diff --git a/src/cli/index.ts b/src/cli/index.ts
index 5a995987dd..ff7be3ae60 100755
--- a/src/cli/index.ts
+++ b/src/cli/index.ts
@@ -222,7 +222,6 @@ async function handleStart(options: { block?: boolean } = {}) {
   const serviceToken = loadServiceTokenFromFile(process.env);
   if (serviceToken) process.env.OPENCODEX_API_AUTH_TOKEN = serviceToken;
   const requestedPort = parsePortOption();
-  if (!currentExternalCodexModelProvider()) reconcileJournal();
   const existingPid = readPid();
   if (existingPid) {
     const live = await findLiveProxy();
@@ -232,6 +231,10 @@ async function handleStart(options: { block?: boolean } = {}) {
     }
     removePid(existingPid);
   }
+  // A losing concurrent start must not restore the active proxy's Codex config.
+  // Establish that the PID-file owner is stale before reconciling a dead journal;
+  // a healthy owner exits above without changing integration state (#1230).
+  if (!currentExternalCodexModelProvider()) reconcileJournal();
 
   // Interactive-only update prompt. Must run BEFORE we bind a port / write a
   // PID: choosing "Update now" installs globally and exits, so we never want a
diff --git a/tests/cli-start-journal-order.test.ts b/tests/cli-start-journal-order.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..446211225d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cli-start-journal-order.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+const source = readFileSync(join(import.meta.dir, "..", "src", "cli", "index.ts"), "utf8");
+
+function handleStartSource(): string {
+  const start = source.indexOf("async function handleStart(");
+  const end = source.indexOf("async function handleEnsure(", start);
+  expect(start).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+  expect(end).toBeGreaterThan(start);
+  return source.slice(start, end);
+}
+
+describe("handleStart journal ownership ordering (#1230)", () => {
+  test("a healthy PID-file proxy is detected before journal reconciliation", () => {
+    const handleStart = handleStartSource();
+    const readPid = handleStart.indexOf("const existingPid = readPid();");
+    const findLive = handleStart.indexOf("const live = await findLiveProxy();", readPid);
+    const healthyExit = handleStart.indexOf("process.exit(1);", findLive);
+    const removeStalePid = handleStart.indexOf("removePid(existingPid);", healthyExit);
+    const reconcile = handleStart.indexOf("reconcileJournal();", removeStalePid);
+    const updatePrompt = handleStart.indexOf("await maybeShowUpdatePrompt();", reconcile);
+
+    expect(readPid).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0);
+    expect(findLive).toBeGreaterThan(readPid);
+    expect(healthyExit).toBeGreaterThan(findLive);
+    expect(removeStalePid).toBeGreaterThan(healthyExit);
+    expect(reconcile).toBeGreaterThan(removeStalePid);
+    expect(updatePrompt).toBeGreaterThan(reconcile);
+  });
+});