diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.test.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.test.ts
index a41109bde1a..63256172665 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.test.ts
@@ -144,4 +144,47 @@ describe("shared Codex app-server client", () => {
     expect(startSpy).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
     expect(first.process.kill).toHaveBeenCalledWith("SIGTERM");
   });
+
+  it("does not let a superseded shared-client failure tear down the newer client", async () => {
+    const first = createClientHarness();
+    const second = createClientHarness();
+    vi.spyOn(CodexAppServerClient, "start")
+      .mockReturnValueOnce(first.client)
+      .mockReturnValueOnce(second.client);
+
+    const firstList = listCodexAppServerModels({
+      timeoutMs: 1000,
+      startOptions: {
+        transport: "websocket",
+        command: "codex",
+        args: [],
+        url: "ws://127.0.0.1:39175",
+        authToken: "tok-first",
+        headers: {},
+      },
+    });
+    const firstFailure = firstList.catch((error: unknown) => error);
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(first.writes.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1));
+
+    const secondList = listCodexAppServerModels({
+      timeoutMs: 1000,
+      startOptions: {
+        transport: "websocket",
+        command: "codex",
+        args: [],
+        url: "ws://127.0.0.1:39175",
+        authToken: "tok-second",
+        headers: {},
+      },
+    });
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(second.writes.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1));
+
+    await expect(firstFailure).resolves.toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+
+    await sendInitializeResult(second, "openclaw/0.118.0 (macOS; test)");
+    await sendEmptyModelList(second);
+    await expect(secondList).resolves.toEqual({ models: [] });
+
+    expect(second.process.kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
 });
diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts
index 5dcee5fdecb..d9f973d733d 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts
@@ -40,28 +40,32 @@ export async function getSharedCodexAppServerClient(options?: {
     clearSharedCodexAppServerClient();
   }
   state.key = key;
-  state.promise ??= (async () => {
-    const client = CodexAppServerClient.start(startOptions);
-    state.client = client;
-    client.addCloseHandler(clearSharedClientIfCurrent);
-    try {
-      await client.initialize();
+  const sharedPromise =
+    state.promise ??
+    (state.promise = (async () => {
+      const client = CodexAppServerClient.start(startOptions);
+      state.client = client;
+      client.addCloseHandler(clearSharedClientIfCurrent);
+      try {
+        await client.initialize();
       return client;
     } catch (error) {
       // Startup failures happen before callers own the shared client, so close
       // the child here instead of leaving a rejected daemon attached to stdio.
-      client.close();
-      throw error;
-    }
-  })();
+        client.close();
+        throw error;
+      }
+    })());
   try {
     return await withTimeout(
-      state.promise,
+      sharedPromise,
       options?.timeoutMs ?? 0,
       "codex app-server initialize timed out",
     );
   } catch (error) {
-    clearSharedCodexAppServerClient();
+    if (state.promise === sharedPromise && state.key === key) {
+      clearSharedCodexAppServerClient();
+    }
     throw error;
   }
 }