diff --git a/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect-flow.test.ts b/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect-flow.test.ts
index 376ab383747..a298408bb01 100644
--- a/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect-flow.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect-flow.test.ts
@@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ describe("connectSandbox flow", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it("probe-only reports failure to create new authority after secure absence is proven (#8942)", async () => {
+  it("probe-only completes recovery after secure absence is proven and reports unpublished evidence (#9280)", async () => {
     const harness = createConnectHarness({
       readinessDecision: {
         kind: "fallback",
@@ -620,18 +620,21 @@ describe("connectSandbox flow", () => {
         fenceFailed: true,
         recoveryBlocked: false,
       },
+      readinessPublicationResult: { kind: "evidence-failed" },
     });
 
     await expect(harness.connectSandbox("alpha", { probeOnly: true })).rejects.toThrow(
       "process.exit(1)",
     );
 
-    expect(harness.checkAndRecoverSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
-    expect(harness.errorSpy.mock.calls.flat().join("\n")).toContain(
-      "no prior launch-readiness evidence can be accepted, but new launch-readiness authority could not be created",
+    expect(harness.checkAndRecoverSpy).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(harness.ensureLiveSandboxSpy).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(harness.publishLaunchReadinessSpy).toHaveBeenCalledOnce();
+    expect(harness.errorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+      "  Probe failed: complete probe and recovery succeeded, but final launch-readiness evidence could not be verified or published.",
     );
     expect(harness.errorSpy.mock.calls.flat().join("\n")).not.toContain(
-      "prior launch-readiness evidence could not be fenced",
+      "new launch-readiness authority could not be created",
     );
   });
 
diff --git a/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect.ts b/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect.ts
index 8692356a3a9..ab707c81e3f 100644
--- a/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect.ts
+++ b/src/lib/actions/sandbox/connect.ts
@@ -1285,11 +1285,19 @@ export async function connectSandbox(
         console.log(`  Probe complete: launch readiness is healthy for '${sandboxName}'.`);
         return;
       }
-      if (readiness.fenceFailed && readiness.authorityUnsupported !== true) {
+      // Refuse recovery only when a prior epoch might exist and could not be
+      // durably rotated. When the authority and receipt are both securely
+      // absent but new authority creation fails (fenceFailed without
+      // recoveryBlocked), the documented contract runs the complete preflight
+      // and recovery and reports the publication failure afterwards, exactly
+      // as `launch` does for the same decision (#9280).
+      if (
+        readiness.fenceFailed &&
+        readiness.authorityUnsupported !== true &&
+        readiness.recoveryBlocked
+      ) {
         console.error(
-          readiness.recoveryBlocked
-            ? "  Probe failed: complete probe and recovery did not run because prior launch-readiness evidence could not be fenced. Repair the current user's secure OS runtime authority and NemoClaw state permissions, then retry."
-            : "  Probe failed: no prior launch-readiness evidence can be accepted, but new launch-readiness authority could not be created. Repair the current user's secure OS runtime authority and NemoClaw state permissions, then retry.",
+          "  Probe failed: complete probe and recovery did not run because prior launch-readiness evidence could not be fenced. Repair the current user's secure OS runtime authority and NemoClaw state permissions, then retry.",
         );
         process.exit(1);
       }