diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/remote-questions.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/remote-questions.test.ts
index f5cb815cb..6d0550a32 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/remote-questions.test.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/remote-questions.test.ts
@@ -640,3 +640,87 @@ test("DiscordAdapter source-level: sendPrompt sets threadUrl in ref", () => {
     "sendPrompt should set threadUrl to the constructed message URL",
   );
 });
+
+// ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+// Auth.json Token Hydration Tests
+// ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+test("config source-level: hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth is called before env check in resolveRemoteConfig", () => {
+  const configSrc = readFileSync(
+    join(__dirname, "..", "..", "remote-questions", "config.ts"),
+    "utf-8",
+  );
+  // Find the body of resolveRemoteConfig by slicing from its declaration to the next export function.
+  const resolveStart = configSrc.indexOf("export function resolveRemoteConfig()");
+  const resolveEnd = configSrc.indexOf("\nexport function", resolveStart + 1);
+  const resolveFnBody = configSrc.slice(resolveStart, resolveEnd);
+
+  const hydrationIdx = resolveFnBody.indexOf("hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth()");
+  const envCheckIdx = resolveFnBody.indexOf("process.env[ENV_KEYS[");
+  assert.ok(hydrationIdx !== -1, "hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth() should be called inside resolveRemoteConfig");
+  assert.ok(envCheckIdx !== -1, "process.env[ENV_KEYS[ lookup should exist inside resolveRemoteConfig");
+  assert.ok(hydrationIdx < envCheckIdx, "hydration call should appear before the process.env env-key lookup");
+});
+
+test("config source-level: hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth is called in getRemoteConfigStatus", () => {
+  const configSrc = readFileSync(
+    join(__dirname, "..", "..", "remote-questions", "config.ts"),
+    "utf-8",
+  );
+  const statusFnIdx = configSrc.indexOf("export function getRemoteConfigStatus()");
+  const hydrationInStatus = configSrc.indexOf("hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth()", statusFnIdx);
+  assert.ok(hydrationInStatus > statusFnIdx, "hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth should be called inside getRemoteConfigStatus");
+});
+
+test("config source-level: AUTH_PROVIDER_ENV_MAP covers all three remote channels", () => {
+  const configSrc = readFileSync(
+    join(__dirname, "..", "..", "remote-questions", "config.ts"),
+    "utf-8",
+  );
+  assert.ok(configSrc.includes("discord_bot"), "AUTH_PROVIDER_ENV_MAP should include discord_bot");
+  assert.ok(configSrc.includes("slack_bot"),   "AUTH_PROVIDER_ENV_MAP should include slack_bot");
+  assert.ok(configSrc.includes("telegram_bot"), "AUTH_PROVIDER_ENV_MAP should include telegram_bot");
+  assert.ok(configSrc.includes("DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN"), "should map discord_bot to DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN");
+  assert.ok(configSrc.includes("SLACK_BOT_TOKEN"),   "should map slack_bot to SLACK_BOT_TOKEN");
+  assert.ok(configSrc.includes("TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN"), "should map telegram_bot to TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN");
+});
+
+test("config source-level: hydration skips env vars already set", () => {
+  const configSrc = readFileSync(
+    join(__dirname, "..", "..", "remote-questions", "config.ts"),
+    "utf-8",
+  );
+  // The guard that skips already-set vars must be present.
+  assert.ok(
+    configSrc.includes("!process.env[envVar]"),
+    "hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth should skip env vars that are already populated",
+  );
+});
+
+test("resolveRemoteConfig returns null when preferences are absent (no env side-effects)", () => {
+  // Guard: ensure that with no prefs configured, resolveRemoteConfig returns null cleanly.
+  // This exercises the hydration path without auth.json present (it should no-op silently).
+  const savedHome = process.env.HOME;
+  const savedUserProfile = process.env.USERPROFILE;
+  const savedDiscord = process.env.DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN;
+  const savedSlack = process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN;
+  const savedTelegram = process.env.TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN;
+  try {
+    // Point HOME to a nonexistent dir so auth.json lookup finds nothing.
+    process.env.HOME = "/tmp/gsd-no-such-home-for-test";
+    process.env.USERPROFILE = "/tmp/gsd-no-such-home-for-test";
+    delete process.env.DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN;
+    delete process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN;
+    delete process.env.TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN;
+
+    const result = resolveRemoteConfig();
+    // With no prefs file, result is null — not an exception.
+    assert.equal(result, null, "resolveRemoteConfig should return null when no preferences are configured");
+  } finally {
+    process.env.HOME = savedHome;
+    process.env.USERPROFILE = savedUserProfile;
+    if (savedDiscord !== undefined) process.env.DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN = savedDiscord;
+    if (savedSlack !== undefined) process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN = savedSlack;
+    if (savedTelegram !== undefined) process.env.TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN = savedTelegram;
+  }
+});
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/remote-questions/config.ts b/src/resources/extensions/remote-questions/config.ts
index 7e977e458..7aa95fa3e 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/remote-questions/config.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/remote-questions/config.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
  * Remote Questions — configuration resolution and validation
  */
 
