diff --git a/apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeDriver.ts b/apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeDriver.ts
index 3ada12297649..aad47cd297b2 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeDriver.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/provider/Drivers/ClaudeDriver.ts
@@ -219,9 +219,12 @@ export const ClaudeDriver: ProviderDriver<ClaudeSettings, ClaudeDriverEnv, Path.
         capacity: 1,
         timeToLive: (exit) =>
           // Only fresh usage earns the TTL; failures, fallbacks and usage-less probes retry.
+          // Claude answers available-but-null while it holds back usage reads; retry that too.
           Exit.isSuccess(exit) &&
           exit.value._tag === "fresh" &&
-          exit.value.capabilities.usage !== undefined
+          exit.value.capabilities.usage !== undefined &&
+          (exit.value.capabilities.usage.rate_limits !== null ||
+            !exit.value.capabilities.usage.rate_limits_available)
             ? CAPABILITIES_PROBE_TTL
             : Duration.zero,
       },
diff --git a/apps/server/src/provider/ProviderInstanceRegistry.test.ts b/apps/server/src/provider/ProviderInstanceRegistry.test.ts
index 4faac2c8592b..d785b0bc32a2 100644
--- a/apps/server/src/provider/ProviderInstanceRegistry.test.ts
+++ b/apps/server/src/provider/ProviderInstanceRegistry.test.ts
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@ describe("ProviderInstanceRegistry — multi-instance codex slice", () => {
   );
 
   const makeClaudeCacheFixture = Effect.fnUntraced(function* (
-    state: "ready" | "signed-out" | "usage-failed",
+    state: "ready" | "signed-out" | "usage-failed" | "usage-null",
   ) {
     const fs = yield* FileSystem.FileSystem;
     const path = yield* Path.Path;
@@ -811,6 +811,9 @@ describe("ProviderInstanceRegistry — multi-instance codex slice", () => {
                     sensitive: false,
                   },
                 ]),
+            ...(state === "usage-null"
+              ? [{ name: "T3_CLAUDE_USAGE_FAILS_AS_NULL", value: "1", sensitive: false }]
+              : []),
           ],
           config: makeClaudeConfig({
             enabled: true,
@@ -829,11 +832,11 @@ describe("ProviderInstanceRegistry — multi-instance codex slice", () => {
     };
   });
 
-  for (const state of ["signed-out", "usage-failed"] as const) {
+  for (const state of ["signed-out", "usage-failed", "usage-null"] as const) {
     it.effect.skipIf(windowsHost)(
       state === "signed-out"
         ? "shows Claude usage on the first refresh after signing back in"
-        : "retries Claude usage on the first refresh after a failed usage read",
+        : `retries Claude usage on the first refresh after a ${state === "usage-null" ? "missing" : "failed"} usage read`,
       () =>
         Effect.gen(function* () {
           const fixture = yield* makeClaudeCacheFixture(state);
diff --git a/apps/server/src/provider/testing/ProviderInstanceRegistryLive.fixture.mjs b/apps/server/src/provider/testing/ProviderInstanceRegistryLive.fixture.mjs
index b996e420f85f..fc585d0da78a 100755
--- a/apps/server/src/provider/testing/ProviderInstanceRegistryLive.fixture.mjs
+++ b/apps/server/src/provider/testing/ProviderInstanceRegistryLive.fixture.mjs
@@ -41,7 +41,13 @@ lines.on("line", (line) => {
       process.stdout.write(
         JSON.stringify({
           type: "control_response",
-          response: { subtype: "error", request_id: message.request_id, error: "usage failed" },
+          response: process.env.T3_CLAUDE_USAGE_FAILS_AS_NULL
+            ? {
+                subtype: "success",
+                request_id: message.request_id,
+                response: { session: {}, rate_limits_available: true, rate_limits: null },
+              }
+            : { subtype: "error", request_id: message.request_id, error: "usage failed" },
         }) + "\n",
       );
       return;