diff --git a/apps/hub/src/index.ts b/apps/hub/src/index.ts
index 8a467fd92..b113c9a34 100644
--- a/apps/hub/src/index.ts
+++ b/apps/hub/src/index.ts
@@ -2216,9 +2216,10 @@ export async function createHub(config: HubConfig) {
   // A connection completing through ANY door below — OAuth callback,
   // pasted key, MCP OAuth, keyless MCP preset — settles every room
   // waiting on that connector: the room's `connections/pending` entry
-  // clears (flipping the in-room connect card via `chat.settings`), and
-  // the host agent is woken via `dispatchTurn` without a forged
-  // signed-in-user timeline row.
+  // clears (flipping the in-room connect card via `chat.settings`).
+  // Rooms with `connections/pending` still wake the host agent via
+  // `dispatchTurn` without a forged signed-in-user timeline row;
+  // code-review template rooms are not woken on PAT settle.
   //
   // An inference provider's credential landing also re-checks every
   // live participant's deployed inference chain (CL-6687): a rotated
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.test.ts b/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.test.ts
index 80c9326d6..5ba8784b3 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.test.ts
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.test.ts
@@ -1,26 +1,23 @@
 import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
 
 import {
+  CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE,
   consumerFacingInferenceText,
   isClassifiedInferenceFailureText,
 } from "./inference-failure";
 
 describe("consumerFacingInferenceText", () => {
-  test("keeps the vendor preamble and drops [HTTP …] plus the raw provider message", () => {
+  test("maps a classified credential failure to one recovery sentence", () => {
     expect(
       consumerFacingInferenceText(
         "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error [HTTP 401]: API key is invalid",
       ),
-    ).toBe(
-      "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error",
-    );
+    ).toBe(CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE);
     expect(
       consumerFacingInferenceText(
         "This agent could not complete your request because the API quota has been exhausted [HTTP 429]: rate limited",
       ),
-    ).toBe(
-      "This agent could not complete your request because the API quota has been exhausted",
-    );
+    ).toBe(CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE);
   });
 
   test("a forced [HTTP 401] dump is not consumer copy", () => {
@@ -47,12 +44,15 @@ describe("isClassifiedInferenceFailureText", () => {
     ).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  test("matches a credential_failure reply after HTTP/raw is stripped", () => {
+  test("a stripped credential_failure reply is recovery copy, not the classified preamble", () => {
+    const facing = consumerFacingInferenceText(
+      "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error [HTTP 401]: invalid api key",
+    );
+    expect(facing).toBe(CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE);
+    expect(facing.toLowerCase()).not.toContain("credential error");
     expect(
       isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(
-        consumerFacingInferenceText(
-          "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error [HTTP 401]: invalid api key",
-        ),
+        "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error [HTTP 401]: invalid api key",
       ),
     ).toBe(true);
   });
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.ts b/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.ts
index 0b3bb35a2..65906aab6 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.ts
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/src/inference-failure.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,10 @@ export const CLASSIFIED_INFERENCE_FAILURE_PREAMBLES: readonly string[] = [
   "This agent could not complete your request because the API quota has been exhausted",
 ];
 
-export { consumerFacingInferenceText } from "@corbits/chat/consumer-inference-text";
+export {
+  CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE,
+  consumerFacingInferenceText,
+} from "@corbits/chat/consumer-inference-text";
 
