diff --git a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-managed-keychain-bridge.test.ts b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-managed-keychain-bridge.test.ts
index 6d986af2ace..cb85a4e83b1 100644
--- a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-managed-keychain-bridge.test.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-managed-keychain-bridge.test.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ import {
   testState
 } from './runtime-auth-service-test-harness'
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { readFileSync, realpathSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { join } from 'node:path'
 
 vi.mock('electron', () => createElectronMock())
@@ -266,7 +266,8 @@ describe('ClaudeRuntimeAuthService', () => {
     expect(testState.managedKeychainCredentials.get('account-1')).toBe(managedCredentials)
   })
 
-  it('retains a visible degraded provenance after scoped Keychain bridge failure', async () => {
+  // Why: precedent is to degrade the storage medium, never the account identity.
+  it('keeps the managed home and writes its credentials file when the scoped Keychain fails', async () => {
     if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
       return
     }
@@ -284,10 +285,38 @@ describe('ClaudeRuntimeAuthService', () => {
     const service = new ClaudeRuntimeAuthService(store as never)
     testState.throwScopedKeychainWrite = true
 
+    const preparation = await service.prepareForClaudeLaunch()
+
+    expect(preparation.provenance).toBe('managed:account-1')
+    expect(preparation.stripAuthEnv).toBe(true)
+    expect(preparation.configDir).toBe(realpathSync(managedAuthPath))
+    expect(readFileSync(join(managedAuthPath, '.credentials.json'), 'utf-8')).toBe(credentials)
+  })
+
+  it('retains a visible degraded provenance after scoped Keychain bridge failure', async () => {
+    if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
+      return
+    }
+    const credentials = createClaudeCredentialsJson('user@example.com', 'managed')
+    const managedAuthPath = createManagedClaudeAuth(testState.userDataDir, 'account-1', credentials)
+    const store = createStore(
+      createSettings({
+        claudeManagedAccounts: [
+          createClaudeAccount('account-1', managedAuthPath, { managedAuthRuntime: 'host' })
+        ],
+        activeClaudeManagedAccountId: 'account-1'
+      })
+    )
+    const { ClaudeRuntimeAuthService } = await import('./runtime-auth-service')
+    const service = new ClaudeRuntimeAuthService(store as never)
+    testState.throwScopedKeychainWrite = true
+    testState.throwManagedKeychainRead = true
+
     const launchPreparation = await service.prepareForClaudeLaunch()
     expect(launchPreparation.provenance).toBe('system:managed-keychain-unavailable')
 
     testState.throwScopedKeychainWrite = false
+    testState.throwManagedKeychainRead = false
     await expect(service.prepareForRateLimitFetch()).resolves.toMatchObject({
       provenance: 'system:managed-keychain-unavailable',
       stripAuthEnv: false
diff --git a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-test-harness.ts b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-test-harness.ts
index a4c3abf3897..3963c96b31f 100644
--- a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-test-harness.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service-test-harness.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ export const testState = {
   throwRuntimeKeychainWrite: false,
   throwLegacyRuntimeKeychainWrite: false,
   throwScopedKeychainWrite: false,
+  throwManagedKeychainRead: false,
   runtimeWriteConfigDir: null as string | null,
   scopedKeychainCredentialsByConfigDir: new Map<string, string>(),
   managedKeychainCredentials: new Map<string, string>()
@@ -130,9 +131,12 @@ export function createKeychainMock() {
         testState.activeKeychainCredentials = contents
       }
     ),
-    readManagedClaudeKeychainCredentials: vi.fn(
-      async (accountId: string) => testState.managedKeychainCredentials.get(accountId) ?? null
-    ),
+    readManagedClaudeKeychainCredentials: vi.fn(async (accountId: string) => {
+      if (testState.throwManagedKeychainRead) {
+        throw new Error('managed keychain read failed')
+      }
+      return testState.managedKeychainCredentials.get(accountId) ?? null
+    }),
     writeManagedClaudeKeychainCredentials: vi.fn(async (accountId: string, contents: string) => {
       testState.managedKeychainCredentials.set(accountId, contents)
     })
diff --git a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service.ts b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service.ts
index 57d0af55554..ee382a8eef7 100644
--- a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth-service.ts
@@ -109,8 +109,19 @@ export class ClaudeRuntimeAuthService extends ClaudeRuntimeAuthSync {
         }
       } catch {
         console.warn('[claude-runtime-auth] Failed to bridge macOS managed Claude Keychain')
-        // Never route a pane at a home whose credential surface could not be
-        // synchronized; fall back to the system lane instead.
+        // Degrade the medium before the identity: the CLI reads the config dir's own
+        // credentials file when the Keychain is unusable, so keep the pane on its account.
+        try {
+          if (await this.materializeManagedCredentialsFile(selected)) {
+            return preparation
+          }
+        } catch {
+          console.warn(
+            '[claude-runtime-auth] Failed to materialize managed Claude credentials file'
+          )
+        }
+        // Only with no readable managed credential is there nothing to route at; fall
+        // back to the system lane and surface it.
         const fallbackPreparation: ClaudeRuntimeAuthPreparation = {
           configDir: this.pathResolver.getRuntimePaths().configDir,
           runtime: 'host',
diff --git a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth/runtime-auth-managed-credentials.ts b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth/runtime-auth-managed-credentials.ts
index 1a7f9d5546e..a5f331d04c2 100644
--- a/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth/runtime-auth-managed-credentials.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude-accounts/runtime-auth/runtime-auth-managed-credentials.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,23 @@ export class ClaudeRuntimeAuthManagedCredentials extends ClaudeRuntimeAuthCreden
     return readClaudeManagedAuthFile(managedAuthPath, '.credentials.json')
   }
 
+  // Why: mirrors the CLI's own keychain-primary/file-fallback contract — when the scoped Keychain
+  // is unusable, degrade the storage medium inside the isolated home, never the account identity.
+  protected async materializeManagedCredentialsFile(
+    account: ClaudeManagedAccount
+  ): Promise<boolean> {
+    const managedAuthPath = await this.getOwnedManagedAuthPath(account)
+    if (!managedAuthPath) {
+      return false
+    }
+    const credentialsJson = await this.readManagedCredentials(account)
+    if (!credentialsJson || !this.isValidCredentialsJsonObject(credentialsJson)) {
+      return false
+    }
+    writeClaudeManagedAuthFile(managedAuthPath, '.credentials.json', credentialsJson)
+    return true
+  }
+
   protected async writeManagedCredentials(
     account: ClaudeManagedAccount,
     credentialsJson: string