diff --git a/hermes_cli/auth.py b/hermes_cli/auth.py
index 0d08007ef33e5..5db9dd30610d4 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/auth.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/auth.py
@@ -4471,8 +4471,17 @@ def _save_xai_oauth_tokens(
         # grant through _load_provider_state's fallback. When such a profile
         # refreshes the (rotating) grant, we must write the rotated chain back
         # to root too, or root is left holding a revoked refresh token (#43589).
-        write_through_to_root = not _profile_has_own_xai_oauth_state(auth_store)
-        state = _load_provider_state(auth_store, "xai-oauth") or {}
+        # #74339: the old key-presence check (_profile_has_own_xai_oauth_state)
+        # decided write-through based on whether the profile had a
+        # providers.xai-oauth key BEFORE the save — but _store_provider_state
+        # unconditionally creates that key below. Use
+        # _load_provider_state_with_source to learn where the grant was
+        # resolved from and write back only to that source.
+        state, source_path = _load_provider_state_with_source(
+            auth_store, "xai-oauth"
+        )
+        if state is None:
+            state = {}
         state["tokens"] = tokens
         state["last_refresh"] = last_refresh
         state["auth_mode"] = auth_mode
@@ -4480,12 +4489,24 @@ def _save_xai_oauth_tokens(
             state["discovery"] = discovery
         if redirect_uri:
             state["redirect_uri"] = redirect_uri
-        _store_provider_state(
-            auth_store, "xai-oauth", state, set_active=set_active
+        global_root = _global_auth_file_path()
+        is_from_root = bool(
+            source_path is not None
+            and global_root is not None
+            and _same_path(source_path, global_root)
         )
-        _save_auth_store(auth_store)
-        if write_through_to_root:
+        if is_from_root:
+            # Grant was resolved from root — write back to root only.
+            # Do NOT call _store_provider_state on the profile auth_store
+            # (it would create a shadowing providers.xai-oauth key that
+            # disables write-through on the next refresh — #74339).
             _write_through_xai_oauth_to_global_root(state)
+        else:
+            # Profile genuinely owns this — write to profile store.
+            _store_provider_state(
+                auth_store, "xai-oauth", state, set_active=set_active
+            )
+            _save_auth_store(auth_store)
 
 
 def _xai_access_token_is_expiring(access_token: str, skew_seconds: int = 0) -> bool:
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_credential_pool_oauth_writethrough.py b/tests/agent/test_credential_pool_oauth_writethrough.py
index 707b502d1c647..52678adb33405 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_credential_pool_oauth_writethrough.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_credential_pool_oauth_writethrough.py
@@ -264,14 +264,6 @@ def test_write_through_fires_on_every_refresh_not_just_first(
     )
 
     provider = "openai-codex"
-    call_count = [0]
-
-    def counting_root_write(provider_id, state):
-        call_count[0] += 1
-
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        CP, "_write_through_provider_state_to_global_root", counting_root_write
-    )
     # After patching A's module-level attributes, the bare-name imports in
     # credential_pool.py still hold references to the original functions
     # (``from X import Y`` creates a local binding that does not update when
@@ -280,6 +272,9 @@ def test_write_through_fires_on_every_refresh_not_just_first(
     # are ``agent.credential_pool.__dict__`` — sees the mocked paths.
     monkeypatch.setattr(CP, "_global_auth_file_path", lambda: root_path)
     monkeypatch.setattr(CP, "_same_path", lambda a, b: a == b)
+    # Let _write_through_provider_state_to_global_root run for real so it
+    # persists the rotated token pair to the root auth.json — the test
+    # asserts the on-disk values after each refresh.
 
     # ---- REFRESH 1 ----
     _write_store(profile_path, {"version": 1})
@@ -288,7 +283,12 @@ def test_write_through_fires_on_every_refresh_not_just_first(
     )
     pool1 = CredentialPool(provider, [entry1])
     pool1._sync_device_code_entry_to_auth_store(entry1)
-    assert call_count[0] == 1, "refresh 1: write-through must fire (#74339)"
+
+    # Verify root was updated with the rotated tokens from refresh 1.
+    root_store = _read_store(root_path)
+    root_tokens = root_store["providers"]["openai-codex"]["tokens"]
+    assert root_tokens["access_token"] == "ac1"
+    assert root_tokens["refresh_token"] == "rf1"
 
     # After refresh 1 the profile should NOT have a providers.openai-codex
     # block (the fix skipped _store_provider_state because the grant came
@@ -306,8 +306,14 @@ def test_write_through_fires_on_every_refresh_not_just_first(
     )
     pool2 = CredentialPool(provider, [entry2])
     pool2._sync_device_code_entry_to_auth_store(entry2)
-    assert call_count[0] == 2, (
-        "refresh 2: write-through must fire even after a prior sync-back. "
-        "The old code self-disabled here (#74339)"
-    )
+
+    # Verify root was updated with the rotated tokens from refresh 2.
+    # The old key-presence check would have silently skipped this write.
+    root_store = _read_store(root_path)
+    root_tokens = root_store["providers"]["openai-codex"]["tokens"]
+    assert root_tokens["access_token"] == "ac2", (
+        "refresh 2: root must carry the rotated token pair. "
+        "The old code self-disabled write-through here (#74339)"
+    )
+    assert root_tokens["refresh_token"] == "rf2"