diff --git a/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session.ts b/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session.ts
index d580bf3ce4..09a140bce1 100644
--- a/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session.ts
+++ b/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session.ts
@@ -313,13 +313,13 @@ export class ChatGptSessionExecutor extends BaseExecutor {
       void run();
       const opened = await openChatGptSessionStream(events, meta);
       if (opened.kind === "error") {
-        // `opened.status`/`opened.code` are authoritative: the bridge classified the real
-        // adapter event, which carries its own `status`/`code` and its own `name` (a Playwright
-        // TimeoutError is classified by name, and its message alone would fall through to a
-        // breaker-tripping 502). `ChatGptSessionStreamOpen` has no `fallbackHint` field, so the
-        // message is re-examined for that one value and nothing else.
-        const hint = classifyChatGptSessionError(new Error(opened.message)).fallbackHint;
-        return wrapped(errorResponse(opened.status, opened.message, opened.code, hint), input.body);
+        // Every field of the verdict comes from the bridge's classification of the real adapter
+        // event — status, code and fallbackHint alike. Re-classifying the sanitized message here
+        // would discard the event's own `status`/`code`/`name`.
+        return wrapped(
+          errorResponse(opened.status, opened.message, opened.code, opened.fallbackHint),
+          input.body
+        );
       }
       return wrapped(
         new Response(opened.stream, { status: 200, headers: SSE_HEADERS }),
diff --git a/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session/errors.ts b/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session/errors.ts
index 03a392a45a..5ecb9a5e4a 100644
--- a/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session/errors.ts
+++ b/open-sse/executors/chatgpt-session/errors.ts
@@ -68,6 +68,22 @@ export function classifyChatGptSessionError(error: unknown): ChatGptSessionError
     return { status: 400, code: "browser_ui_timeout" };
   }
 
+  // An explicit numeric status is the adapter's own authoritative verdict. The vendor documents
+  // it that way on `AdapterEvent.error.status` ("Authoritative upstream/proxy status when known;
+  // avoids message-based classification"), and trusting it first is what stops a 503 whose prose
+  // happens to mention signing in from being reported as an expired session — which would mark a
+  // healthy account's credentials dead and pull it out of rotation. Message matching still runs
+  // below, because failures thrown by this executor itself carry no status at all.
+  if (typeof like.status === "number" && like.status >= 400) {
+    const status = like.status;
+    return {
+      status,
+      code: like.code ?? "turn_failed",
+      // 503/429 must cool this one connection down rather than trip the whole-provider breaker.
+      ...(status === 503 || status === 429 ? { fallbackHint: "connection_cooldown" as const } : {}),
+    };
+  }
+
   if (BROWSER_UNAVAILABLE.test(like.message)) {
     return { status: 503, code: "browser_unavailable", fallbackHint: "connection_cooldown" };
   }
@@ -86,8 +102,5 @@ export function classifyChatGptSessionError(error: unknown): ChatGptSessionError
   if (UI_TIMEOUT.test(like.message)) {
     return { status: 400, code: "browser_ui_timeout" };
   }
-  if (typeof like.status === "number" && like.status >= 400) {
-    return { status: like.status, code: like.code ?? "turn_failed" };
-  }
   return { status: 502, code: "turn_failed" };
 }
diff --git a/tests/unit/chatgpt-session-errors.test.ts b/tests/unit/chatgpt-session-errors.test.ts
index dc41269352..ac1b80ac8d 100644
--- a/tests/unit/chatgpt-session-errors.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/chatgpt-session-errors.test.ts
@@ -80,13 +80,72 @@ test("an explicit upstream status is used when no message pattern matches", () =
   assert.equal(result.status, 502);
 });
 
-// Message-pattern matching intentionally runs before the explicit-status branch, so a
-// recognised message wins even when the error also carries an explicit upstream status.
-test("a matching message wins over an explicit upstream status", () => {
+// CONTRACT CHANGE (deliberate inversion of the previous expectation). This test used to assert
+// that a recognised message beat an explicit upstream status; the precedence is now the other way
+// round. The vendor documents `AdapterEvent.error.status` as "Authoritative upstream/proxy status
+// when known; avoids message-based classification", and honouring that is what stops a 503 whose
+// prose happens to mention signing in from being reported as an expired session — which would
+// mark a HEALTHY account's credentials dead and pull it out of rotation. Message matching still
+// runs, just as the fallback for failures that carry no status at all (everything this executor
+// throws itself).
+test("an explicit upstream status wins over a matching message", () => {
   const result = classifyChatGptSessionError({
     message: "ChatGPT reported a usage limit",
     status: 500,
   });
+  assert.equal(result.status, 500);
+  assert.equal(result.code, "turn_failed");
+});
+
+test("a session-expired message cannot downgrade an explicit 503 to a 401", () => {
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError({
+    message: "Please sign in to continue",
+    status: 503,
+  });
+  assert.equal(result.status, 503);
+  assert.notEqual(result.code, "session_expired");
+});
+
+test("an explicit 503 carries the connection cooldown hint", () => {
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError({ message: "upstream unavailable", status: 503 });
+  assert.equal(result.status, 503);
+  assert.equal(result.fallbackHint, "connection_cooldown");
+});
+
+test("an explicit 429 carries the connection cooldown hint", () => {
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError({ message: "slow down", status: 429 });
+  assert.equal(result.status, 429);
+  assert.equal(result.fallbackHint, "connection_cooldown");
+});
+
+test("an explicit 400 carries no cooldown hint", () => {
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError({ message: "bad request", status: 400 });
+  assert.equal(result.status, 400);
+  assert.equal(result.fallbackHint, undefined);
+});
+
+test("an explicit status keeps the event's own code when it carries one", () => {
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError({
+    message: "anything",
+    status: 503,
+    code: "upstream_unavailable",
+  });
+  assert.equal(result.code, "upstream_unavailable");
+});
+
+test("a TimeoutError still outranks an explicit upstream status", () => {
+  const timeout = new Error("locator.waitForSelector: Timeout 30000ms exceeded") as Error & {
+    status?: number;
+  };
+  timeout.name = "TimeoutError";
+  timeout.status = 503;
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError(timeout);
+  assert.equal(result.status, 400);
+  assert.equal(result.code, "browser_ui_timeout");
+});
+
+test("message patterns still classify failures that carry no status", () => {
+  const result = classifyChatGptSessionError(new Error("ChatGPT reported a usage limit"));
   assert.equal(result.status, 429);
   assert.equal(result.code, "rate_limited");
 });