 export function isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(text: string): boolean {
   return CLASSIFIED_INFERENCE_FAILURE_PREAMBLES.some((preamble) =>
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/src/timeline.tsx b/packages/chat-ui/src/timeline.tsx
index 6b3eadfea..8d21ffd2a 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/src/timeline.tsx
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/src/timeline.tsx
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import type { ConnectGithubActions } from "./blocks/connect-github-actions";
 import type { ConnectServiceActions } from "./blocks/connect-service-actions";
 import { BlockPartView } from "./blocks/registry";
 import {
+  CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE,
   consumerFacingInferenceText,
   isClassifiedInferenceFailureText,
 } from "./inference-failure";
@@ -551,7 +552,8 @@ function TextBubble({
           <Markdown text={consumerText} />
         </div>
         {onFixConnection !== undefined &&
-          isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(consumerText) && (
+          (isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(text) ||
+            consumerText === CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE) && (
             <Button
               type="button"
               variant="outline"
@@ -1066,7 +1068,11 @@ export function offersMessageSocialChrome(item: MessageItem): boolean {
     if (part.kind === "event") return true;
     if (part.kind === "text" && part.turnFailed === true) return true;
     if (part.kind === "text" && part.turnCancelled === true) return true;
-    if (part.kind === "text" && isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(part.text)) {
+    if (
+      part.kind === "text" &&
+      (isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(part.text) ||
+        part.text === CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE)
+    ) {
       return true;
     }
     if (part.kind === "block") {
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/test/components.test.tsx b/packages/chat-ui/test/components.test.tsx
index 44669c268..483585de6 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/test/components.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/test/components.test.tsx
@@ -508,8 +508,9 @@ describe("WorkbenchTimeline", () => {
     expect(markup).not.toMatch(/\[HTTP/);
     expect(markup).not.toContain("401");
     expect(markup).not.toContain("invalid api key");
+    expect(markup).not.toMatch(/credential error/i);
     expect(markup).toContain(
-      "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error",
+      "This didn&#x27;t go through. Try again, or check the connection in Settings.",
     );
     expect(markup).toContain("Fix this connection");
   });
diff --git a/packages/chat-ui/test/failed-turn-strip.test.tsx b/packages/chat-ui/test/failed-turn-strip.test.tsx
index e6d869ca5..49a9c5674 100644
--- a/packages/chat-ui/test/failed-turn-strip.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/chat-ui/test/failed-turn-strip.test.tsx
@@ -240,8 +240,9 @@ describe("the failed-turn notice renders through PrFailedTurnStrip", () => {
 
     const detail = container.querySelector(".chat-turn-failed-detail");
     expect(detail?.textContent).toBe(
-      "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error",
+      "This didn't go through. Try again, or check the connection in Settings.",
     );
+    expect(detail?.textContent).not.toMatch(/credential error/i);
     expect(detail?.textContent).not.toMatch(/\[HTTP/);
     expect(detail?.textContent).not.toContain("401");
     expect(detail?.textContent).not.toContain("API key is invalid");
diff --git a/packages/chat/src/connect-pending.ts b/packages/chat/src/connect-pending.ts
index ac75c5f88..e6c9b2bee 100644
--- a/packages/chat/src/connect-pending.ts
+++ b/packages/chat/src/connect-pending.ts
@@ -193,12 +193,18 @@ export async function settleConnectedService(
     // A room matched only through the template key never wakes an agent:
     // its walkthrough was posted by the product, not asked for by an
     // agent mid-turn, and the room's first agent participant may be a
-    // reviewer whose prompt only speaks JSON. A room whose own
-    // `connections/pending` names the connector did have an agent ask
-    // for it, so that agent still gets woken.
-    const agentAddress = matchedPending
-      ? hostAgentAddress(updated.settings, input.principalId)
-      : undefined;
+    // reviewer whose prompt only speaks JSON. A code-review template
+    // room never wakes on GitHub settle even when `connections/pending`
+    // also names it (CL-6764): reviewers introduce themselves from
+    // canned copy after start-reviewing, and dispatching the first
+    // participant here is a credential-error bubble after a successful
+    // Connect. A non-template room whose own `connections/pending`
+    // names the connector did have an agent ask for it, so that agent
+    // still gets woken.
+    const agentAddress =
+      matchedPending && row.settings["template/id"] !== "code-review"
+        ? hostAgentAddress(updated.settings, input.principalId)
+        : undefined;
     // CL-6741: event-only system row — never a signed-in user text bubble.
     // Sender is the woken agent when there is one; otherwise a synthetic
     // system address so the row never attributes to the connecting person.
diff --git a/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.test.ts b/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.test.ts
index d604a0019..4cb7f41fb 100644
--- a/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.test.ts
+++ b/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.test.ts
@@ -10,14 +10,31 @@ describe("consumerFacingInferenceText", () => {
     expect(consumerFacingInferenceText("Hello there.")).toBe("Hello there.");
   });
 
