diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/executor-option-value.test.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/executor-option-value.test.ts
index 9315f3f7..45e1eba0 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/executor-option-value.test.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/executor-option-value.test.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, jest } from 'bun:test';
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as os from 'os';
 import * as path from 'path';
+import * as http from 'http';
 import { execClaudeWithCLIProxy, hasGitLabTokenLoginFlag, readOptionValue } from '../index';
 
 describe('readOptionValue', () => {
@@ -57,18 +58,84 @@ describe('execClaudeWithCLIProxy browser flag validation', () => {
     fs.writeFileSync(fakeClaudePath, '#!/bin/sh\nexit 0\n', { mode: 0o755 });
     fs.chmodSync(fakeClaudePath, 0o755);
     originalCcsHome = process.env.CCS_HOME;
+    process.exitCode = 0;
     process.env.CCS_HOME = tmpHome;
   });
 
+  async function waitForFile(filePath: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    const deadline = Date.now() + 2000;
+    while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+      if (fs.existsSync(filePath)) return true;
+      await new Promise((resolve) => setTimeout(resolve, 25));
+    }
+    return fs.existsSync(filePath);
+  }
+
   afterEach(() => {
     if (originalCcsHome !== undefined) {
       process.env.CCS_HOME = originalCcsHome;
     } else {
       delete process.env.CCS_HOME;
     }
+    process.exitCode = 0;
     fs.rmSync(tmpHome, { recursive: true, force: true });
   });
 
+  it('validates conflicting browser launch flags before remote proxy checks', async () => {
+    let requestCount = 0;
+    const server = http.createServer((_req, res) => {
+      requestCount += 1;
+      res.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'application/json' });
+      res.end('{"ok":true}');
+    });
+
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', resolve);
+    });
+
+    const address = server.address();
+    if (!address || typeof address === 'string') {
+      server.close();
+      throw new Error('Test server did not bind to a TCP port');
+    }
+
+    const exitSpy = jest
+      .spyOn(process, 'exit')
+      .mockImplementation((() => undefined as never) as typeof process.exit);
+    const errorSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    try {
+      await execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
+        fakeClaudePath,
+        'gemini',
+        [
+          '--proxy-host',
+          '127.0.0.1',
+          '--proxy-port',
+          String(address.port),
+          '--proxy-auth-token',
+          'SECRET_TOKEN_FOR_VALIDATION',
+          '--remote-only',
+          '--browser',
+          '--no-browser',
+        ],
+        {}
+      );
+
+      expect(exitSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1);
+      expect(errorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        '[X] Use either `--browser` or `--no-browser`, not both.'
+      );
+      expect(requestCount).toBe(0);
+    } finally {
+      exitSpy.mockRestore();
+      errorSpy.mockRestore();
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+        server.close((error) => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+      });
+    }
+  });
+
   it('exits cleanly when conflicting browser launch flags are provided', async () => {
     const exitSpy = jest
       .spyOn(process, 'exit')
@@ -87,4 +154,69 @@ describe('execClaudeWithCLIProxy browser flag validation', () => {
       errorSpy.mockRestore();
     }
   });
+
+  it('does not treat a stale global exitCode as a current parse failure', async () => {
+    const markerPath = path.join(tmpHome, 'fake-claude-launched');
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      fakeClaudePath,
+      `#!/bin/sh\nprintf launched > ${JSON.stringify(markerPath)}\nexit 0\n`,
+      { mode: 0o755 }
+    );
+    fs.chmodSync(fakeClaudePath, 0o755);
+
+    let requestCount = 0;
+    const server = http.createServer((_req, res) => {
+      requestCount += 1;
+      res.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'application/json' });
+      res.end('{"ok":true}');
+    });
+
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
+      server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', resolve);
+    });
+
+    const address = server.address();
+    if (!address || typeof address === 'string') {
+      server.close();
+      throw new Error('Test server did not bind to a TCP port');
+    }
+
+    const exitSpy = jest
+      .spyOn(process, 'exit')
+      .mockImplementation((() => undefined as never) as typeof process.exit);
+    const logSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => {});
+    const errorSpy = jest.spyOn(console, 'error').mockImplementation(() => {});
+
+    try {
+      process.exitCode = 1;
+
+      await execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
+        fakeClaudePath,
+        'gemini',
+        [
+          '--proxy-host',
+          '127.0.0.1',
+          '--proxy-port',
+          String(address.port),
+          '--proxy-auth-token',
+          'SECRET_TOKEN_FOR_VALIDATION',
+          '--remote-only',
+          '--print',
+          'hello',
+        ],
+        {}
+      );
+
+      expect(await waitForFile(markerPath)).toBe(true);
+      expect(requestCount).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+      expect(exitSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(0);
+    } finally {
+      exitSpy.mockRestore();
+      logSpy.mockRestore();
+      errorSpy.mockRestore();
+      await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) => {
+        server.close((error) => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()));
+      });
+    }
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/proxy-resolver.test.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/proxy-resolver.test.ts
index 86af7137..d67f4797 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/proxy-resolver.test.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/__tests__/proxy-resolver.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * logic extracted from executor/index.ts.
  */
 
