diff --git a/cron/scheduler.py b/cron/scheduler.py
index f7474e387e..52ee342b62 100644
--- a/cron/scheduler.py
+++ b/cron/scheduler.py
@@ -3261,12 +3261,10 @@ def _launch_external_cron_worker(job: dict) -> bool:
     finally:
         _reset_fire_secret_scope(fire_scope_tokens)
     worker_env = systemd_user_bus_env(worker_env)
-    # Cron workers are unattended: presence vars inherited from a gateway that
-    # set them at runtime (start_gateway sets HERMES_EXEC_ASK; interactive
-    # launches set the rest) invert the approval gate — `_is_interactive_cli()`
-    # sees HERMES_INTERACTIVE=1 and `approvals.cron_mode` is never consulted for
-    # `terminal`, so the run hangs 10-30s on a pending card nobody can answer
-    # (measured 2026-09-14: ms197 cron left 6 claims stranded; fab-swarm #105).
+    # Unattended worker: the gateway sets HERMES_EXEC_ASK at startup (interactive launches set
+    # the other two), and an inherited presence var makes every env-fallback consumer in the
+    # child (`_is_interactive_cli`, sudo prompting, `check_cronjob_requirements`) believe a
+    # human is present to answer (#110932).
     for _presence_var in (
         "HERMES_INTERACTIVE",
         "HERMES_GATEWAY_SESSION",
diff --git a/tests/tools/test_cron_not_interactive.py b/tests/tools/test_cron_not_interactive.py
index 05e02a6d59..e00579bf43 100644
--- a/tests/tools/test_cron_not_interactive.py
+++ b/tests/tools/test_cron_not_interactive.py
@@ -1,52 +1,38 @@
-"""Cron approval context must never resolve as interactive (layer-2 fix for #110932).
+"""Unattended approval contexts never resolve as interactive (#110932).
 
-Layer 1 (#110942) strips presence vars at the launch path. This test pins the
-deeper invariant: even if HERMES_INTERACTIVE / HERMES_EXEC_ASK leak into a cron
-worker by some other route, `_approval_transport()` must not treat the context
-as CLI-interactive — nobody can answer the card, so the gate must fall through
-to `approvals.cron_mode` instead of hanging.
+A gateway sets HERMES_EXEC_ASK=1 at startup and hands its environ to every external cron
+worker; interactive launches export HERMES_INTERACTIVE=1. Inside cron (or a programmatic
+platform session) nobody can answer the card, so ``_presence()`` must clear the trio and let
+the gate resolve from ``approvals.cron_mode`` / ``approvals.unattended_mode``.
 """
 
-import os
-
 import pytest
 
 from tools import approval as approval_mod
-from tools.approval_context import set_hermes_interactive_context
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
 def leaked_presence(monkeypatch):
     monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_INTERACTIVE", "1")
     monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_EXEC_ASK", "1")
-    # Explicitly NOT a gateway session: gateway handling is a separate path.
-    monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_GATEWAY_SESSION", raising=False)
-    # Mark the approval decision as running inside cron (session env is the
-    # fallback path used by external workers; contextvars win in-process).
-    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_CRON_SESSION", "1")
-
-
-def test_cron_context_is_not_cli_even_with_leaked_interactive(monkeypatch, leaked_presence):
-    callback, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask = approval_mod._presence()
-    assert is_cli is False, "cron context must not resolve as interactive CLI"
-    assert is_gateway is False, "cron context must not resolve as gateway"
-    assert is_ask is False, "HERMES_EXEC_ASK leak must not make cron ask"
-
-
-def test_non_cron_interactive_still_cli(monkeypatch):
-    # Guard against over-broad fix: a real interactive session stays interactive.
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_GATEWAY_SESSION", "1")
     monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_CRON_SESSION", raising=False)
-    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_INTERACTIVE", "1")
-    callback, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask = approval_mod._presence()
-    assert is_cli is True
+    monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_SINGLE_QUERY_SESSION", raising=False)
+    monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM", raising=False)
 
 
-def test_cron_contextvar_interactive_also_not_cli(monkeypatch, leaked_presence):
-    # The contextvar binding is stronger than env; cron must win over it too.
-    token = set_hermes_interactive_context(True)
-    try:
-        callback, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask = approval_mod._presence()
-        assert is_cli is False
-    finally:
-        from tools.approval_context import reset_hermes_interactive_context
-        reset_hermes_interactive_context(token)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "unattended_env",
+    [{"HERMES_CRON_SESSION": "1"}, {"HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM": "webhook"}],
+    ids=["cron", "webhook"],
+)
+def test_unattended_context_clears_leaked_presence(monkeypatch, leaked_presence, unattended_env):
+    for key, value in unattended_env.items():
+        monkeypatch.setenv(key, value)
+    _, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask = approval_mod._presence()
+    assert (is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask) == (False, False, False)
+
+
+def test_interactive_session_keeps_presence(monkeypatch, leaked_presence):
+    _, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask = approval_mod._presence()
+    assert (is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask) == (True, True, True)
diff --git a/tools/approval.py b/tools/approval.py
index a7926e90ed..3a3761be6c 100644
--- a/tools/approval.py
+++ b/tools/approval.py
@@ -867,21 +867,18 @@ def _human_decision(spec: _GateSpec, *, command: str, description: str,
 
 
 def _presence(approval_callback=None) -> tuple:
-    """``(approval_callback, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask)`` for the current context. Single-query
-    (-q) exports HERMES_INTERACTIVE=1 but nobody answers prompts, and HERMES_EXEC_ASK has no
-    human either — both are cleared so single_query_mode actually takes effect."""
+    """``(approval_callback, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask)`` for the current context.
+
+    Every unattended context (single-query ``-q``, cron, programmatic platforms) clears the
+    presence trio: ``hermes chat -q`` exports HERMES_INTERACTIVE=1 for sudo prompts, a gateway
+    sets HERMES_EXEC_ASK=1 at startup and passes its environ to every external cron worker
+    (#110932), and a webhook session inherits that same HERMES_EXEC_ASK — in none of them can a
+    human answer the card, so the gate must resolve from ``approvals.<ctx>_mode`` instead of
+    parking on a pending approval."""
     approval_callback = _resolve_cli_approval_callback(approval_callback)
     is_cli, is_gateway = _is_interactive_cli(), _is_gateway_approval_context()
     is_ask = env_var_enabled("HERMES_EXEC_ASK")
-    if _is_single_query_approval_context():
-        is_cli = is_gateway = is_ask = False
-    if _is_cron_approval_context():
-        # Cron workers are unattended: nobody can answer an approval card. Presence
-        # vars (HERMES_INTERACTIVE / HERMES_EXEC_ASK) can leak in via any env-passing
-        # launch path — treat them as advisory here so the gate consults
-        # ``approvals.cron_mode`` instead of hanging on a pending card (#110932).
-        # Mirrors the single-query clearing above and the cron exclusion inside
-        # ``_is_gateway_approval_context``.
+    if _unattended_contexts():
         is_cli = is_gateway = is_ask = False
     return approval_callback, is_cli, is_gateway, is_ask