diff --git a/client/src/lib/hooks/__tests__/useConnection.test.tsx b/client/src/lib/hooks/__tests__/useConnection.test.tsx
index 875c9e387..a8ac79ee1 100644
--- a/client/src/lib/hooks/__tests__/useConnection.test.tsx
+++ b/client/src/lib/hooks/__tests__/useConnection.test.tsx
@@ -1313,7 +1313,7 @@ describe("useConnection", () => {
       );
     });
 
-    test("uses OAuth token when no custom headers or legacy auth provided", async () => {
+    test("relies on the auth provider for the OAuth token instead of baking it into requestInit", async () => {
       const propsWithoutAuth = {
         ...defaultProps,
       };
@@ -1324,8 +1324,12 @@ describe("useConnection", () => {
         await result.current.connect();
       });
 
-      const headers = mockSSETransport.options?.requestInit?.headers;
-      expect(headers).toHaveProperty("Authorization", "Bearer mock-token");
+      const options = mockSSETransport.options;
+      // The SDK's authProvider supplies (and refreshes) the OAuth token on every
+      // request, so the Inspector must not snapshot it into requestInit — doing
+      // so would shadow the refreshed token and 401-loop after expiry.
+      expect(options?.authProvider).toBeDefined();
+      expect(options?.requestInit?.headers).not.toHaveProperty("Authorization");
     });
 
     test("warns of enabled empty Bearer token", async () => {
@@ -1794,4 +1798,60 @@ describe("useConnection", () => {
       ).toBeNull();
     });
   });
+
+  describe("OAuth access token is supplied by the provider, not snapshotted", () => {
+    // The mocked InspectorOAuthClientProvider always returns a token, so the
+    // pre-fix code would have baked "Bearer mock-token" into requestInit. These
+    // tests assert it no longer does, for the direct transports where the SDK's
+    // authProvider is the single, always-current source of the token.
+    beforeEach(() => {
+      jest.clearAllMocks();
+      mockSSETransport.options = undefined;
+      mockStreamableHTTPTransport.options = undefined;
+    });
+
+    test("direct streamable-http does not bake an Authorization header into requestInit", async () => {
+      const props = {
+        ...defaultProps,
+        connectionType: "direct" as const,
+        transportType: "streamable-http" as const,
+        sseUrl: "http://localhost:8080",
+      };
+
+      const { result } = renderHook(() => useConnection(props));
+      await act(async () => {
+        await result.current.connect();
+      });
+
+      const options = mockStreamableHTTPTransport.options;
+      expect(options).toBeDefined();
+      // The provider is the single source of truth for the OAuth token.
+      expect(options?.authProvider).toBeDefined();
+      // No connect-time snapshot that would shadow the provider's refreshed
+      // token (the SDK lets requestInit override the provider) and cause a
+      // 401 loop after the access token expires.
+      expect(options?.requestInit?.headers).not.toHaveProperty("Authorization");
+      expect(options?.requestInit?.headers).not.toHaveProperty("authorization");
+    });
+
+    test("direct SSE does not bake an Authorization header into requestInit", async () => {
+      const props = {
+        ...defaultProps,
+        connectionType: "direct" as const,
+        transportType: "sse" as const,
+        sseUrl: "http://localhost:8080",
+      };
+
+      const { result } = renderHook(() => useConnection(props));
+      await act(async () => {
+        await result.current.connect();
+      });
+
+      const options = mockSSETransport.options;
+      expect(options).toBeDefined();
+      expect(options?.authProvider).toBeDefined();
+      expect(options?.requestInit?.headers).not.toHaveProperty("Authorization");
+      expect(options?.requestInit?.headers).not.toHaveProperty("authorization");
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/client/src/lib/hooks/useConnection.ts b/client/src/lib/hooks/useConnection.ts
index 9694b891f..b9953e5ab 100644
--- a/client/src/lib/hooks/useConnection.ts
+++ b/client/src/lib/hooks/useConnection.ts
@@ -499,7 +499,7 @@ export function useConnection({
       const serverAuthProvider = new InspectorOAuthClientProvider(sseUrl);
 
       // Use custom headers (migration is handled in App.tsx)
-      let finalHeaders: CustomHeaders = customHeaders || [];
+      const finalHeaders: CustomHeaders = customHeaders || [];
 
       const isEmptyAuthHeader = (header: CustomHeaders[number]) =>
         header.name.trim().toLowerCase() === "authorization" &&
@@ -519,27 +519,15 @@ export function useConnection({
         });
       }
 
-      const needsOAuthToken = !finalHeaders.some(
-        (header) =>
-          header.enabled &&
-          header.name.trim().toLowerCase() === "authorization",
-      );
-
-      if (needsOAuthToken) {
-        const oauthToken = (await serverAuthProvider.tokens())?.access_token;
-        if (oauthToken) {
-          // Add the OAuth token
-          finalHeaders = [
-            // Remove any existing Authorization headers with empty tokens
-            ...finalHeaders.filter((header) => !isEmptyAuthHeader(header)),
-            {
-              name: "Authorization",
-              value: `Bearer ${oauthToken}`,
-              enabled: true,
-            },
-          ];
-        }
-      }
+      // Do not inject the OAuth access token here. The transports below receive
+      // `serverAuthProvider` as their authProvider, so the SDK adds a fresh
+      // `Authorization` from the provider on every request and replaces it after
+      // a refresh. Baking a connect-time snapshot into requestInit.headers would
+      // shadow that: the SDK's _commonHeaders lets requestInit override the
+      // provider token, so the stale token would keep being sent and the session
+      // would 401-loop once the access token expires. A user-supplied static
+      // Authorization header still flows through the custom-headers path below
+      // and intentionally overrides the provider.
 
       // Process all enabled custom headers
       const customHeaderNames: string[] = [];