-  test("keeps a classified preamble and drops a trailing HTTP dump", () => {
-    expect(
-      consumerFacingInferenceText(
-        "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error [HTTP 401]: API key is invalid.",
-      ),
-    ).toBe(
+  test("a classified credential failure is one recovery sentence, not a credential-error bubble", () => {
+    const text = consumerFacingInferenceText(
+      "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error [HTTP 401]: API key is invalid.",
+    );
+    expect(text).toBe(CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE);
+    expect(text.toLowerCase()).not.toContain("credential error");
+    expect(text).not.toMatch(/\[HTTP/i);
+    expect(text).not.toMatch(/401/);
+    expect(text.toLowerCase()).not.toContain("api key is invalid");
+  });
+
+  test("a classified credential preamble without an HTTP dump is still recovery copy", () => {
+    const text = consumerFacingInferenceText(
       "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error",
     );
+    expect(text).toBe(CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE);
+    expect(text.toLowerCase()).not.toContain("credential error");
+  });
+
+  test("a classified quota failure is the same recovery sentence", () => {
+    const text = consumerFacingInferenceText(
+      "This agent could not complete your request because the API quota has been exhausted [HTTP 429]: rate limited",
+    );
+    expect(text).toBe(CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE);
+    expect(text).not.toMatch(/\[HTTP/i);
   });
 
   test("a forced HTTP dump is not consumer copy", () => {
diff --git a/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.ts b/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.ts
index 54f4c962e..3bfeef4ab 100644
--- a/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.ts
+++ b/packages/chat/src/consumer-inference-text.ts
@@ -32,11 +32,19 @@ function needsSanitization(raw: string): boolean {
   return HTTP_STATUS_MARK.test(raw) || isProviderJsonDump(raw);
 }
 
-/** Drop HTTP status and raw provider text; keep a classified preamble when present. */
+/** Drop HTTP status, raw provider text, and classified failure preambles. */
 export function consumerFacingInferenceText(raw: string): string {
-  if (!needsSanitization(raw)) return raw;
+  if (!needsSanitization(raw) && !isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(raw)) {
+    return raw;
+  }
   const stripped = raw.replace(TRAILING_HTTP_DUMP, "").trim();
-  if (stripped.length > 0 && !needsSanitization(stripped)) return stripped;
+  if (
+    stripped.length > 0 &&
+    !needsSanitization(stripped) &&
+    !isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(stripped)
+  ) {
+    return stripped;
+  }
   return CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE;
 }
 
@@ -54,8 +62,5 @@ export function isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(text: string): boolean {
  */
 export function activityPreviewText(raw: string): string {
   const facing = consumerFacingInferenceText(raw);
-  if (isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(facing)) {
-    return CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE;
-  }
   return facing;
 }
diff --git a/packages/chat/src/room-messages.test.ts b/packages/chat/src/room-messages.test.ts
index b80bad1cc..50657bee5 100644
--- a/packages/chat/src/room-messages.test.ts
+++ b/packages/chat/src/room-messages.test.ts
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ describe("postRoomMessage", () => {
     expect(posted.parts).toEqual([
       {
         kind: "text",
-        text: "This agent could not complete your request due to a credential error",
+        text: CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE,
       },
     ]);
     const listed = await roomMessages.listMessages({
diff --git a/packages/chat/src/room-messages.ts b/packages/chat/src/room-messages.ts
index b1fe90eb1..dbc03fada 100644
--- a/packages/chat/src/room-messages.ts
+++ b/packages/chat/src/room-messages.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ import {
   activityPreviewText,
   CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE,
   consumerFacingInferenceText,
-  isClassifiedInferenceFailureText,
 } from "./consumer-inference-text";
 
