diff --git a/packages/gittensory-miner/lib/laptop-init.js b/packages/gittensory-miner/lib/laptop-init.js
index 3aa729949..051dc7daf 100644
--- a/packages/gittensory-miner/lib/laptop-init.js
+++ b/packages/gittensory-miner/lib/laptop-init.js
@@ -160,11 +160,17 @@ export function checkCodexCliPresent(options = {}) {
   } catch {
     // auth.json missing or unreadable — codex would fail for lack of credentials at call time.
   }
-  return {
-    name: "codex-cli-present",
-    ok: true,
-    detail: authed ? `found at ${codexPath} (authenticated)` : `found at ${codexPath} (not authenticated: run \`codex auth\`)`,
-  };
+  if (authed) {
+    return { name: "codex-cli-present", ok: true, detail: `found at ${codexPath} (authenticated)` };
+  }
+  // codex-cli IS the configured driver but auth.json is missing/expired: a more specific, actionable remediation
+  // than the generic advisory below, mirroring ORB's codexAuthReadinessProbe/assertCodexAuthConfigured wording
+  // (#5166). `ok` stays true either way (unchanged by this issue, see #5165) since the CLI itself IS present --
+  // only the CLI-absent case is a hard doctor failure.
+  const detail = codingAgentProviderConfiguredFor(env, "codex-cli")
+    ? `found at ${codexPath} but auth.json is missing or expired — run \`codex auth\` to authenticate before attempts run`
+    : `found at ${codexPath} (not authenticated: run \`codex auth\`)`;
+  return { name: "codex-cli-present", ok: true, detail };
 }
 
 export function runInit(args = [], env = process.env) {
diff --git a/test/unit/miner-cli-doctor-checks.test.ts b/test/unit/miner-cli-doctor-checks.test.ts
index 848cac762..514fc0a51 100644
--- a/test/unit/miner-cli-doctor-checks.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/miner-cli-doctor-checks.test.ts
@@ -131,6 +131,56 @@ describe("gittensory-miner doctor — coding-agent CLI checks (#4304)", () => {
       expect(check.detail).toBe("found at /usr/bin/codex (authenticated)");
     });
 
+    it("codex: auth-freshness remediation -- names the exact remediation step when codex-cli is configured and auth.json is missing", () => {
+      const check = checkCodexCliPresent({
+        env: { MINER_CODING_AGENT_PROVIDER: "codex-cli" },
+        resolveCodexPath: () => "/usr/bin/codex",
+        resolveCodexAuthPath: () => join(tempRoot(), "does-not-exist.json"),
+      });
+      expect(check.ok).toBe(true);
+      expect(check.detail).toBe(
+        "found at /usr/bin/codex but auth.json is missing or expired — run `codex auth` to authenticate before attempts run",
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("codex: auth-freshness remediation -- no remediation message when codex-cli is configured and auth.json IS present", () => {
+      const authFile = join(tempRoot(), "auth.json");
+      writeFileSync(authFile, "{}");
+      const check = checkCodexCliPresent({
+        env: { MINER_CODING_AGENT_PROVIDER: "codex-cli" },
+        resolveCodexPath: () => "/usr/bin/codex",
+        resolveCodexAuthPath: () => authFile,
+      });
+      expect(check.detail).toBe("found at /usr/bin/codex (authenticated)");
+      expect(check.detail).not.toContain("run `codex auth`");
+    });
+
+    it("codex: auth-freshness remediation -- a DIFFERENT provider configured keeps the generic advisory message unchanged", () => {
+      const check = checkCodexCliPresent({
+        env: { MINER_CODING_AGENT_PROVIDER: "claude-cli" },
+        resolveCodexPath: () => "/usr/bin/codex",
+        resolveCodexAuthPath: () => join(tempRoot(), "does-not-exist.json"),
+      });
+      expect(check.detail).toBe("found at /usr/bin/codex (not authenticated: run `codex auth`)");
+    });
+
+    it("invariant: the unconfigured-provider message shape never changes regardless of auth.json state", () => {
+      const authMissing = checkCodexCliPresent({
+        env: {},
+        resolveCodexPath: () => "/usr/bin/codex",
+        resolveCodexAuthPath: () => join(tempRoot(), "does-not-exist.json"),
+      });
+      const authPresentFile = join(tempRoot(), "auth.json");
+      writeFileSync(authPresentFile, "{}");
+      const authPresent = checkCodexCliPresent({
+        env: {},
+        resolveCodexPath: () => "/usr/bin/codex",
+        resolveCodexAuthPath: () => authPresentFile,
+      });
+      expect(authMissing.detail).toBe("found at /usr/bin/codex (not authenticated: run `codex auth`)");
+      expect(authPresent.detail).toBe("found at /usr/bin/codex (authenticated)");
+    });
+
     it("invariant: an unconfigured (or differently-configured) provider's CLI check is never reported as ok: false regardless of CLI presence", () => {
       const missingUnconfigured = checkClaudeCliPresent({ env: {}, resolveClaudePath: () => null });
       const presentUnconfigured = checkClaudeCliPresent({ env: {}, resolveClaudePath: () => "/usr/bin/claude" });