diff --git a/docs/plugins/codex-harness.md b/docs/plugins/codex-harness.md
index 2f19ef276db..1e1e7cf5b69 100644
--- a/docs/plugins/codex-harness.md
+++ b/docs/plugins/codex-harness.md
@@ -185,9 +185,9 @@ Codex after changing config.
 The plugin blocks older or unversioned app-server handshakes. That keeps
 OpenClaw on the protocol surface it has been tested against.
 
-For live and Docker smoke tests, auth usually comes from the Codex CLI account,
-an OpenClaw `openai-codex` auth profile, or `CODEX_API_KEY` /
-`OPENAI_API_KEY` as a fallback when no account is present.
+For live and Docker smoke tests, auth usually comes from the Codex CLI account
+or an OpenClaw `openai-codex` auth profile. Local stdio app-server launches can
+also fall back to `CODEX_API_KEY` / `OPENAI_API_KEY` when no account is present.
 
 ## Minimal config
 
@@ -514,15 +514,18 @@ order:
 
 1. An explicit OpenClaw Codex auth profile for the agent.
 2. The app-server's existing account, such as a local Codex CLI ChatGPT sign-in.
-3. `CODEX_API_KEY`, then `OPENAI_API_KEY`, only when no app-server account is
-   present and OpenAI auth is still required.
+3. For local stdio app-server launches only, `CODEX_API_KEY`, then
+   `OPENAI_API_KEY`, when no app-server account is present and OpenAI auth is
+   still required.
 
 When OpenClaw sees a ChatGPT subscription-style Codex auth profile, it removes
 `CODEX_API_KEY` and `OPENAI_API_KEY` from the spawned Codex child process. That
 keeps Gateway-level API keys available for embeddings or direct OpenAI models
 without making native Codex app-server turns bill through the API by accident.
-Explicit Codex API-key profiles and env-key fallback use app-server login
-instead of inherited child-process env.
+Explicit Codex API-key profiles and local stdio env-key fallback use app-server
+login instead of inherited child-process env. WebSocket app-server connections
+do not receive Gateway env API-key fallback; use an explicit auth profile or the
+remote app-server's own account.
 
 If a deployment needs additional environment isolation, add those variables to
 `appServer.clearEnv`:
diff --git a/docs/providers/openai.md b/docs/providers/openai.md
index c6e24dfe2cf..e4e83e088b4 100644
--- a/docs/providers/openai.md
+++ b/docs/providers/openai.md
@@ -293,15 +293,17 @@ selects auth in this order:
 
 1. An explicit OpenClaw `openai-codex` auth profile bound to the agent.
 2. The app-server's existing account, such as a local Codex CLI ChatGPT sign-in.
-3. `CODEX_API_KEY`, then `OPENAI_API_KEY`, only when the app-server reports no
-   account and still requires OpenAI auth.
+3. For local stdio app-server launches only, `CODEX_API_KEY`, then
+   `OPENAI_API_KEY`, when the app-server reports no account and still requires
+   OpenAI auth.
 
 That means a local ChatGPT/Codex subscription sign-in is not replaced just
 because the gateway process also has `OPENAI_API_KEY` for direct OpenAI models
-or embeddings. API-key fallback is only the no-account path. When a
-subscription-style Codex profile is selected, OpenClaw also keeps
-`CODEX_API_KEY` and `OPENAI_API_KEY` out of the spawned stdio app-server child
-and sends the selected credentials through the app-server login RPC.
+or embeddings. Env API-key fallback is only the local stdio no-account path; it
+is not sent to WebSocket app-server connections. When a subscription-style Codex
+profile is selected, OpenClaw also keeps `CODEX_API_KEY` and `OPENAI_API_KEY`
+out of the spawned stdio app-server child and sends the selected credentials
+through the app-server login RPC.
 
 ## Image generation
 
diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.test.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.test.ts
index 74b9e23adc0..1895f4874f6 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.test.ts
@@ -389,6 +389,7 @@ describe("bridgeCodexAppServerStartOptions", () => {
       await applyCodexAppServerAuthProfile({
         client: { request } as never,
         agentDir,
+        startOptions: createStartOptions(),
       });
 
       expect(request).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, "account/read", { refreshToken: false });
@@ -415,6 +416,7 @@ describe("bridgeCodexAppServerStartOptions", () => {
       await applyCodexAppServerAuthProfile({
         client: { request } as never,
         agentDir,
+        startOptions: createStartOptions(),
       });
 
       expect(request).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(1, "account/read", { refreshToken: false });
@@ -443,6 +445,7 @@ describe("bridgeCodexAppServerStartOptions", () => {
       await applyCodexAppServerAuthProfile({
         client: { request } as never,
         agentDir,
+        startOptions: createStartOptions(),
       });
 
       expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
@@ -465,6 +468,7 @@ describe("bridgeCodexAppServerStartOptions", () => {
       await applyCodexAppServerAuthProfile({
         client: { request } as never,
         agentDir,
+        startOptions: createStartOptions(),
       });
 