 import { ChatMessageEventData } from "./stream-events";
@@ -174,7 +173,8 @@ function isFailurePreviewParts(parts: readonly Part[]): boolean {
     .replace(/\s+/g, " ")
     .trim();
   if (joined.length === 0) return false;
-  return isClassifiedInferenceFailureText(consumerFacingInferenceText(joined));
+  const facing = consumerFacingInferenceText(joined);
+  return facing === CONSUMER_INFERENCE_FAILURE_NOTICE;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/packages/chat/test/connect-pending.test.ts b/packages/chat/test/connect-pending.test.ts
index e05ab140d..060d1cd3d 100644
--- a/packages/chat/test/connect-pending.test.ts
+++ b/packages/chat/test/connect-pending.test.ts
@@ -309,6 +309,91 @@ test("settles a room whose GitHub card is pending under the code-review template
   expect(turns).toHaveLength(0);
 });
 
+test("a code-review template room never wakes an agent when GitHub connects — even if connections/pending also names it", async () => {
+  const { store, roomMessages, platform, agentTurns, deps } = buildDeps();
+  await store.createWorkbenchSettings({
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    workbenchId: "chan_review",
+    settings: {
+      "chat/kind": "workbench",
+      "chat/participants": [
+        { address: HUMAN_ADDRESS, handle: "owner" },
+        {
+          address: "ins_architecture-reviewer@acme.example",
+          handle: "architecture-reviewer",
+        },
+        {
+          address: "ins_correctness-reviewer@acme.example",
+          handle: "correctness-reviewer",
+        },
+      ],
+      "template/id": "code-review",
+      "connections/pending": ["github"],
+      "template/pendingConnections": ["github"],
+    },
+    updatedBy: "prn_owner",
+  });
+
+  await settleConnectedService(deps, {
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    principalId: "prn_owner",
+    connectorId: "github",
+    displayName: "GitHub",
+  });
+
+  const settled = await store.getWorkbenchSettings(TENANT.id, "chan_review");
+  expect(settled?.settings["connections/pending"]).toEqual([]);
+  expect(settled?.settings["template/pendingConnections"]).toEqual([]);
+
+  const listed = await roomMessages.listMessages({
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    workbenchId: "chan_review",
+  });
+  expectEventOnlySettleNotice(listed.items, "GitHub");
+  expect(listed.items[0]?.sender.address).toBe("system@chan_review");
+  expect(platform.sentMail).toHaveLength(0);
+  const turns = await agentTurns.listTurns({
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    workbenchId: "chan_review",
+  });
+  expect(turns).toHaveLength(0);
+});
+
+test("a code-review room that only has connections/pending for GitHub still does not dispatch a reviewer", async () => {
+  const { store, platform, agentTurns, deps } = buildDeps();
+  await store.createWorkbenchSettings({
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    workbenchId: "chan_review_pending",
+    settings: {
+      "chat/kind": "workbench",
+      "chat/participants": [
+        { address: HUMAN_ADDRESS, handle: "owner" },
+        {
+          address: "ins_architecture-reviewer@acme.example",
+          handle: "architecture-reviewer",
+        },
+      ],
+      "template/id": "code-review",
+      "connections/pending": ["github"],
+    },
+    updatedBy: "prn_owner",
+  });
+
+  await settleConnectedService(deps, {
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    principalId: "prn_owner",
+    connectorId: "github",
+    displayName: "GitHub",
+  });
+
+  expect(platform.sentMail).toHaveLength(0);
+  const turns = await agentTurns.listTurns({
+    tenantId: TENANT.id,
+    workbenchId: "chan_review_pending",
+  });
+  expect(turns).toHaveLength(0);
+});
+
 test("a room pending under both keys still wakes its host agent", async () => {
   const { store, roomMessages, platform, agentTurns, deps } = buildDeps();
   await store.createWorkbenchSettings({