-import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, jest } from 'bun:test';
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, jest } from 'bun:test';
 import type { ResolveExecutorProxyContext } from '../proxy-resolver';
 import type { ExecutorConfig } from '../../types';
 import type { UnifiedConfig } from '../../../config/schemas/unified-config';
@@ -15,11 +15,29 @@ import type { UnifiedConfig } from '../../../config/schemas/unified-config';
 const mockEnsureCLIProxyBinary = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue('/usr/local/bin/cliproxy');
 const mockGetConfiguredBackend = jest.fn().mockReturnValue('original');
 const mockGetPlusBackendUnavailableMessage = jest.fn().mockReturnValue('Plus backend unavailable');
+const mockInstallCliproxyVersion = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+const mockFetchLatestCliproxyVersion = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue('test-version');
+const mockCheckCliproxyUpdate = jest.fn().mockResolvedValue({ available: false });
 
 jest.mock('../../binary-manager', () => ({
   ensureCLIProxyBinary: mockEnsureCLIProxyBinary,
   getConfiguredBackend: mockGetConfiguredBackend,
   getPlusBackendUnavailableMessage: mockGetPlusBackendUnavailableMessage,
+  getStoredConfiguredBackend: mockGetConfiguredBackend,
+  getCLIProxyPath: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('/usr/local/bin/cliproxy'),
+  getInstalledCliproxyVersion: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('test-version'),
+  isCLIProxyInstalled: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(true),
+  resolveLocalBackend: mockGetConfiguredBackend,
+  syncPlusFallbackStateIfNeeded: jest.fn(),
+  installCliproxyVersion: mockInstallCliproxyVersion,
+  fetchLatestCliproxyVersion: mockFetchLatestCliproxyVersion,
+  checkCliproxyUpdate: mockCheckCliproxyUpdate,
+  getPinnedVersion: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(null),
+  savePinnedVersion: jest.fn(),
+  clearPinnedVersion: jest.fn(),
+  isVersionPinned: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
+  getVersionPinPath: jest.fn().mockReturnValue('/tmp/cliproxy-version-pin'),
+  BinaryManager: class {},
 }));
 
 const mockCheckRemoteProxy = jest.fn();
@@ -30,21 +48,28 @@ jest.mock('../../services/remote-proxy-client', () => ({
 jest.mock('../retry-handler', () => ({
   isNetworkError: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
   handleNetworkError: jest.fn(),
-}));
-
-const mockResolveProxyConfig = jest.fn();
-jest.mock('../../proxy/proxy-config-resolver', () => ({
-  resolveProxyConfig: mockResolveProxyConfig,
-}));
-
-jest.mock('../../config/config-generator', () => ({
-  CLIPROXY_DEFAULT_PORT: 8317,
-  validatePort: jest.fn((port: number | undefined) => port ?? 8317),
+  handleTokenExpiration: jest.fn(),
+  handleQuotaCheck: jest.fn(),
+  PROVIDER_ERROR_PATTERNS: [],
+  detectFailedTier: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(null),
+  isProviderError: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(false),
 }));
 
 // ── Import after mocks ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-const { resolveExecutorProxy } = await import('../proxy-resolver');
+const { resolveExecutorProxy, resolveExecutorProxyConfig } = await import('../proxy-resolver');
+
+const PROXY_ENV_KEYS = [
+  'CCS_PROXY_HOST',
+  'CCS_PROXY_PORT',
+  'CCS_PROXY_PROTOCOL',
+  'CCS_PROXY_AUTH_TOKEN',
+  'CCS_PROXY_TIMEOUT',
+  'CCS_PROXY_FALLBACK_ENABLED',
+  'CCS_ALLOW_SELF_SIGNED',
+] as const;
+
+let proxyEnvSnapshot: Record<string, string | undefined> = {};
 
 // ── Helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -76,51 +101,37 @@ function makeContext(
   };
 }
 
-/** Mock resolveProxyConfig to return a local-mode config */
-function mockLocalProxyConfig(remainingArgs: string[] = []): void {
-  mockResolveProxyConfig.mockReturnValue({
-    config: {
-      mode: 'local',
-      port: 8317,
-      protocol: 'http',
-      fallbackEnabled: false,
-      autoStartLocal: false,
-      remoteOnly: false,
-      forceLocal: true,
-    },
-    remainingArgs,
-  });
-}
-
-/** Mock resolveProxyConfig to return a remote-mode config */
-function mockRemoteProxyConfig(remainingArgs: string[] = []): void {
-  mockResolveProxyConfig.mockReturnValue({
-    config: {
-      mode: 'remote',
-      host: '192.168.1.100',
-      port: 8317,
-      protocol: 'http',
-      fallbackEnabled: false,
-      autoStartLocal: false,
-      remoteOnly: false,
-      forceLocal: false,
-    },
-    remainingArgs,
-  });
+async function resolveProxyForTest(args: string[], context = makeContext()) {
+  const resolvedConfig = resolveExecutorProxyConfig(args, context);
+  return resolveExecutorProxy(resolvedConfig, context);
 }
 
 // ── Tests ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 beforeEach(() => {
   jest.clearAllMocks();
+  proxyEnvSnapshot = Object.fromEntries(PROXY_ENV_KEYS.map((key) => [key, process.env[key]]));
+  for (const key of PROXY_ENV_KEYS) {
+    delete process.env[key];
+  }
   mockEnsureCLIProxyBinary.mockResolvedValue('/usr/local/bin/cliproxy');
   mockGetConfiguredBackend.mockReturnValue('original');
 });
 
+afterEach(() => {
+  for (const key of PROXY_ENV_KEYS) {
+    const value = proxyEnvSnapshot[key];
+    if (value === undefined) {
+      delete process.env[key];
+    } else {
+      process.env[key] = value;
+    }
+  }
+});
+
 describe('resolveExecutorProxy — local mode', () => {
   it('returns useRemoteProxy=false and correct binary for local mode', async () => {
-    mockLocalProxyConfig(['--verbose']);
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy(['--verbose'], makeContext());
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--local-proxy', '--verbose']);
 
     expect(result.useRemoteProxy).toBe(false);
     expect(result.localBackend).toBe('original');
@@ -129,16 +140,14 @@ describe('resolveExecutorProxy — local mode', () => {
   });
 
   it('strips proxy flags and passes remainingArgs through', async () => {
-    mockLocalProxyConfig(['clean-arg']);
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy(['--local-proxy', 'clean-arg'], makeContext());
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--local-proxy', 'clean-arg']);
 
     expect(result.argsWithoutProxy).toEqual(['clean-arg']);
     expect(result.useRemoteProxy).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it('does not call checkRemoteProxy in local mode', async () => {
-    mockLocalProxyConfig();
-    await resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext());
+    await resolveProxyForTest(['--local-proxy']);
 
     expect(mockCheckRemoteProxy).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
   });
@@ -146,19 +155,17 @@ describe('resolveExecutorProxy — local mode', () => {
 
 describe('resolveExecutorProxy — remote mode reachable', () => {
   it('returns useRemoteProxy=true when remote proxy is reachable', async () => {
-    mockRemoteProxyConfig();
     mockCheckRemoteProxy.mockResolvedValue({ reachable: true, latencyMs: 12, error: undefined });
 
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext());
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--proxy-host', '192.168.1.100']);
 
     expect(result.useRemoteProxy).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it('skips binary acquisition when remote proxy is reachable', async () => {
-    mockRemoteProxyConfig();
     mockCheckRemoteProxy.mockResolvedValue({ reachable: true, latencyMs: 5, error: undefined });
 
