diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child-readiness.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child-readiness.ts
index 054b98935275..9c4bf381387c 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child-readiness.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/gateway-child-readiness.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ export function resolveQaGatewayStartupRetry(params: {
 }
 
 function isRetryableGatewayCallError(details: string): boolean {
+  // The persistent QA client exposes preformatted close errors plus child logs,
+  // not the typed transport errors produced by one-shot gateway calls.
   return (
     details.includes("handshake timeout") ||
     details.includes("gateway closed (1000") ||
@@ -256,6 +258,8 @@ export async function waitForGatewayListening(params: {
 }
 
 export function isRetryableRpcStartupError(error: unknown) {
+  // Startup errors cross the same low-level client/log boundary; timeout and
+  // token-mismatch retry facts exist only in the formatted diagnostic.
   const details = formatErrorMessage(error);
   return (
     details.includes("gateway timeout after") ||
diff --git a/extensions/qa-lab/src/suite-runtime-gateway.ts b/extensions/qa-lab/src/suite-runtime-gateway.ts
index dbe8f7937e1c..d2a8fd9a7b70 100644
--- a/extensions/qa-lab/src/suite-runtime-gateway.ts
+++ b/extensions/qa-lab/src/suite-runtime-gateway.ts
@@ -119,6 +119,8 @@ async function waitForConfigRestartSettle(
 }
 
 function formatGatewayPrimaryErrorText(error: unknown) {
+  // The persistent QA client flattens low-level closes and appends child logs,
+  // so the public one-shot gateway guards cannot recover a typed close here.
   const text = formatErrorMessage(error);
   const gatewayLogsIndex = text.indexOf("\nGateway logs:");
   return (gatewayLogsIndex >= 0 ? text.slice(0, gatewayLogsIndex) : text).trim();
diff --git a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.test.ts b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.test.ts
index a303e244c8cb..9b36fb40d783 100644
--- a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.test.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ const service = vi.hoisted(() => ({
 const note = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 const sleep = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(async () => {}));
 const healthCommand = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(async () => {}));
+const formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn((): string | undefined => undefined));
 const inspectPortConnections = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 const inspectPortUsage = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn());
 const formatPortDiagnostics = vi.hoisted(() => vi.fn(() => ["Port 18789 is already in use."]));
@@ -154,7 +155,7 @@ vi.mock("./gateway-install-token.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 vi.mock("./health-format.js", () => ({
-  formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic: vi.fn(() => undefined),
+  formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic,
   formatHealthCheckFailure: vi.fn(() => "health failed"),
 }));
 
@@ -173,6 +174,8 @@ describe("maybeRepairGatewayDaemon", () => {
 
   beforeEach(() => {
     vi.clearAllMocks();
+    formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic.mockReset();
+    formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic.mockReturnValue(undefined);
     service.isLoaded.mockResolvedValue(true);
     service.readRuntime.mockResolvedValue({ status: "running" });
     service.readCommand.mockResolvedValue(null);
@@ -624,6 +627,25 @@ describe("maybeRepairGatewayDaemon", () => {
     expect(service.restart).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
   });
 
+  it("reports a typed close after restart without depending on error wording", async () => {
+    setPlatform("linux");
+    const error = new Error("transport closed after restart");
+    healthCommand.mockRejectedValueOnce(error);
+    formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic.mockReturnValueOnce(
+      "Gateway connect failed: transport closed after restart",
+    );
+
+    const runtime = await runAutoRepair();
+
+    expect(formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic).toHaveBeenCalledWith(error);
+    expect(note).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "Gateway connect failed: transport closed after restart",
+      "Gateway",
+    );
+    expect(note).toHaveBeenCalledWith("details", "Gateway connection");
+    expect(runtime.error).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
   it("restarts running service when --yes explicitly approves repairs", async () => {
     setPlatform("linux");
 
