diff --git a/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.test.ts b/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.test.ts
index b68ce2cd6..e72245537 100644
--- a/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.test.ts
@@ -325,6 +325,102 @@ describe('fetchClaudeRateLimits', () => {
     expect(fetchViaPty).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
+  it('does not mask OAuth auth failures with the PTY fallback', async () => {
+    const configDir = '/Users/test/.claude'
+    const authPreparation: ClaudeRuntimeAuthPreparation = {
+      configDir,
+      envPatch: {},
+      stripAuthEnv: false,
+      provenance: 'system'
+    }
+    vi.mocked(readActiveClaudeKeychainCredentialsStrict).mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      JSON.stringify({
+        claudeAiOauth: {
+          accessToken: 'stale-oauth-token',
+          refreshToken: 'refresh-token',
+          expiresAt: Date.now() - 60_000
+        }
+      })
+    )
+    netFetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      new Response(
+        JSON.stringify({
+          error: {
+            type: 'authentication_error',
+            message: 'Invalid OAuth token.'
+          }
+        }),
+        { status: 401 }
+      )
+    )
+
+    await expect(fetchClaudeRateLimits({ authPreparation })).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      provider: 'claude',
+      status: 'error',
+      error: 'Invalid OAuth token.'
+    })
+
+    expect(fetchViaPty).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('does not start the PTY fallback when disabled for background fetches', async () => {
+    const configDir = '/Users/test/.claude'
+    const authPreparation: ClaudeRuntimeAuthPreparation = {
+      configDir,
+      envPatch: {},
+      stripAuthEnv: false,
+      provenance: 'system'
+    }
+    vi.mocked(readActiveClaudeKeychainCredentialsStrict).mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      JSON.stringify({
+        claudeAiOauth: {
+          accessToken: 'oauth-token',
+          refreshToken: 'refresh-token',
+          expiresAt: Date.now() + 60_000
+        }
+      })
+    )
+    netFetchMock.mockResolvedValueOnce(new Response('temporary failure', { status: 500 }))
+
+    await expect(
+      fetchClaudeRateLimits({ authPreparation, allowPtyFallback: false })
+    ).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      provider: 'claude',
+      status: 'error',
+      error: 'OAuth API returned 500'
+    })
+
+    expect(fetchViaPty).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
+  it('does not start the PTY fallback for refresh-only credentials when disabled', async () => {
+    const configDir = '/Users/test/.claude'
+    const authPreparation: ClaudeRuntimeAuthPreparation = {
+      configDir,
+      envPatch: {},
+      stripAuthEnv: false,
+      provenance: 'system'
+    }
+    vi.mocked(readActiveClaudeKeychainCredentialsStrict).mockResolvedValueOnce(
+      JSON.stringify({
+        claudeAiOauth: {
+          refreshToken: 'refresh-token',
+          expiresAt: Date.now() - 60_000
+        }
+      })
+    )
+
+    await expect(
+      fetchClaudeRateLimits({ authPreparation, allowPtyFallback: false })
+    ).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      provider: 'claude',
+      status: 'error',
+      error: 'Claude OAuth access token unavailable'
+    })
+
+    expect(fetchViaPty).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+
   it('does not read inactive managed credentials from unowned auth paths', async () => {
     setPlatform('linux')
     tempDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-claude-fetcher-'))
diff --git a/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.ts b/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.ts
index 42412c301..8ec9b9642 100644
--- a/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.ts
+++ b/src/main/rate-limits/claude-fetcher.ts
@@ -279,9 +279,14 @@ async function fetchViaOAuth(token: string): Promise<ProviderRateLimits> {
 // Public API
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-export async function fetchClaudeRateLimits(options?: {
+export type FetchClaudeRateLimitsOptions = {
   authPreparation?: ClaudeRuntimeAuthPreparation
-}): Promise<ProviderRateLimits> {
+  allowPtyFallback?: boolean
+}
+
+export async function fetchClaudeRateLimits(
+  options?: FetchClaudeRateLimitsOptions
+): Promise<ProviderRateLimits> {
   if (options?.authPreparation?.runtime === 'wsl' && !options.authPreparation.wslLinuxConfigDir) {
     return {
       provider: 'claude',
@@ -299,13 +304,17 @@ export async function fetchClaudeRateLimits(options?: {
     try {
       return await fetchViaOAuth(oauthCredentials.token)
     } catch (err) {
-      if (err instanceof OAuthUsageError && err.skipPtyFallback) {
+      if (
+        options?.allowPtyFallback === false ||
+        (err instanceof OAuthUsageError && err.skipPtyFallback)
+      ) {
+        const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Unknown error'
         return {
           provider: 'claude',
           session: null,
           weekly: null,
           updatedAt: Date.now(),
-          error: withMacTailscaleDnsHint(err.message),
+          error: withMacTailscaleDnsHint(message),
           status: 'error'
         }
       }
@@ -318,6 +327,16 @@ export async function fetchClaudeRateLimits(options?: {
   // whose OAuth credentials exist. This remains a fallback for older Claude
   // auth shapes and transient OAuth failures.
   if (oauthCredentials.token || oauthCredentials.hasRefreshableCredentials) {
+    if (options?.allowPtyFallback === false) {
+      return {
+        provider: 'claude',
+        session: null,
+        weekly: null,
+        updatedAt: Date.now(),
+        error: 'Claude OAuth access token unavailable',
+        status: 'error'
+      }
+    }
     try {
       return await fetchViaPty({ authPreparation: options?.authPreparation })
     } catch (err) {
diff --git a/src/main/rate-limits/claude-oauth-usage-error.ts b/src/main/rate-limits/claude-oauth-usage-error.ts
index 334ca85f5..8742ff08f 100644
--- a/src/main/rate-limits/claude-oauth-usage-error.ts
+++ b/src/main/rate-limits/claude-oauth-usage-error.ts
@@ -12,9 +12,9 @@ export async function createOAuthUsageError(res: Response): Promise<OAuthUsageEr
   return new OAuthUsageError(
     await describeOAuthUsageError(res),
     res.status,
-    // Why: 429 is already the user-visible Claude usage API answer.
-    // Falling through to /usage masks it with Claude 2.1's session-stats UI.
-    res.status === 429
+    // Why: auth/rate-limit responses are already the user-visible usage API
+    // answer. Falling through to /usage can spawn Claude Code needlessly.
+    res.status === 401 || res.status === 403 || res.status === 429
   )
 }
 
