diff --git a/src/agent-browser/orchestration-helper.mjs b/src/agent-browser/orchestration-helper.mjs
index 08321d7c..5c84a786 100644
--- a/src/agent-browser/orchestration-helper.mjs
+++ b/src/agent-browser/orchestration-helper.mjs
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ const DEFAULT_MCP_PROTOCOL_VERSION = "2025-06-18";
 const ENV = {
   address: "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS",
   capabilityToken: "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY",
-  terminalSessionId: "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID"
+  terminalSessionId: "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID",
+  connectionId: "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID"
 };
 
 export const ORCHESTRATION_AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS = [
@@ -257,7 +258,9 @@ function readIdentity() {
   const address = requiredEnvironment(ENV.address);
   const capabilityToken = requiredEnvironment(ENV.capabilityToken);
   const terminalSessionId = requiredEnvironment(ENV.terminalSessionId);
-  return { address, capabilityToken, terminalSessionId, connectionId: `helper-${randomUUID()}` };
+  // The connection id the capability was issued for: the gateway refuses any other.
+  const connectionId = requiredEnvironment(ENV.connectionId);
+  return { address, capabilityToken, terminalSessionId, connectionId };
 }
 
 function requiredEnvironment(key) {
diff --git a/src/main/services/agent-browser/OrchestrationBridge.ts b/src/main/services/agent-browser/OrchestrationBridge.ts
index 667dcde7..1882a842 100644
--- a/src/main/services/agent-browser/OrchestrationBridge.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/agent-browser/OrchestrationBridge.ts
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ export class OrchestrationBridge implements OrchestrationLaunchCoordinator {
       environment: {
         [ORCHESTRATION_ENV.address]: capability.address,
         [ORCHESTRATION_ENV.capabilityToken]: capability.capabilityToken,
-        [ORCHESTRATION_ENV.terminalSessionId]: capability.terminalSessionId
+        [ORCHESTRATION_ENV.terminalSessionId]: capability.terminalSessionId,
+        [ORCHESTRATION_ENV.connectionId]: capability.connectionId
       },
       cleanup: () => {
         if (cleaned) return;
diff --git a/src/main/services/agent-browser/ProviderLaunch.ts b/src/main/services/agent-browser/ProviderLaunch.ts
index 647a05f5..dd5d5cdc 100644
--- a/src/main/services/agent-browser/ProviderLaunch.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/agent-browser/ProviderLaunch.ts
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@ export function codexMcpArgs(helper: StdioHelperLaunch, orchestrationHelper?: St
       `command=${tomlString(orchestrationHelper.command)}`,
       `args=${tomlStringArray(orchestrationHelper.args)}`,
       `env=${tomlStringTable(orchestrationHelper.env ?? {})}`,
-      `env_vars=${tomlStringArray(["CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS", "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY", "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID"])}`,
+      `env_vars=${tomlStringArray(["CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS", "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY", "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID", "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID"])}`,
       "enabled=true",
       "required=false",
       'default_tools_approval_mode="approve"',
diff --git a/src/main/services/agent-browser/orchestration-protocol.ts b/src/main/services/agent-browser/orchestration-protocol.ts
index c4bb1fed..2940d9ce 100644
--- a/src/main/services/agent-browser/orchestration-protocol.ts
+++ b/src/main/services/agent-browser/orchestration-protocol.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ export const MAX_INFLIGHT_ORCHESTRATION_COMMANDS = 4;
 export const ORCHESTRATION_ENV = Object.freeze({
   address: "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS",
   capabilityToken: "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY",
-  terminalSessionId: "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID"
+  terminalSessionId: "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID",
+  // The gateway checks it on authenticate, so the helper must get the one the capability was issued for.
+  connectionId: "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID"
 });
 