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext());
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--proxy-host', '192.168.1.100']);
 
     expect(result.binaryPath).toBeUndefined();
     expect(mockEnsureCLIProxyBinary).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
@@ -167,65 +174,27 @@ describe('resolveExecutorProxy — remote mode reachable', () => {
 
 describe('resolveExecutorProxy — remote mode unreachable', () => {
   it('throws expected message when remoteOnly=true and remote is unreachable', async () => {
-    mockResolveProxyConfig.mockReturnValue({
-      config: {
-        mode: 'remote',
-        host: '192.168.1.100',
-        port: 8317,
-        protocol: 'http',
-        fallbackEnabled: false,
-        autoStartLocal: false,
-        remoteOnly: true,
-        forceLocal: false,
-      },
-      remainingArgs: [],
-    });
     mockCheckRemoteProxy.mockResolvedValue({ reachable: false, error: 'Connection refused' });
 
-    await expect(resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext())).rejects.toThrow(
-      'Remote proxy unreachable and --remote-only specified'
-    );
+    await expect(
+      resolveProxyForTest(['--proxy-host', '192.168.1.100', '--remote-only'])
+    ).rejects.toThrow('Remote proxy unreachable and --remote-only specified');
   });
 
   it('throws when fallback disabled and remote is unreachable', async () => {
-    mockResolveProxyConfig.mockReturnValue({
-      config: {
-        mode: 'remote',
-        host: '192.168.1.100',
-        port: 8317,
-        protocol: 'http',
-        fallbackEnabled: false,
-        autoStartLocal: false,
-        remoteOnly: false,
-        forceLocal: false,
-      },
-      remainingArgs: [],
-    });
+    process.env.CCS_PROXY_FALLBACK_ENABLED = '0';
     mockCheckRemoteProxy.mockResolvedValue({ reachable: false, error: 'Timeout' });
 
-    await expect(resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext())).rejects.toThrow(
+    await expect(resolveProxyForTest(['--proxy-host', '192.168.1.100'])).rejects.toThrow(
       'Remote proxy unreachable and fallback disabled'
     );
   });
 
   it('falls back to local and acquires binary when autoStartLocal=true', async () => {
-    mockResolveProxyConfig.mockReturnValue({
-      config: {
-        mode: 'remote',
-        host: '192.168.1.100',
-        port: 8317,
-        protocol: 'http',
-        fallbackEnabled: true,
-        autoStartLocal: true,
-        remoteOnly: false,
-        forceLocal: false,
-      },
-      remainingArgs: [],
-    });
     mockCheckRemoteProxy.mockResolvedValue({ reachable: false, error: 'Timeout' });
     mockEnsureCLIProxyBinary.mockResolvedValue('/usr/local/bin/cliproxy');
 
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext());
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--proxy-host', '192.168.1.100']);
 
     expect(result.useRemoteProxy).toBe(false);
     expect(result.binaryPath).toBe('/usr/local/bin/cliproxy');
@@ -235,9 +204,7 @@ describe('resolveExecutorProxy — remote mode unreachable', () => {
 
 describe('resolveExecutorProxy — proxyConfig propagated in result', () => {
   it('returns the resolved proxyConfig object', async () => {
-    mockLocalProxyConfig();
-
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy([], makeContext());
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--local-proxy']);
 
     expect(result.proxyConfig).toBeDefined();
     expect(result.proxyConfig.mode).toBe('local');
@@ -245,10 +212,9 @@ describe('resolveExecutorProxy — proxyConfig propagated in result', () => {
   });
 
   it('returns mutated cfg with validated port', async () => {
-    mockLocalProxyConfig();
     const ctx = makeContext();
 
-    const result = await resolveExecutorProxy([], ctx);
+    const result = await resolveProxyForTest(['--local-proxy'], ctx);
 
     // cfg is mutated in place and also returned
     expect(result.cfg).toBe(ctx.cfg);
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/arg-parser.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/arg-parser.ts
index ea581f98..d1a74bc2 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/arg-parser.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/arg-parser.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@
  *   - parseExecutorFlags() — flag extraction block (lines ~411-639 in original)
  *   - validateFlagCombinations() — cross-flag guard block (lines ~531-585)
  *
- * IMPORTANT: process.exit semantics are kept identical to original index.ts.
+ * IMPORTANT: process.exit semantics are kept identical to original index.ts,
+ * with explicit parseFailed/validation return state for callers that must not
+ * depend on ambient process.exitCode.
  * All console.error messages are byte-identical.
  */
 