       expect(request).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
@@ -474,6 +478,32 @@ describe("bridgeCodexAppServerStartOptions", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("does not send env API-key fallback to websocket app-server connections", async () => {
+    const agentDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-codex-app-server-"));
+    const request = vi.fn(async (method: string) => {
+      if (method === "account/read") {
+        return { account: null, requiresOpenaiAuth: true };
+      }
+      return { type: "apiKey" };
+    });
+    vi.stubEnv("CODEX_API_KEY", "codex-env-api-key");
+    vi.stubEnv("OPENAI_API_KEY", "openai-env-api-key");
+    try {
+      await applyCodexAppServerAuthProfile({
+        client: { request } as never,
+        agentDir,
+        startOptions: createStartOptions({
+          transport: "websocket",
+          url: "ws://127.0.0.1:1455",
+        }),
+      });
+
+      expect(request).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    } finally {
+      await fs.rm(agentDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+
   it("applies an OpenAI Codex token profile backed by a secret ref", async () => {
     const agentDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "openclaw-codex-app-server-"));
     const request = vi.fn(async () => ({ type: "chatgptAuthTokens" }));
diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.ts
index 5cf0503747b..dcd5462bb46 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/auth-bridge.ts
@@ -41,12 +41,16 @@ export async function applyCodexAppServerAuthProfile(params: {
   client: CodexAppServerClient;
   agentDir: string;
   authProfileId?: string;
+  startOptions?: CodexAppServerStartOptions;
 }): Promise<void> {
   const loginParams = await resolveCodexAppServerAuthProfileLoginParams({
     agentDir: params.agentDir,
     authProfileId: params.authProfileId,
   });
   if (!loginParams) {
+    if (params.startOptions?.transport !== "stdio") {
+      return;
+    }
     const fallbackLoginParams = await resolveCodexAppServerEnvApiKeyLoginParams({
       client: params.client,
       env: process.env,
diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.test.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.test.ts
index ed8d4e48ecd..7ebab3cd6e0 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.test.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.test.ts
@@ -311,6 +311,16 @@ describe("Codex app-server config", () => {
     });
 
     expect(first).not.toEqual(second);
+    expect(
+      codexAppServerStartOptionsKey({
+        transport: "websocket",
+        command: "codex",
+        args: [],
+        url: "ws://127.0.0.1:39175",
+        authToken: "tok_first",
+        headers: {},
+      }),
+    ).toEqual(first);
     expect(first).not.toContain("tok_first");
     expect(second).not.toContain("tok_second");
   });
@@ -332,6 +342,15 @@ describe("Codex app-server config", () => {
     });
 
     expect(first).not.toEqual(second);
+    expect(
+      codexAppServerStartOptionsKey({
+        transport: "stdio",
+        command: "codex",
+        args: ["app-server"],
+        headers: {},
+        env: { OPENAI_API_KEY: "sk-first" },
+      }),
+    ).toEqual(first);
     expect(first).not.toContain("sk-first");
     expect(second).not.toContain("sk-second");
   });
diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.ts
index 53d19b4f077..d9dd759cc6f 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/config.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
-import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
+import { createHmac, randomBytes } from "node:crypto";
 import { z } from "zod";
 import type { CodexSandboxPolicy, CodexServiceTier } from "./protocol.js";
 
+const START_OPTIONS_KEY_SECRET = randomBytes(32);
+
 export type CodexAppServerTransportMode = "stdio" | "websocket";
 export type CodexAppServerPolicyMode = "yolo" | "guardian";
 export type CodexAppServerApprovalPolicy = "never" | "on-request" | "on-failure" | "untrusted";
@@ -300,13 +302,13 @@ export function codexAppServerStartOptionsKey(
     commandSource: options.commandSource ?? null,
     args: options.args,
     url: options.url ?? null,
-    authToken: hashSecretForKey(options.authToken),
+    authToken: hashSecretForKey(options.authToken, "authToken"),
     headers: Object.entries(options.headers).toSorted(([left], [right]) =>
       left.localeCompare(right),
     ),
     env: Object.entries(options.env ?? {})
       .toSorted(([left], [right]) => left.localeCompare(right))
-      .map(([key, value]) => [key, hashSecretForKey(value)]),
+      .map(([key, value]) => [key, hashSecretForKey(value, `env:${key}`)]),
     clearEnv: [...(options.clearEnv ?? [])].toSorted(),
     authProfileId: params.authProfileId ?? null,
   });
@@ -431,11 +433,15 @@ function readNonEmptyString(value: unknown): string | undefined {
   return trimmed || undefined;
 }
 
-function hashSecretForKey(value: string | undefined): string | null {
+function hashSecretForKey(value: string | undefined, label: string): string | null {
   if (!value) {
     return null;
   }
-  return createHash("sha256").update(value).digest("hex");
+  return createHmac("sha256", START_OPTIONS_KEY_SECRET)
+    .update(label)
+    .update("\0")
+    .update(value)
+    .digest("hex");
 }
 
 function splitShellWords(value: string): string[] {
diff --git a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts
index b6d82eeb969..98669dc717b 100644
--- a/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts
+++ b/extensions/codex/src/app-server/shared-client.ts
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ export async function getSharedCodexAppServerClient(options?: {
           client,
           agentDir,
           authProfileId: options?.authProfileId,
+          startOptions,
         });
         return client;
       } catch (error) {
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ export async function createIsolatedCodexAppServerClient(options?: {
       client,
       agentDir,
       authProfileId: options?.authProfileId,
+      startOptions,
     });
     return client;
   } catch (error) {