diff --git a/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.test.ts b/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.test.ts
index ee4385ff2e0af..1335e369484a5 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import * as NodeUtil from "node:util";
 import * as NodeCrypto from "@effect/platform-node/NodeCrypto";
 import { assert, it, vi } from "@effect/vitest";
 import {
+  CommandId,
   ProjectId,
   ProviderInstanceId,
   ScheduledTaskError,
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ import * as TestClock from "effect/testing/TestClock";
 
 import * as ThreadLaunchService from "../orchestration-v2/ThreadLaunchService.ts";
 import * as ThreadManagementService from "../orchestration-v2/ThreadManagementService.ts";
+import { OrchestratorDispatchError } from "../orchestration-v2/Orchestrator.ts";
 import * as SecretRequests from "../secrets/SecretRequests.ts";
 import * as ManagedProjectFolders from "../project/ManagedProjectFolders.ts";
 import * as SqlitePersistence from "../persistence/Sqlite.ts";
@@ -663,6 +665,67 @@ it.effect("a fresh-session task launches one thread, then starts each later run
   }).pipe(Effect.provide(SqlitePersistence.layerMemory)),
 );
 
+it.effect("a refused dispatch records its refusal, and opaque causes stay generic", () =>
+  Effect.gen(function* () {
+    const refusal = "Thread thread:refused was stopped.";
+    const refused = (cause: unknown) =>
+      new OrchestratorDispatchError({
+        commandId: CommandId.make("command:refused"),
+        commandType: "message.dispatch",
+        cause,
+      });
+    const generic = refused(undefined).message;
+    const cases = [
+      [refusal, refusal],
+      ["   ", generic],
+      [new Error("private-nested-secret"), generic],
+    ] as const;
+    const failure = yield* Ref.make<unknown>(undefined);
+    const layer = ScheduledTaskService.layer.pipe(
+      Layer.provide(
+        Layer.mergeAll(
+          ManagedPolicy.layerTest(),
+          Layer.mock(ThreadLaunchService.ThreadLaunchService)({}),
+          Layer.mock(ThreadManagementService.ThreadManagementService)({
+            getThreadShell: () => Effect.succeed(threadShell(ProjectId.make("project:test"))),
+            sendToThread: () =>
+              Ref.get(failure).pipe(Effect.flatMap((cause) => Effect.fail(refused(cause)))),
+          }),
+          Layer.mock(SecretRequests.SecretRequests)({}),
+          Layer.mock(ManagedProjectFolders.ManagedProjectFolders)({
+            namedProjectsRoot: "/projects",
+            isScratchProject: () => Effect.succeed(false),
+          }),
+          NodeCrypto.layer,
+          Layer.succeed(Scheduler.Scheduler, { register: () => Effect.void }),
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+    yield* Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const service = yield* ScheduledTaskService.ScheduledTaskService;
+      const { task } = yield* service.upsert({
+        id: ScheduledTaskId.make("task:refused"),
+        title: "Refused dispatch",
+        prompt: "Check progress",
+        enabled: true,
+        schedule: { type: "interval", everyMs: 60_000 },
+        projectId: ProjectId.make("project:test"),
+        threadId: ThreadId.make("thread:refused"),
+        workspaceStrategy: { type: "root" },
+        modelSelection: { instanceId: ProviderInstanceId.make("codex"), model: "gpt-5.4" },
+        runtimeMode: "full-access",
+        interactionMode: "default",
+      });
+      for (const [cause, expected] of cases) {
+        yield* Ref.set(failure, cause);
+        const result = yield* service.runNow({ id: task.id });
+        assert.equal(result.task.lastRunStatus, "failed");
+        assert.equal(result.task.lastRunError, expected);
+      }
+    }).pipe(Effect.provide(layer));
+  }).pipe(Effect.provide(SqlitePersistence.layerMemory)),
+);
+
 it.effect("a first run whose thread was deleted before it bound removes the task", () =>
   Effect.gen(function* () {
     const layer = ScheduledTaskService.layer.pipe(
diff --git a/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.ts b/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.ts
index 05fdbe8b08992..9ed134be2da5a 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/scheduledTasks/ScheduledTaskService.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ import * as ThreadLaunchService from "../orchestration-v2/ThreadLaunchService.ts
 import * as ManagedProjectFolders from "../project/ManagedProjectFolders.ts";
 import * as Metrics from "../observability/Metrics.ts";
 import * as ThreadManagementService from "../orchestration-v2/ThreadManagementService.ts";
+import { OrchestratorDispatchError } from "../orchestration-v2/Orchestrator.ts";
+import { userFacingDispatchErrorMessage } from "../orchestration-v2/UserFacingErrors.ts";
 import * as SecretRequests from "../secrets/SecretRequests.ts";
 import * as ManagedPolicy from "../policy/ManagedPolicy.ts";
 import * as DueHint from "../scheduling/DueHint.ts";
@@ -79,6 +81,7 @@ import { constantTimeEquals, verifyWebhookSignature } from "./webhookVerificatio
 
 export const WEBHOOK_ROUTE_PREFIX = "/api/hooks";
 const isScheduledTaskError = Schema.is(ScheduledTaskError);
+const isOrchestratorDispatchError = Schema.is(OrchestratorDispatchError);
 const PROMPT_TOO_LONG = "The filled-in prompt is too long.";
 const WEBHOOK_DELIVERY_RETENTION = 50;
 const WEBHOOK_DEDUPE_DELIVERY_RETENTION = 20;
@@ -364,6 +367,14 @@ function errorMessage(error: unknown): string {
   return failure instanceof Error ? failure.message : String(failure);
 }
 
+function dispatchErrorMessage(cause: Cause.Cause<unknown>): string {
+  const failure = Cause.squash(cause);
+  // Direct orchestration refusals are user-facing; nested defects can contain private data.
+  return isOrchestratorDispatchError(failure) && typeof failure.cause === "string"
+    ? (userFacingDispatchErrorMessage(failure.cause) ?? errorMessage(failure))
+    : errorMessage(failure);
+}
+
 function webhookPath(taskId: string, token: string): string {
   return `${WEBHOOK_ROUTE_PREFIX}/${encodeURIComponent(taskId)}/${token}`;
 }
@@ -1098,7 +1109,7 @@ export const layer = Layer.effect(
         if (webhook !== undefined && runSucceeded) yield* Ref.set(webhook.dispatched, true);
         const completedAt = yield* localNow;
         const lastRunStatus = runSucceeded ? ("succeeded" as const) : ("failed" as const);
-        const lastRunError = runSucceeded ? null : errorMessage(result.cause);
+        const lastRunError = runSucceeded ? null : dispatchErrorMessage(result.cause);
         const threadId = runSucceeded ? result.value : null;
         // One transaction, so an edit cannot land between reading the schedule and
         // writing the next run computed from it. The origin is read first: it reads