diff --git a/src/main/rate-limits/service.test.ts b/src/main/rate-limits/service.test.ts
index c083514b3..0c2606a77 100644
--- a/src/main/rate-limits/service.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/rate-limits/service.test.ts
@@ -298,6 +298,10 @@ describe('RateLimitService', () => {
     await service.refresh()
 
     expect(fetchClaudeRateLimits).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(fetchClaudeRateLimits).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+      authPreparation: undefined,
+      allowPtyFallback: false
+    })
     expect(fetchCodexRateLimits).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(fetchGeminiRateLimits).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(fetchOpenCodeGoRateLimits).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
@@ -400,7 +404,8 @@ describe('RateLimitService', () => {
         wslDistro: 'Ubuntu',
         wslLinuxConfigDir: '/home/jin/.claude',
         stripAuthEnv: true
-      })
+      }),
+      allowPtyFallback: false
     })
     expect(service.getState().claudeTarget).toEqual({ runtime: 'wsl', wslDistro: 'Ubuntu' })
   })
@@ -459,6 +464,10 @@ describe('RateLimitService', () => {
       wslDistro: 'Ubuntu'
     })
 
+    expect(fetchClaudeRateLimits).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith(
+      expect.objectContaining({ allowPtyFallback: false })
+    )
+
     expect(service.getState().inactiveClaudeAccounts).not.toEqual(
       expect.arrayContaining([expect.objectContaining({ accountId: 'wsl-account-1' })])
     )
diff --git a/src/main/rate-limits/service.ts b/src/main/rate-limits/service.ts
index 7bbbde314..dc818b4a8 100644
--- a/src/main/rate-limits/service.ts
+++ b/src/main/rate-limits/service.ts
@@ -799,7 +799,12 @@ export class RateLimitService {
       ? null
       : this.getMissingWslCodexHomeResult(codexTarget)
     const [claudeResult, codexResult, geminiResult, opencodeGoResult] = await Promise.allSettled([
-      fetchClaudeRateLimits({ authPreparation: claudeAuthPreparation }),
+      fetchClaudeRateLimits({
+        authPreparation: claudeAuthPreparation,
+        // Why: active quota refreshes run on startup/focus/timers. They must
+        // never spawn hidden Claude Code, which can trigger macOS App Data TCC.
+        allowPtyFallback: false
+      }),
       missingWslCodexHome ??
         fetchCodexRateLimits({
           codexHomePath,
@@ -957,7 +962,12 @@ export class RateLimitService {
       claude: this.withFetchingStatus(previousState.claude, 'claude')
     })
 
-    const claude = await fetchClaudeRateLimits({ authPreparation: claudeAuthPreparation }).catch(
+    const claude = await fetchClaudeRateLimits({
+      authPreparation: claudeAuthPreparation,
+      // Why: account-change refreshes share the same automatic active quota
+      // surface as startup/timer refreshes, so keep them API-only as well.
+      allowPtyFallback: false
+    }).catch(
       (err): ProviderRateLimits => ({
         provider: 'claude',
         session: null,