diff --git a/2fa_bot.py b/2fa_bot.py
index 4ab87dd..76645cc 100644
--- a/2fa_bot.py
+++ b/2fa_bot.py
@@ -305,6 +305,17 @@ def report_gateway_blocker_dialogs():
     return found
 
 
+def gateway_ui_blocker_present() -> bool:
+    """Return whether a compact, unacknowledged Gateway error is visible.
+
+    The health-recovery scripts call this through the container instead of
+    reading historical logs. A cleared dialog therefore resumes normal
+    recovery automatically, while an active account/login error is never
+    mistaken for a recoverable API outage.
+    """
+    return bool(find_gateway_blocker_dialogs())
+
+
 def dismiss_dialog(candidate):
     if candidate.window_id not in dismissed_dialog_windows:
         log.info(
@@ -480,4 +491,6 @@ def main():
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
+    if sys.argv[1:] == ["--check-gateway-ui-blocker"]:
+        raise SystemExit(0 if gateway_ui_blocker_present() else 1)
     main()
diff --git a/scripts/detect_gateway_ui_blocker.sh b/scripts/detect_gateway_ui_blocker.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..38a7503
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/detect_gateway_ui_blocker.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Return zero only when an unacknowledged compact Gateway dialog is currently
+# visible.  The probe is intentionally live-window based: a historical error
+# line must not suppress recovery after an operator has cleared the dialog.
+container_name="${IB_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME:-ib-gateway}"
+
+if ! docker inspect --format '{{.State.Running}}' "${container_name}" 2>/dev/null | grep -Fxq 'true'; then
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+docker exec "${container_name}" \
+  python3 /home/ibgateway/2fa_bot.py --check-gateway-ui-blocker >/dev/null
diff --git a/scripts/recover_ib_gateway_ready.sh b/scripts/recover_ib_gateway_ready.sh
index 730e2ee..0c27f1b 100755
--- a/scripts/recover_ib_gateway_ready.sh
+++ b/scripts/recover_ib_gateway_ready.sh
@@ -78,6 +78,16 @@ gateway_recently_progressing() {
   gateway_recently_progressing_from_docker_logs || gateway_recently_progressing_from_file_logs
 }
 
+gateway_ui_blocker_present() {
+  IB_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME="${container_name}" \
+    bash "${script_dir}/detect_gateway_ui_blocker.sh"
+}
+
+stop_for_gateway_ui_blocker() {
+  echo "GATEWAY_UI_BLOCKER: Gateway dialog requires account/login review; skipping automatic restart and recreate." >&2
+  exit 3
+}
+
 wait_for_ready_with_progress() {
   local timeout_seconds="$1"
   local stage="$2"
@@ -110,10 +120,18 @@ echo "Ensuring ${container_name} is running before readiness check."
 docker compose up -d --no-build "${compose_service_name}"
 ensure_2fa_bot_running
 
+if gateway_ui_blocker_present; then
+  stop_for_gateway_ui_blocker
+fi
+
 if wait_for_ready_with_progress "${initial_wait_seconds}" "initial"; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+if gateway_ui_blocker_present; then
+  stop_for_gateway_ui_blocker
+fi
+
 echo "IB gateway API was not ready; restarting ${container_name} and retrying." >&2
 docker compose ps >&2 || true
 docker compose restart "${compose_service_name}"
diff --git a/scripts/restart_ib_gateway_daily.sh b/scripts/restart_ib_gateway_daily.sh
index bb3580a..de9c4e1 100755
--- a/scripts/restart_ib_gateway_daily.sh
+++ b/scripts/restart_ib_gateway_daily.sh
@@ -10,6 +10,12 @@ ready_wait_seconds="${IB_GATEWAY_DAILY_RESTART_READY_WAIT_SECONDS:-240}"
 
 cd "${repo_dir}"
 
+if IB_GATEWAY_CONTAINER_NAME="${container_name}" \
+  bash "${script_dir}/detect_gateway_ui_blocker.sh"; then
+  echo "GATEWAY_UI_BLOCKER: Gateway dialog requires account/login review; skipping scheduled restart." >&2
+  exit 3
+fi
+
 echo "Restarting ${container_name} for scheduled IB Gateway refresh (mode=${gateway_mode})."
 docker compose up -d --no-build "${compose_service_name}"
 docker compose restart "${compose_service_name}"
diff --git a/tests/test_docker_compose_ports.sh b/tests/test_docker_compose_ports.sh
index 6720389..5af2c77 100644
--- a/tests/test_docker_compose_ports.sh
+++ b/tests/test_docker_compose_ports.sh
@@ -86,4 +86,8 @@ assert module.is_gateway_blocker_dialog("IBKR Gateway", 509, 131)
 assert module.is_gateway_blocker_dialog("Gateway", 510, 131)
 assert not module.is_gateway_blocker_dialog("IBKR Gateway", 700, 550)
 assert not module.is_gateway_blocker_dialog("Gateway", 790, 610)
+module.find_gateway_blocker_dialogs = lambda: []
+assert not module.gateway_ui_blocker_present()
+module.find_gateway_blocker_dialogs = lambda: [module.WindowCandidate("1", "Gateway", 510, 131)]
+assert module.gateway_ui_blocker_present()
 PY
diff --git a/tests/test_wait_for_ib_gateway_ready.sh b/tests/test_wait_for_ib_gateway_ready.sh
index f0d5d38..7916d68 100644
--- a/tests/test_wait_for_ib_gateway_ready.sh
+++ b/tests/test_wait_for_ib_gateway_ready.sh
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ set -euo pipefail
 
 repo_dir="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
 script_file="$repo_dir/scripts/wait_for_ib_gateway_ready.sh"
+recovery_script="$repo_dir/scripts/recover_ib_gateway_ready.sh"
+daily_restart_script="$repo_dir/scripts/restart_ib_gateway_daily.sh"
+blocker_probe_script="$repo_dir/scripts/detect_gateway_ui_blocker.sh"
 
 test -f "$script_file"
 test -x "$script_file" || true
@@ -42,6 +45,11 @@ grep -Fq 'b"API\0" + struct.pack(">I", len(b"v157..176")) + b"v157..176"' "$scri
 grep -Fq 'has_next_valid_id and has_managed_accounts' "$script_file"
 grep -Fq 'IB API handshake readiness' "$script_file"
 grep -Fq 'docker logs --tail 120 "${container_name}"' "$script_file"
+test -x "$blocker_probe_script"
+grep -Fq -- '--check-gateway-ui-blocker' "$blocker_probe_script"
+grep -Fq 'gateway_ui_blocker_present()' "$recovery_script"
+grep -Fq 'GATEWAY_UI_BLOCKER: Gateway dialog requires account/login review' "$recovery_script"
+grep -Fq 'skipping scheduled restart' "$daily_restart_script"
 
 tmp_dir="$(mktemp -d)"
 trap 'rm -rf "$tmp_dir"' EXIT