diff --git a/agent/turn_recovery.py b/agent/turn_recovery.py
index c411e1ad82..32b388ff98 100644
--- a/agent/turn_recovery.py
+++ b/agent/turn_recovery.py
@@ -381,18 +381,48 @@ def _refresh_credentials_after_401(
     return False
 
 
-def _is_lingering_codex_token_expired(agent: Any, api_error: Exception, _retry: TurnRetryState) -> bool:
-    """401 ``token_expired`` that survived the one-shot Codex OAuth refresh (#88510). The Codex
-    backend rejects a stale replayed ``encrypted_content`` blob with this auth signature, so a
-    persisted session loops on "sign in again" while a fresh session on the same bearer works.
-    Once the credential path has had its turn, the caller treats it like
+def _is_codex_token_expired(agent: Any, api_error: Exception) -> bool:
+    """401 ``token_expired`` from the Codex backend (#88510). It rejects a stale replayed
+    ``encrypted_content`` blob with this auth signature, so a persisted session loops on "sign
+    in again" while a fresh session on the same bearer works. The caller treats it like
     ``invalid_encrypted_content`` — but only while cached reasoning items remain to strip."""
-    if getattr(api_error, "status_code", None) != 401 or not _retry.codex_auth_retry_attempted:
+    if getattr(api_error, "status_code", None) != 401:
         return False
     reason = agent._extract_api_error_context(api_error).get("reason")
     return isinstance(reason, str) and reason.strip().lower() == "token_expired"
 
 
+def _recover_stale_codex_reasoning(agent: Any, _retry: TurnRetryState, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> bool:
+    """Stale ``codex_reasoning_items`` blob rejected by the provider: disable replay for the
+    session, strip cached items (mutates persisted ``messages``), retry once."""
+    if (
+        _retry.invalid_encrypted_content_retry_attempted
+        or agent.api_mode != "codex_responses"
+        or not bool(getattr(agent, "_codex_reasoning_replay_enabled", True))
+        or not any(
+            isinstance(_m, dict)
+            and _m.get("role") == "assistant"
+            and isinstance(_m.get("codex_reasoning_items"), list)
+            and _m.get("codex_reasoning_items")
+            for _m in messages
+        )
+    ):
+        return False
+    _retry.invalid_encrypted_content_retry_attempted = True
+    replay_stats = agent._disable_codex_reasoning_replay(messages)
+    _vlines(
+        agent,
+        f"⚠️  Encrypted reasoning replay was rejected by the provider — "
+        f"disabled replay and stripped {replay_stats['items']} item(s) from "
+        f"{replay_stats['messages']} message(s), retrying...",
+    )
+    logger.warning(
+        "%sInvalid encrypted reasoning recovery: disabled replay and stripped %d items from %d messages",
+        agent.log_prefix, replay_stats["items"], replay_stats["messages"],
+    )
+    return True
+
+
 def _recover_format_errors(
     agent: Any, api_error: Exception, classified: Any, _retry: TurnRetryState,
     messages: List[Dict[str, Any]], api_messages: Any,
@@ -418,37 +448,11 @@ def _recover_format_errors(
         )
         return True
 
-    # 400 ``invalid_encrypted_content`` on a stale ``codex_reasoning_items`` blob — or the same
-    # rejection wearing a 401 ``token_expired`` after the credential refresh changed nothing:
-    # disable replay for the session, strip cached items, retry once.
-    if (
-        (
-            classified.reason == FailoverReason.invalid_encrypted_content
-            or _is_lingering_codex_token_expired(agent, api_error, _retry)
-        )
-        and not _retry.invalid_encrypted_content_retry_attempted
-        and agent.api_mode == "codex_responses"
-        and bool(getattr(agent, "_codex_reasoning_replay_enabled", True))
-        and any(
-            isinstance(_m, dict)
-            and _m.get("role") == "assistant"
-            and isinstance(_m.get("codex_reasoning_items"), list)
-            and _m.get("codex_reasoning_items")
-            for _m in messages
-        )
+    # 400 ``invalid_encrypted_content`` on a stale ``codex_reasoning_items`` blob (the 401
+    # ``token_expired`` twin is taken ahead of the credential pool in the caller).
+    if classified.reason == FailoverReason.invalid_encrypted_content and _recover_stale_codex_reasoning(
+        agent, _retry, messages
     ):
-        _retry.invalid_encrypted_content_retry_attempted = True
-        replay_stats = agent._disable_codex_reasoning_replay(messages)
-        _vlines(
-            agent,
-            f"⚠️  Encrypted reasoning replay was rejected by the provider — "
-            f"disabled replay and stripped {replay_stats['items']} item(s) from "
-            f"{replay_stats['messages']} message(s), retrying...",
-        )
-        logger.warning(
-            "%sInvalid encrypted reasoning recovery: disabled replay and stripped %d items from %d messages",
-            agent.log_prefix, replay_stats["items"], replay_stats["messages"],
-        )
         return True
 