@@ -153,6 +155,7 @@ export function filterCcsFlags(args: string[]): string[] {
 
 /** Result of parsing CCS executor flags from args. */
 export interface ParsedExecutorFlags {
+  parseFailed?: boolean;
   forceAuth: boolean;
   pasteCallback: boolean;
   portForward: boolean;
@@ -181,7 +184,7 @@ export interface ParsedExecutorFlags {
 /**
  * Parse all CCS executor flags from args.
  *
- * Exits with code 1 (process.exitCode = 1 + return) on invalid flag values.
+ * Exits with code 1 (process.exitCode = 1 + parseFailed return) on invalid flag values.
  * Exits with process.exit(1) on conflicting flag combinations — identical to
  * the original index.ts behavior.
  *
@@ -247,7 +250,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
       console.error(fail('--kiro-auth-method requires a value'));
       console.error('    Supported values: aws, aws-authcode, google, github, idc');
       process.exitCode = 1;
-      // Caller must check process.exitCode = 1 and bail — matching original return behavior
+      // Caller must check parseFailed and bail — matching original return behavior
       return buildPartialFlags({
         forceAuth,
         pasteCallback,
@@ -272,6 +275,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
         gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
         extendedContextOverride: undefined,
         thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+        parseFailed: true,
       });
     }
     const normalized = rawMethod.trim().toLowerCase();
@@ -303,6 +307,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
         gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
         extendedContextOverride: undefined,
         thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+        parseFailed: true,
       });
     }
     kiroAuthMethod = normalizeKiroAuthMethod(normalized);
@@ -339,6 +344,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
       gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
       extendedContextOverride: undefined,
       thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+      parseFailed: true,
     });
   }
 
@@ -373,6 +379,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
       gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
       extendedContextOverride: undefined,
       thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+      parseFailed: true,
     });
   }
 
@@ -408,6 +415,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
         gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
         extendedContextOverride: undefined,
         thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+        parseFailed: true,
       });
     }
     const normalized = rawFlow.trim().toLowerCase();
@@ -439,6 +447,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
         gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
         extendedContextOverride: undefined,
         thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+        parseFailed: true,
       });
     }
     kiroIDCFlow = normalizeKiroIDCFlow(normalized);
@@ -475,6 +484,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
       gitlabBaseUrl: undefined,
       extendedContextOverride: undefined,
       thinkingParse: parseThinkingOverride(args),
+      parseFailed: true,
     });
   }
 
@@ -538,6 +548,7 @@ export function parseExecutorFlags(
     gitlabBaseUrl,
     extendedContextOverride,
     thinkingParse,
+    parseFailed: false,
   };
 }
 
@@ -550,8 +561,8 @@ function buildPartialFlags(fields: ParsedExecutorFlags): ParsedExecutorFlags {
 
 /**
  * Validate flag combinations that are mutually exclusive or provider-scoped.
- * Calls process.exit(1) on any violation — identical to original index.ts.
- * Call AFTER parseExecutorFlags() and only if process.exitCode is still 0.
+ * Sets process.exitCode=1 and returns false on any violation.
+ * Call AFTER parseExecutorFlags() and only if parseFailed is false.
  *
  * @param parsed   Result of parseExecutorFlags()
  * @param context  Provider context (provider string + compositeProviders list)
@@ -561,7 +572,7 @@ export function validateFlagCombinations(
   parsed: ParsedExecutorFlags,
   context: { provider: string; compositeProviders: string[] },
   args: string[]
-): void {
+): boolean {
   const { provider, compositeProviders } = context;
   const {
     kiroAuthMethod,
@@ -575,7 +586,7 @@ export function validateFlagCombinations(
   if (kiroAuthMethod && provider !== 'kiro' && !compositeProviders.includes('kiro')) {
     console.error(fail('--kiro-auth-method is only valid for ccs kiro'));
     process.exitCode = 1;
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   if (
@@ -589,7 +600,7 @@ export function validateFlagCombinations(
       )
     );
     process.exitCode = 1;
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   if (kiroAuthMethod === 'idc' && !kiroIDCStartUrl) {
@@ -598,7 +609,7 @@ export function validateFlagCombinations(
       '    Example: ccs kiro --auth --kiro-auth-method idc --kiro-idc-start-url https://d-xxx.awsapps.com/start'
     );
     process.exitCode = 1;
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   if (
@@ -612,13 +623,15 @@ export function validateFlagCombinations(
       )
     );
     process.exitCode = 1;
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
 
