diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/AccountsPane.tsx b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/AccountsPane.tsx
index 3060396d591..651b03140b3 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/AccountsPane.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/AccountsPane.tsx
@@ -414,19 +414,19 @@ export function AccountsPane({
   // WSL falls back to the generic label.
   const systemCodexIdentity =
     accountRuntime.runtime === 'host' ? codexAccounts.systemDefault : undefined
-  // Why: the auth warning is derived from the desktop's own rate-limit poll;
-  // with a remote owner it would misattribute local auth state to the server.
-  const activeCodexAuthWarning =
-    codexAccountsLoaded && !isRemoteAccountScope
-      ? getCodexAccountAuthWarning({
-          limits: codexRateLimits,
-          target: codexRateLimitTarget,
-          runtime: accountRuntime,
-          activeAccountId: activeCodexAccountId,
-          accountId: activeCodexAccountId,
-          authKind: activeCodexAccountId === null ? systemCodexIdentity?.authKind : undefined
-        })
-      : null
+  // Why: remote snapshots own their system-default identity, but the desktop's
+  // rate-limit poll must not be misattributed to a remote account owner.
+  const activeCodexAuthWarning = codexAccountsLoaded
+    ? getCodexAccountAuthWarning({
+        limits: isRemoteAccountScope ? null : codexRateLimits,
+        target: codexRateLimitTarget,
+        runtime: accountRuntime,
+        activeAccountId: activeCodexAccountId,
+        accountId: activeCodexAccountId,
+        authKind: activeCodexAccountId === null ? systemCodexIdentity?.authKind : undefined
+      })
+    : null
+  const systemCodexMissingSignIn = activeCodexAuthWarning === 'missing-sign-in'
   const systemCodexNeedsSignIn = activeCodexAccountId === null && Boolean(activeCodexAuthWarning)
   const accountRuntimeUnavailable =
     accountRuntime.runtime === 'wsl' && !wslAvailable && !wslCapabilitiesLoading
@@ -1079,16 +1079,22 @@ export function AccountsPane({
             <div className="flex items-start gap-2 rounded-md border border-destructive/40 bg-destructive/5 px-3 py-2 text-xs text-destructive">
               <AlertTriangle className="mt-0.5 size-3.5 shrink-0" />
               <span>
-                {activeCodexAccountId
+                {systemCodexMissingSignIn
                   ? translate(
-                      'auto.components.settings.AccountsPane.75ca9b718e',
-                      'Codex reported that the active account needs a fresh sign-in. Re-authenticate it before starting new Codex sessions.'
-                    )
-                  : translate(
-                      'auto.components.settings.AccountsPane.e4a28e8894',
-                      'Codex reported that the {{value0}} login needs a fresh sign-in. Sign in again before starting new Codex sessions.',
+                      'auto.components.settings.AccountsPane.codexSystemDefaultNeedsSignIn',
+                      'No Codex sign-in was found for {{value0}}.',
                       { value0: accountRuntimeSentenceLabel }
-                    )}
+                    )
+                  : activeCodexAccountId
+                    ? translate(
+                        'auto.components.settings.AccountsPane.75ca9b718e',
+                        'Codex reported that the active account needs a fresh sign-in. Re-authenticate it before starting new Codex sessions.'
+                      )
+                    : translate(
+                        'auto.components.settings.AccountsPane.e4a28e8894',
+                        'Codex reported that the {{value0}} login needs a fresh sign-in. Sign in again before starting new Codex sessions.',
+                        { value0: accountRuntimeSentenceLabel }
+                      )}
               </span>
             </div>
           ) : null}
@@ -1196,7 +1202,7 @@ export function AccountsPane({
                   }`}
                 >
                   {systemCodexNeedsSignIn
-                    ? systemCodexIdentity?.authKind === 'none'
+                    ? systemCodexMissingSignIn
                       ? translate(
                           'auto.components.settings.AccountsPane.codexSystemDefaultNeedsSignIn',
                           'No Codex sign-in was found for {{value0}}.',
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.test.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.test.ts
index 69ffdbdde73..81b4f1a64be 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.test.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.test.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ describe('codex account auth warning', () => {
         activeAccountId: 'account-1',
         accountId: 'account-1'
       })
-    ).toContain('access token could not be refreshed')
+    ).toBe('stale-sign-in')
   })
 
   it('does not warn for inactive accounts or a different runtime', () => {
@@ -101,9 +101,20 @@ describe('codex account auth warning', () => {
         authKind
       })
 
-    expect(getWarning('none')).not.toBeNull()
+    expect(getWarning('none')).toBe('missing-sign-in')
     expect(getWarning('api-key')).toBeNull()
     expect(getWarning('oauth')).toBeNull()
+
+    expect(
+      getCodexAccountAuthWarning({
+        limits: null,
+        target: { runtime: 'host', wslDistro: null },
+        runtime: { runtime: 'host' },
+        activeAccountId: 'account-1',
+        accountId: null,
+        authKind: 'none'
+      })
+    ).toBeNull()
   })
 
   it('allows a WSL default account location to receive the active WSL target warning', () => {
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.ts b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.ts
index bed7392dac2..9db1e3ae8e5 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.ts
+++ b/src/renderer/src/components/settings/codex-account-auth-warning.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ type AccountRuntime = {
   wslDistro?: string | null
 }
 
+type CodexAccountAuthWarning = 'missing-sign-in' | 'stale-sign-in'
+
 export function codexRateLimitTargetMatchesAccountRuntime(
   target: RateLimitRuntimeTarget,
   runtime: AccountRuntime
@@ -30,7 +32,7 @@ export function getCodexAccountAuthWarning(args: {
   activeAccountId: string | null
   accountId: string | null
   authKind?: CodexSystemDefaultIdentity['authKind']
-}): string | null {
+}): CodexAccountAuthWarning | null {
   if (args.accountId !== args.activeAccountId) {
     return null
   }
@@ -40,7 +42,7 @@ export function getCodexAccountAuthWarning(args: {
     return null
   }
   if (args.accountId === null && args.authKind === 'none') {
-    return 'No Codex sign-in was found.'
+    return 'missing-sign-in'
   }
   if (!codexRateLimitTargetMatchesAccountRuntime(args.target, args.runtime)) {
     return null
@@ -48,5 +50,5 @@ export function getCodexAccountAuthWarning(args: {
   if (args.limits?.status !== 'error' || !isCodexAuthError(args.limits.error)) {
     return null
   }
-  return args.limits.error?.trim() || 'Codex reported that this sign-in needs re-authentication.'
+  return 'stale-sign-in'
 }