diff --git a/agent/tool_guardrails.py b/agent/tool_guardrails.py
index 489b6b05d7..aa35790f82 100644
--- a/agent/tool_guardrails.py
+++ b/agent/tool_guardrails.py
@@ -393,10 +393,12 @@ class ToolCallGuardrailController:
             if self._progress_since_failure.pop(signature, False):
                 self._exact_failure_counts.pop(signature, None)
             # A throttled call retried after its cooldown is the correct move, not a replay:
-            # keep it out of the exact-args streak (whose warning says "stop retrying unchanged").
+            # keep it out of the exact-args streak and never give it that streak's "stop retrying
+            # unchanged" warning, even after earlier ordinary failures with the same args.
             # It still counts per tool below, so same_tool_failure_halt bounds a dead endpoint.
+            throttled = is_rate_limited(result)
             exact_count = self._exact_failure_counts.get(signature, 0)
-            if not is_rate_limited(result):
+            if not throttled:
                 exact_count = self._exact_failure_counts[signature] = exact_count + 1
             same_count = self._same_tool_failure_counts[tool_name] = self._same_tool_failure_counts.get(tool_name, 0) + 1
             self._no_progress.pop(signature, None)
@@ -414,7 +416,7 @@ class ToolCallGuardrailController:
                 and same_count >= self.config.same_tool_failure_halt_after
             ):
                 return self._decide("halt", "same_tool_failure_halt", tool_name, same_count, signature)
-            if warnings and exact_count >= self.config.exact_failure_warn_after:
+            if warnings and not throttled and exact_count >= self.config.exact_failure_warn_after:
                 return self._decide("warn", "repeated_exact_failure_warning", tool_name, exact_count, signature)
             if warnings and same_count >= self.config.same_tool_failure_warn_after:
                 return self._decide(
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_tool_guardrails.py b/tests/agent/test_tool_guardrails.py
index b9368d7aea..daf989cf86 100644
--- a/tests/agent/test_tool_guardrails.py
+++ b/tests/agent/test_tool_guardrails.py
@@ -482,21 +482,27 @@ def test_execute_code_replay_streak_notice_fires_on_warn_only_desktop_config():
     assert controller.halt_decision is None, "warn-only surfaces must not halt"
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("result,second_attempt", [
-    (json.dumps({"error": "Slack API error: ratelimited. Retry after 1 seconds."}), "allow"),
-    (json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": "busy", "retry_after": 30}), "allow"),
-    (json.dumps({"error": "channel_not_found"}), "warn"),  # control: a real replay still warns
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("prior_ordinary_failures", [0, 2])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("result,throttled", [
+    (json.dumps({"error": "Slack API error: ratelimited. Retry after 1 seconds."}), True),
+    (json.dumps({"ok": False, "error": "busy", "retry_after": 30}), True),
+    (json.dumps({"error": "channel_not_found"}), False),  # control: a real replay still warns
 ])
-def test_rate_limited_retry_is_not_a_replay_but_stays_bounded(result, second_attempt):
+def test_rate_limited_retry_is_not_a_replay_but_stays_bounded(result, throttled, prior_ordinary_failures):
     """Retrying a throttled read after its cooldown must not draw the "stop retrying unchanged"
-    warning, yet an endpoint that never recovers still halts unattended runs on the per-tool cap."""
+    warning (even after earlier ordinary failures with the same args), yet an endpoint that never
+    recovers still halts unattended runs on the per-tool cap."""
     controller = ToolCallGuardrailController(ToolCallGuardrailConfig.from_mapping({}, platform="webhook"))
-    args = {"channel": "C123"}
-    actions = []
+    tool, args = "mcp_slack_history", {"channel": "C123"}
+    for _ in range(prior_ordinary_failures):
+        controller.after_call(tool, args, json.dumps({"error": "upstream timeout"}))
+    controller.after_call(tool, args, result)
+    retry = controller.after_call(tool, args, result)
+    assert (retry.code == "repeated_exact_failure_warning") is not throttled, retry
     for _ in range(10):
-        if not controller.before_call("mcp_slack_history", args).allows_execution:
-            actions.append("block")
+        if not controller.before_call(tool, args).allows_execution:
             break
-        actions.append(controller.after_call("mcp_slack_history", args, result).action)
-    assert actions[1] == second_attempt
-    assert actions[-1] in {"halt", "block"}, actions
+        if controller.after_call(tool, args, result).action == "halt":
+            break
+    else:
+        raise AssertionError("a permanently failing endpoint must still halt or block")