or_retrieve_token(token, function_name="model_info")
+        if token is None:
+            token = HfFolder.get_token()
 
         path = (
             f"{self.endpoint}/api/models/{repo_id}"