   if ((gitlabTokenLogin || gitlabBaseUrl) && provider !== 'gitlab') {
     const flagName = gitlabTokenLogin ? getGitLabTokenLoginFlagName(args) : '--gitlab-url';
     console.error(fail(`${flagName} is only valid for ccs gitlab`));
     process.exitCode = 1;
-    return;
+    return false;
   }
+
+  return true;
 }
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/browser-launch-setup.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/browser-launch-setup.ts
index 94405a33..c33f3bdc 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/browser-launch-setup.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/browser-launch-setup.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
  * 4. Browser MCP ensure + sync-to-config-dir
  */
 
-import { warn } from '../../utils/ui';
+import { fail, warn } from '../../utils/ui';
 import {
   type BrowserLaunchOverride,
   ensureBrowserMcpOrThrow,
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ export interface BrowserLaunchSetupResult {
 export function resolveBrowserLaunchFlags(argsWithoutProxy: string[]): {
   browserLaunchOverride: BrowserLaunchOverride | undefined;
   argsWithoutBrowserFlags: string[];
+  parseFailed: boolean;
 } {
   let browserLaunchOverride: BrowserLaunchOverride | undefined;
   let argsWithoutBrowserFlags = argsWithoutProxy;
@@ -49,9 +50,10 @@ export function resolveBrowserLaunchFlags(argsWithoutProxy: string[]): {
     browserLaunchOverride = browserLaunchFlags.override;
     argsWithoutBrowserFlags = browserLaunchFlags.argsWithoutFlags;
   } catch (error) {
-    console.error(warn((error as Error).message));
+    console.error(fail((error as Error).message));
+    process.exitCode = 1;
     process.exit(1);
-    return { browserLaunchOverride: undefined, argsWithoutBrowserFlags };
+    return { browserLaunchOverride: undefined, argsWithoutBrowserFlags, parseFailed: true };
   }
 
   const browserConfig = getBrowserConfig();
@@ -71,7 +73,7 @@ export function resolveBrowserLaunchFlags(argsWithoutProxy: string[]): {
     console.error(warn(blockedBrowserOverrideWarning));
   }
 
-  return { browserLaunchOverride, argsWithoutBrowserFlags };
+  return { browserLaunchOverride, argsWithoutBrowserFlags, parseFailed: false };
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts
index d88ff83e..0a5ee7fa 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/index.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ import {
 } from './thinking-override-resolver';
 import { shouldStartHttpsTunnel } from './https-tunnel-policy';
 import { filterCcsFlags, parseExecutorFlags, validateFlagCombinations } from './arg-parser';
-import { resolveExecutorProxy } from './proxy-resolver';
+import { resolveExecutorProxy, resolveExecutorProxyConfig } from './proxy-resolver';
 import { buildProxyChain } from './proxy-chain-builder';
 import { warnBrokenModels } from './model-warnings';
 import { launchClaude } from './claude-launcher';
@@ -129,8 +129,23 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
   // Collect all providers to validate (default + composite tiers)
   const allProviders = [provider, ...compositeProviders];
 
+  const proxyResolution = resolveExecutorProxyConfig(args, {
+    unifiedConfig,
+    allProviders,
+    verbose,
+    cfg,
+    log,
+  });
+
+  const {
+    browserLaunchOverride,
+    argsWithoutBrowserFlags,
+    parseFailed: browserLaunchParseFailed,
+  } = resolveBrowserLaunchFlags(proxyResolution.argsWithoutProxy);
+  if (browserLaunchParseFailed) return;
+
   const { proxyConfig, useRemoteProxy, localBackend, binaryPath, argsWithoutProxy } =
-    await resolveExecutorProxy(args, {
+    await resolveExecutorProxy(proxyResolution, {
       unifiedConfig,
       allProviders,
       verbose,
@@ -138,9 +153,6 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
       log,
     });
 
-  const { browserLaunchOverride, argsWithoutBrowserFlags } =
-    resolveBrowserLaunchFlags(argsWithoutProxy);
-
   // Setup first-class CCS WebSearch runtime
   ensureWebSearchMcpOrThrow();
   const imageAnalysisMcpReady = ensureImageAnalysisMcpOrThrow();
@@ -158,11 +170,15 @@ export async function execClaudeWithCLIProxy(
     compositeProviders,
     unifiedConfig,
   });
-  if (process.exitCode === 1) return;
+  if (parsedFlags.parseFailed) return;
 
