diff --git a/src/oauth-persistence.ts b/src/oauth-persistence.ts
index 1d611d3..c5d0d82 100644
--- a/src/oauth-persistence.ts
+++ b/src/oauth-persistence.ts
@@ -396,12 +396,9 @@ class CompositePersistence implements OAuthPersistence {
   }
 
   async readTokens(): Promise<OAuthTokens | undefined> {
-    const results = await Promise.all(this.stores.map((store) => store.readTokens()));
-    this.recoveryTokenSnapshots.clear();
-    this.stores.forEach((store, index) => this.recoveryTokenSnapshots.set(store, results[index]));
-    const sourceIndex = results.findIndex((tokens) => tokens !== undefined);
-    this.recoveryTokenSource = sourceIndex >= 0 ? this.stores[sourceIndex] : undefined;
-    return sourceIndex >= 0 ? results[sourceIndex] : undefined;
+    const result = await this.readRecoveryValues((store) => store.readTokens(), this.recoveryTokenSnapshots);
+    this.recoveryTokenSource = result.source;
+    return result.value;
   }
 
   async saveTokens(tokens: OAuthTokens): Promise<void> {
@@ -439,12 +436,37 @@ class CompositePersistence implements OAuthPersistence {
   }
 
   async readClientInfo(): Promise<OAuthClientInformationMixed | undefined> {
-    const results = await Promise.all(this.stores.map((store) => store.readClientInfo()));
-    this.recoveryClientSnapshots.clear();
-    this.stores.forEach((store, index) => this.recoveryClientSnapshots.set(store, results[index]));
-    const sourceIndex = results.findIndex((clientInfo) => clientInfo !== undefined);
-    this.recoveryClientSource = sourceIndex >= 0 ? this.stores[sourceIndex] : undefined;
-    return sourceIndex >= 0 ? results[sourceIndex] : undefined;
+    const result = await this.readRecoveryValues((store) => store.readClientInfo(), this.recoveryClientSnapshots);
+    this.recoveryClientSource = result.source;
+    return result.value;
+  }
+
+  private async readRecoveryValues<T>(
+    read: (store: OAuthPersistence) => Promise<T | undefined>,
+    snapshots: Map<OAuthPersistence, T | undefined>
+  ): Promise<{ value: T | undefined; source: OAuthPersistence | undefined }> {
+    const results = await Promise.allSettled(this.stores.map((store) => read(store)));
+    snapshots.clear();
+    let value: T | undefined;
+    let source: OAuthPersistence | undefined;
+    for (const [index, result] of results.entries()) {
+      const store = this.stores[index]!;
+      if (result.status === 'rejected') {
+        // Preserve ordered fallback semantics: a lower-priority store cannot
+        // invalidate an already-readable primary cache, while failures before
+        // the first usable value still surface.
+        if (!source) {
+          throw result.reason;
+        }
+        continue;
+      }
+      snapshots.set(store, result.value);
+      if (!source && result.value !== undefined) {
+        source = store;
+        value = result.value;
+      }
+    }
+    return { value, source };
   }
 
   async saveClientInfo(info: OAuthClientInformationMixed): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/tests/oauth-persistence.test.ts b/tests/oauth-persistence.test.ts
index 2cf6853..c1ae952 100644
--- a/tests/oauth-persistence.test.ts
+++ b/tests/oauth-persistence.test.ts
@@ -123,6 +123,42 @@ describe('oauth persistence', () => {
     expect(entry?.tokens?.access_token).toBe('new-token');
   });
 
+  it.runIf(process.platform !== 'win32')(
+    'keeps an explicit token cache usable when the lower-priority vault is unreadable',
+    async () => {
+      const tmp = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'mcporter-oauth-cache-vault-unreadable-'));
+      tempRoots.push(tmp);
+      homedirSpy = vi.spyOn(os, 'homedir').mockReturnValue(path.join(tmp, 'home'));
+      hasSpy = true;
+      process.env.XDG_DATA_HOME = path.join(tmp, 'data');
+
+      const cacheDir = path.join(tmp, 'cache');
+      await fs.mkdir(cacheDir, { recursive: true });
+      await fs.writeFile(
+        path.join(cacheDir, 'tokens.json'),
+        JSON.stringify({ access_token: 'from-cache', token_type: 'Bearer' })
+      );
+      await fs.writeFile(path.join(cacheDir, 'client.json'), JSON.stringify({ client_id: 'cache-client' }));
+
+      const vaultPath = path.join(tmp, 'data', 'mcporter', 'credentials.json');
+      await fs.mkdir(path.dirname(vaultPath), { recursive: true });
+      await fs.writeFile(vaultPath, JSON.stringify({ version: 1, entries: {} }), 'utf8');
+
+      try {
+        await fs.chmod(vaultPath, 0o000);
+        const persistence = await buildOAuthPersistence(mkDef('service', cacheDir));
+
+        await expect(persistence.readTokens()).resolves.toEqual({
+          access_token: 'from-cache',
+          token_type: 'Bearer',
+        });
+        await expect(persistence.readClientInfo()).resolves.toEqual({ client_id: 'cache-client' });
+      } finally {
+        await fs.chmod(vaultPath, 0o600).catch(() => {});
+      }
+    }
+  );
+
   it('migrates legacy per-server cache into the vault', async () => {
     const tmp = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'mcporter-oauth-'));
     tempRoots.push(tmp);