diff --git a/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.test.ts b/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.test.ts
index 86054b9aab2..64248100429 100644
--- a/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.test.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,20 @@ describe('structuredClaudeMatchesActiveManagedAccount', () => {
     ).toBe(false)
   })
 
+  /** Absent is not empty. An empty array is a real answer — the user has no managed accounts, so
+   *  nothing claims an identity and the ambient path is legitimate. Settings with no accounts field
+   *  are settings we failed to parse, which is the same epistemic state as unreadable. */
+  it('separates an empty account list from an absent one', () => {
+    expect(
+      structuredClaudeMatchesActiveManagedAccount(settings({ claudeManagedAccounts: [] }))
+    ).toBe(true)
+    expect(
+      structuredClaudeMatchesActiveManagedAccount({
+        activeClaudeManagedAccountId: null
+      } as unknown as ClaudeManagedAccountGateSettings)
+    ).toBe(false)
+  })
+
   it('fails closed when the settings cannot be read at all', () => {
     expect(structuredClaudeMatchesActiveManagedAccount(null)).toBe(false)
     expect(structuredClaudeMatchesActiveManagedAccount(undefined)).toBe(false)
diff --git a/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.ts b/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.ts
index cd3afa473ca..46967809641 100644
--- a/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.ts
+++ b/src/main/native-chat/claude-structured-managed-account-support.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ export function structuredClaudeMatchesActiveManagedAccount(
   settings: ClaudeManagedAccountGateSettings | null | undefined
 ): boolean {
   const accounts = settings?.claudeManagedAccounts
+  // Absent is not empty: an empty list is a real "no managed accounts" answer, but a missing field
+  // is settings we failed to parse, which is the same unknown as unreadable. Do not merge these.
   if (!settings || !Array.isArray(accounts)) {
     return false
   }