 export type OrchestrationToolName =
diff --git a/tests/orchestration-helper-identity.test.mjs b/tests/orchestration-helper-identity.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eb6f0aed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/orchestration-helper-identity.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/**
+ * The real canvastty_agents helper must authenticate with the environment an orchestrator card gets. The gateway
+ * issues each capability for one connection id and refuses any other, so the helper has to use that id instead of
+ * making one up.
+ */
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdtemp, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import test from "node:test";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { OrchestrationBridge } from "../src/main/services/agent-browser/OrchestrationBridge.ts";
+import { OrchestrationGateway } from "../src/main/services/agent-browser/OrchestrationGateway.ts";
+
+const HELPER = fileURLToPath(new URL("../src/agent-browser/orchestration-helper.mjs", import.meta.url));
+
+function startHelper(environment) {
+  const child = spawn(process.execPath, [HELPER], {
+    env: { PATH: process.env.PATH, ...environment },
+    stdio: ["pipe", "pipe", "pipe"]
+  });
+  const waiting = new Map();
+  let buffer = "";
+  child.stdout.on("data", (chunk) => {
+    buffer += chunk.toString("utf8");
+    let index;
+    while ((index = buffer.indexOf("\n")) !== -1) {
+      const line = buffer.slice(0, index);
+      buffer = buffer.slice(index + 1);
+      if (!line) continue;
+      const message = JSON.parse(line);
+      waiting.get(message.id)?.(message);
+      waiting.delete(message.id);
+    }
+  });
+  const request = (id, method, params) => new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const timer = setTimeout(() => reject(new Error(`No answer to ${method}.`)), 5_000);
+    waiting.set(id, (message) => { clearTimeout(timer); resolve(message); });
+    child.stdin.write(`${JSON.stringify({ jsonrpc: "2.0", id, method, ...(params ? { params } : {}) })}\n`);
+  });
+  return { child, request };
+}
+
+test("the orchestration helper authenticates with the card's own capability and reaches the tools", async (t) => {
+  const runtimeDirectory = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "canvastty-orch-helper-"));
+  t.after(() => rm(runtimeDirectory, { recursive: true, force: true }));
+  const calls = [];
+  const gateway = new OrchestrationGateway({
+    runtimeDirectory: join(runtimeDirectory, "runtime"),
+    handler: {
+      async execute(sessionId, request) {
+        calls.push({ sessionId, tool: request.tool });
+        return { agents: [] };
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  await gateway.start();
+  t.after(() => gateway.stop());
+
+  const launch = new OrchestrationBridge(gateway).prepareLaunch({ terminalSessionId: "orchestrator-1" });
+  assert.ok(launch, "the bridge is enabled");
+  t.after(() => launch.cleanup());
+  const { child, request } = startHelper(launch.environment);
+  t.after(() => child.kill());
+
+  const initialized = await request(1, "initialize", {});
+  assert.equal(initialized.error, undefined, `initialize failed: ${JSON.stringify(initialized.error)}`);
+  assert.equal(initialized.result.serverInfo.name, "canvastty_agents");
+
+  const listed = await request(2, "tools/call", { name: "list_agents", arguments: {} });
+  assert.equal(listed.result.isError, false, listed.result.content?.[0]?.text);
+  assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(listed.result.content[0].text), { agents: [] });
+  assert.deepEqual(calls, [{ sessionId: "orchestrator-1", tool: "list_agents" }]);
+});
diff --git a/tests/orchestration-launch-extra.test.mjs b/tests/orchestration-launch-extra.test.mjs
index 19b921ae..80d478a5 100644
--- a/tests/orchestration-launch-extra.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/orchestration-launch-extra.test.mjs
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ const orchestrationHelper = Object.freeze({
 const OPENCODE_ORCHESTRATION_ENV_NAMES = [
   "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS",
   "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY",
-  "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID"
+  "CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID",
+  "CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID"
 ];
 
 const providerClis = Object.freeze({
@@ -124,7 +125,8 @@ test("OpenCode gains canvastty_agents only when orchestration is requested", asy
       ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE: "1",
       CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS: "{env:CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS}",
       CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY: "{env:CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY}",
-      CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID: "{env:CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID}"
+      CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID: "{env:CANVASTTY_TERMINAL_SESSION_ID}",
+      CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID: "{env:CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID}"
     }
   });
   for (const name of OPENCODE_ORCHESTRATION_ENV_NAMES) {
diff --git a/tests/orchestration-launch-role.test.mjs b/tests/orchestration-launch-role.test.mjs
index 8e4ac242..12fe14ca 100644
--- a/tests/orchestration-launch-role.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/orchestration-launch-role.test.mjs
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ test("only orchestrator sessions receive the orchestration capability environmen
   assert.ok(orchestratorEnv, "orchestrator session spawned");
   assert.ok(orchestratorEnv.CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_ADDRESS);
   assert.ok(orchestratorEnv.CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CAPABILITY);
+  // The helper authenticates with the connection id the capability was issued for.
+  assert.ok(orchestratorEnv.CANVASTTY_ORCHESTRATION_CONNECTION_ID);
 
   const interactiveEnv = calls[1]?.options?.env;
   assert.ok(interactiveEnv, "interactive session spawned");