diff --git a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.ts b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.ts
index 0a4d9fdab3f2..9c9c986b1c84 100644
--- a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.ts
+++ b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-daemon-flow.ts
@@ -527,16 +527,10 @@ export async function maybeRepairGatewayDaemon(params: {
       try {
         await healthCommand({ json: false, timeoutMs: 10_000 }, params.runtime);
       } catch (err) {
-        const message = String(err);
-        if (message.includes("gateway closed")) {
-          const closedDiagnostic = formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(err);
-          if (closedDiagnostic) {
-            note(closedDiagnostic, "Gateway");
-            note(params.gatewayDetailsMessage, "Gateway connection");
-          } else {
-            note("Gateway not running.", "Gateway");
-            note(params.gatewayDetailsMessage, "Gateway connection");
-          }
+        const closedDiagnostic = formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(err);
+        if (closedDiagnostic) {
+          note(closedDiagnostic, "Gateway");
+          note(params.gatewayDetailsMessage, "Gateway connection");
         } else {
           params.runtime.error(formatHealthCheckFailure(err));
         }
diff --git a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.test.ts b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.test.ts
index 82d71d8d567e..920faf5de968 100644
--- a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.test.ts
@@ -311,11 +311,12 @@ describe("checkGatewayHealth", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("reports the typed close reason instead of claiming the gateway is not running", async () => {
+  it("reports a typed close without depending on gateway error wording", async () => {
     const error = Object.assign(
-      new Error("gateway closed (1008): \u001B]52;c;YXR0YWNr\u0007protocol version mismatch"),
+      new Error("transport closed: \u001B]52;c;YXR0YWNr\u0007protocol version mismatch"),
       {
         kind: "closed",
+        code: 1008,
       },
     );
     callGateway.mockRejectedValueOnce(error);
@@ -325,7 +326,7 @@ describe("checkGatewayHealth", () => {
     await checkGatewayHealth({ runtime: runtime as never, cfg, timeoutMs: 3000 });
 
     expect(note).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      "Gateway connect failed: gateway closed (1008): protocol version mismatch",
+      "Gateway connect failed: transport closed: protocol version mismatch",
       "Gateway",
     );
     expect(note).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith("Gateway not running.", "Gateway");
diff --git a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.ts b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.ts
index 013e880bda8a..9302c0f759b9 100644
--- a/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.ts
+++ b/src/commands/doctor-gateway-health.ts
@@ -198,15 +198,10 @@ export async function checkGatewayHealth(params: {
         return { healthOk, authenticated: false };
       }
     }
-    const message = String(err);
-    if (message.includes("gateway closed")) {
+    const closedDiagnostic = formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(err);
+    if (closedDiagnostic) {
       const gatewayDetails = buildGatewayConnectionDetails({ config: params.cfg });
-      const closedDiagnostic = formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(err);
-      if (closedDiagnostic) {
-        note(closedDiagnostic, "Gateway");
-      } else {
-        note("Gateway not running.", "Gateway");
-      }
+      note(closedDiagnostic, "Gateway");
       note(gatewayDetails.message, "Gateway connection");
     } else {
       params.runtime.error(formatHealthCheckFailure(err));
diff --git a/src/commands/health-format.test.ts b/src/commands/health-format.test.ts
index fdf810754f8b..914de4c11085 100644
--- a/src/commands/health-format.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/health-format.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,31 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import type { HealthSummary } from "../gateway/health/types.js";
-import { formatHealthChannelLines } from "./health-format.js";
+import { formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic, formatHealthChannelLines } from "./health-format.js";
+
+describe("formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic", () => {
+  it("formats a coded gateway transport close", () => {
+    const error = Object.assign(new Error("gateway closed (1006): no close reason"), {
+      name: "GatewayTransportError",
+      kind: "closed",
+      code: 1006,
+      connectionDetails: {},
+    });
+
+    expect(formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(error)).toBe(
+      "Gateway connect failed: gateway closed (1006): no close reason",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("does not equate an uncoded connect-time close with a websocket close", () => {
+    const error = Object.assign(new Error("Gateway not reachable at ws://127.0.0.1:18789"), {
+      name: "GatewayTransportError",
+      kind: "closed",
+      connectionDetails: {},
+    });
+
+    expect(formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(error)).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
 
 const createHealthSummary = (
   params: Pick<HealthSummary, "channels" | "channelOrder" | "channelLabels">,
diff --git a/src/commands/health-format.ts b/src/commands/health-format.ts
index ba577c2bd40b..0105dd2defbe 100644
--- a/src/commands/health-format.ts
+++ b/src/commands/health-format.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { isGatewayTransportError } from "../gateway/call.js";
 import type { ChannelAccountHealthSummary, HealthSummary } from "../gateway/health/types.js";
 
 export function formatGatewayClosedDiagnostic(err: unknown): string | undefined {
-  if (!isGatewayTransportError(err) || err.kind !== "closed") {
+  if (!isGatewayTransportError(err) || err.kind !== "closed" || err.code === undefined) {
     return undefined;
   }
   return `Gateway connect failed: ${sanitizeTerminalText(err.message.split("\n", 1)[0] ?? "")}`;