-  // Validate cross-flag combinations (exits with code 1 on violation)
-  validateFlagCombinations(parsedFlags, { provider, compositeProviders }, argsWithoutProxy);
-  if (process.exitCode === 1) return;
+  // Validate cross-flag combinations (reports failure without relying on ambient exitCode)
+  const flagCombinationsValid = validateFlagCombinations(
+    parsedFlags,
+    { provider, compositeProviders },
+    argsWithoutProxy
+  );
+  if (!flagCombinationsValid) return;
 
   const {
     forceConfig,
diff --git a/src/cliproxy/executor/proxy-resolver.ts b/src/cliproxy/executor/proxy-resolver.ts
index eae39abb..bade6f32 100644
--- a/src/cliproxy/executor/proxy-resolver.ts
+++ b/src/cliproxy/executor/proxy-resolver.ts
@@ -24,20 +24,23 @@ import type { ResolvedProxyConfig } from '../types';
 import type { UnifiedConfig } from '../../config/schemas/unified-config';
 import { isNetworkError, handleNetworkError } from './retry-handler';
 
-/** Result returned from resolveExecutorProxy */
-export interface ResolvedProxy {
+export interface ResolvedExecutorProxyConfig {
   /** Resolved proxy config after merging CLI > ENV > config.yaml > defaults */
   proxyConfig: ResolvedProxyConfig;
+  /** Args after proxy-related flags are stripped out */
+  argsWithoutProxy: string[];
+  /** Mutated executor config (port resolved and validated) */
+  cfg: ExecutorConfig;
+}
+
+/** Result returned from resolveExecutorProxy */
+export interface ResolvedProxy extends ResolvedExecutorProxyConfig {
   /** Whether to use the remote proxy (vs spawning a local one) */
   useRemoteProxy: boolean;
   /** Which local backend binary to use ('original' | 'plus') */
   localBackend: CLIProxyBackend;
   /** Absolute path to CLIProxy binary; undefined when useRemoteProxy=true */
   binaryPath: string | undefined;
-  /** Args after proxy-related flags are stripped out */
-  argsWithoutProxy: string[];
-  /** Mutated executor config (port resolved and validated) */
-  cfg: ExecutorConfig;
 }
 
 /** Dependencies injected by the orchestrator */
@@ -50,16 +53,15 @@ export interface ResolveExecutorProxyContext {
 }
 
 /**
- * Resolves proxy configuration, checks remote reachability, selects the local
- * backend, and ensures the CLIProxy binary is present when running locally.
+ * Resolves side-effect-free proxy configuration and strips proxy flags.
  *
  * Mutates `context.cfg.port` in-place (same as original orchestrator behaviour).
  */
-export async function resolveExecutorProxy(
+export function resolveExecutorProxyConfig(
   args: string[],
   context: ResolveExecutorProxyContext
-): Promise<ResolvedProxy> {
-  const { unifiedConfig, allProviders, verbose: _verbose, cfg, log } = context;
+): ResolvedExecutorProxyConfig {
+  const { unifiedConfig, cfg, log } = context;
 
   // Resolve proxy config from CLI flags > ENV > config.yaml > defaults
   const cliproxyServerConfig = unifiedConfig.cliproxy_server;
@@ -98,6 +100,20 @@ export async function resolveExecutorProxy(
     log(`Remote host: ${proxyConfig.host}:${proxyConfig.port} (${proxyConfig.protocol})`);
   }
 
+  return { proxyConfig, argsWithoutProxy, cfg };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolves proxy configuration, checks remote reachability, selects the local
+ * backend, and ensures the CLIProxy binary is present when running locally.
+ */
+export async function resolveExecutorProxy(
+  resolvedConfig: ResolvedExecutorProxyConfig,
+  context: ResolveExecutorProxyContext
+): Promise<ResolvedProxy> {
+  const { allProviders, verbose: _verbose } = context;
+  const { proxyConfig, argsWithoutProxy, cfg } = resolvedConfig;
+
   // Check remote proxy reachability
   let useRemoteProxy = false;
   let localBackend: CLIProxyBackend = 'original';