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { loadEffectiveGSDPreferences, type RemoteQuestionsConfig } from "../gsd/preferences.js";
 import type { RemoteChannel } from "./types.js";
 
@@ -33,7 +34,50 @@ const MAX_TIMEOUT_MINUTES = 30;
 const MIN_POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS = 2;
 const MAX_POLL_INTERVAL_SECONDS = 30;
 
+// Provider IDs in auth.json that correspond to remote channel env vars.
+const AUTH_PROVIDER_ENV_MAP: Record<string, string> = {
+  discord_bot: "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN",
+  slack_bot: "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN",
+  telegram_bot: "TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN",
+};
+
+/**
+ * Populate remote channel env vars from auth.json when they are not already
+ * set in the environment. Called before every config resolution so that tokens
+ * saved via `/gsd remote discord` (or `/gsd keys add discord_bot`) survive
+ * process restarts without requiring the user to export env vars manually.
+ *
+ * Silently no-ops if auth.json is absent, unreadable, or malformed.
+ */
+function hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth(): void {
+  const needed = Object.entries(AUTH_PROVIDER_ENV_MAP).filter(([, envVar]) => !process.env[envVar]);
+  if (needed.length === 0) return;
+
+  try {
+    const { AuthStorage } = require("@gsd/pi-coding-agent") as typeof import("@gsd/pi-coding-agent");
+    const authPath = join(process.env.HOME ?? "~", ".gsd", "agent", "auth.json");
+    const auth = AuthStorage.create(authPath);
+
+    for (const [providerId, envVar] of needed) {
+      try {
+        const creds = auth.getCredentialsForProvider(providerId);
+        const apiKeyCred = creds.find((c: { type: string }) => c.type === "api_key") as
+          | { type: "api_key"; key: string }
+          | undefined;
+        if (apiKeyCred?.key) {
+          process.env[envVar] = apiKeyCred.key;
+        }
+      } catch {
+        // Per-provider failure is non-fatal — skip and move on.
+      }
+    }
+  } catch {
+    // AuthStorage unavailable (unit tests, stripped build) — skip silently.
+  }
+}
+
 export function resolveRemoteConfig(): ResolvedConfig | null {
+  hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth();
   const prefs = loadEffectiveGSDPreferences();
   const rq: RemoteQuestionsConfig | undefined = prefs?.preferences.remote_questions;
   if (!rq || !rq.channel || !rq.channel_id) return null;
@@ -58,6 +102,7 @@ export function resolveRemoteConfig(): ResolvedConfig | null {
 }
 
 export function getRemoteConfigStatus(): string {
+  hydrateRemoteTokensFromAuth();
   const prefs = loadEffectiveGSDPreferences();
   const rq: RemoteQuestionsConfig | undefined = prefs?.preferences.remote_questions;
   if (!rq || !rq.channel || !rq.channel_id) return "Remote questions: not configured";