     # Structured 400 naming ``context_management``: disable native compaction for the
@@ -556,15 +560,23 @@ def recover_after_classification(
 ) -> Tuple[bool, bool]:
     """One-shot recovery chain that runs AFTER ``classify_api_error`` and before the
     generic retry path. Order is load-bearing (each branch may ``return`` early):
-    Nous paid-entitlement refresh → credential-pool rotation → image shrink →
-    multimodal-tool-content strip → corrupt-image strip → Anthropic OAuth 1M-beta
-    disable → per-provider 401 credential refresh → format-recovery strips.
+    Nous paid-entitlement refresh → Codex stale-reasoning strip on 401 ``token_expired`` →
+    credential-pool rotation → image shrink → multimodal-tool-content strip → corrupt-image
+    strip → Anthropic OAuth 1M-beta disable → per-provider 401 credential refresh →
+    format-recovery strips.
     Returns ``(retry_now, recovered_with_pool)``; the latter feeds the Nous rate-limit guard."""
     from agent.conversation_loop import _is_nous_inference_route
 
     if _recover_welcome_tier(agent, classified, _retry):
         return True, False
 
+    # 401 ``token_expired`` while the transcript still carries ``codex_reasoning_items`` is a
+    # stale replayed blob far more often than a dead bearer (#88510): strip BEFORE the pool
+    # refreshes/benches every healthy entry over a session-state problem. A real expiry pays
+    # one extra round-trip and then takes the credential path below as before.
+    if _is_codex_token_expired(agent, api_error) and _recover_stale_codex_reasoning(agent, _retry, messages):
+        return True, False
+
     if (
         classified.reason == FailoverReason.billing
         and _is_nous_inference_route(
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_codex_token_expired_replay_recovery.py b/tests/agent/test_codex_token_expired_replay_recovery.py
index da19e83fc4..699e765962 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_codex_token_expired_replay_recovery.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_codex_token_expired_replay_recovery.py
@@ -2,10 +2,11 @@
 
 Issue #88510: the Codex backend rejects a stale replayed ``encrypted_content`` blob with the
 auth signature (401 ``token_expired``), so a resumed session failed on every prompt while a
-fresh session on the same bearer worked. After the one-shot OAuth refresh changed nothing,
-``recover_after_classification`` must strip cached ``codex_reasoning_items`` and retry once,
-exactly like the 400 ``invalid_encrypted_content`` path; a 401 without cached reasoning is a
-real expiry and stays on the credential path.
+fresh session on the same bearer worked. ``recover_after_classification`` must strip cached
+``codex_reasoning_items`` and retry once, exactly like the 400 ``invalid_encrypted_content``
+path — ahead of the credential pool and the one-shot OAuth refresh, so a session-state problem
+never burns a refresh token or benches healthy pool entries; a 401 without cached reasoning is
+a real expiry and stays on the credential path.
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -79,17 +80,18 @@ def _recover(agent, err, retry, messages):
     )
 
 
-def test_lingering_token_expired_strips_cached_reasoning_once_after_refresh():
+def test_token_expired_strips_cached_reasoning_once_before_the_credential_path():
     agent, retry, messages = _Agent(), TurnRetryState(), _cached_history()
 
     retried, _ = _recover(agent, _Codex401(), retry, messages)
 
     assert retried is True
-    assert agent.refresh_calls == 1  # the credential path ran first and changed nothing
+    assert agent.refresh_calls == 0  # no refresh token burned on a session-state problem
     assert agent._codex_reasoning_replay_enabled is False
     assert not any("codex_reasoning_items" in m for m in messages)
-    # A second identical 401 in the same turn is a real auth failure: no second strip.
+    # A second identical 401 in the same turn is a real auth failure: refresh once, no second strip.
     assert _recover(agent, _Codex401(), retry, messages) == (False, False)
+    assert agent.refresh_calls == 1
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("err, history", [
@@ -103,3 +105,26 @@ def test_token_expired_without_cached_reasoning_stays_on_auth_path(err, history)
     assert agent.refresh_calls == 1
     assert agent._codex_reasoning_replay_enabled is True
     assert retry.invalid_encrypted_content_retry_attempted is False
+
+
+def test_pooled_token_expired_strips_cached_reasoning_before_benching_entries():
+    """A stale blob is a session-state problem: the strip must run before the pool benches
+    every healthy entry (STATUS_EXHAUSTED) over a 401 the credentials did not cause."""
+    from agent.agent_runtime_helpers import recover_with_credential_pool
+    from agent.credential_pool import CredentialPool, PooledCredential
+
+    agent, retry, messages = _Agent(), TurnRetryState(), _cached_history()
+    entries = [
+        PooledCredential(provider="openai-codex", id=f"acct-{i}", label=f"acct-{i}", auth_type="oauth",
+                         priority=i, source=f"acct-{i}", access_token=token)
+        for i, token in enumerate(["same-bearer", "other-bearer"])
+    ]
+    pool = CredentialPool("openai-codex", entries)
+    agent._credential_pool = pool
+    agent._recover_with_credential_pool = lambda **kw: recover_with_credential_pool(agent, **kw)
+
+    retried, recovered_with_pool = _recover(agent, _Codex401(), retry, messages)
+
+    assert (retried, recovered_with_pool) == (True, False)
+    assert not any("codex_reasoning_items" in m for m in messages)
+    assert [e.last_status for e in pool.entries()] == [None, None]  # nobody benched
diff --git a/website/docs/developer-guide/provider-runtime.md b/website/docs/developer-guide/provider-runtime.md
index 203965c833..38f4970223 100644
--- a/website/docs/developer-guide/provider-runtime.md
+++ b/website/docs/developer-guide/provider-runtime.md
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ Codex uses a separate Responses API path:
 
 - `api_mode = codex_responses`
 - dedicated credential resolution and auth store support
+- a resumed session whose lingering Codex reasoning items (`encrypted_content`) are rejected — as a 400 `invalid_encrypted_content` or as a 401 `token_expired` — self-heals by stripping the cached items and replaying once, before any credential refresh or pool rotation
 
 ## Auxiliary model routing