diff --git a/src/lib/api.ts b/src/lib/api.ts
index ba478a82..1908b51e 100644
--- a/src/lib/api.ts
+++ b/src/lib/api.ts
@@ -236,9 +236,12 @@ const IntegrationsResponseSchema = z.object({
 
 /**
  * Check whether the project already has a Slack integration connected.
- * Requires the `integration:read` scope. Throws on failure — callers
- * (including the SlackConnectScreen poll) decide how to degrade and
- * are responsible for capturing the error exactly once.
+ * Requires the `integration:read` scope. Throws an {@link ApiError} on
+ * failure (wrapped via {@link handleApiError} for a clean message and a
+ * `statusCode`) — callers (including the SlackConnectScreen poll) decide
+ * how to degrade and are responsible for reporting the error exactly once.
+ * Expected auth statuses (401/403) on the background poll are benign; the
+ * `statusCode` lets callers treat them as such rather than a real exception.
  */
 export async function fetchSlackConnected(
   accessToken: string,
@@ -246,19 +249,23 @@ export async function fetchSlackConnected(
   baseUrl: string,
   signal?: AbortSignal,
 ): Promise<boolean> {
-  const response = await axios.get(
-    `${baseUrl}/api/projects/${projectId}/integrations/`,
-    {
-      headers: {
-        Authorization: `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
-        'User-Agent': WIZARD_USER_AGENT,
+  try {
+    const response = await axios.get(
+      `${baseUrl}/api/projects/${projectId}/integrations/`,
+      {
+        headers: {
+          Authorization: `Bearer ${accessToken}`,
+          'User-Agent': WIZARD_USER_AGENT,
+        },
+        signal,
       },
-      signal,
-    },
-  );
-  const parsed = IntegrationsResponseSchema.safeParse(response.data);
-  if (!parsed.success) return false;
-  return parsed.data.results.some((i) => i.kind === 'slack');
+    );
+    const parsed = IntegrationsResponseSchema.safeParse(response.data);
+    if (!parsed.success) return false;
+    return parsed.data.results.some((i) => i.kind === 'slack');
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw handleApiError(error, 'check Slack connection');
+  }
 }
 
 export function handleApiError(error: unknown, operation: string): ApiError {
diff --git a/src/lib/oauth/program-scopes.ts b/src/lib/oauth/program-scopes.ts
index 2102c93e..818ae1b6 100644
--- a/src/lib/oauth/program-scopes.ts
+++ b/src/lib/oauth/program-scopes.ts
@@ -193,11 +193,14 @@ export const WAREHOUSE_SOURCE_SCOPE_ADDITIONS = [
  *
  * The step polls `/api/projects/:id/integrations/` (`fetchSlackConnected`)
  * to render the already-connected variant and to flip live once the user
- * completes the Slack OAuth step in the browser. Without `integration:read`
- * the first poll 403s, the screen stops polling, and an already-connected
- * project is nagged with the connect nudge. Used by the default integration
- * run (the step ends the run) and by the standalone `wizard slack` flow
- * (the step is the whole program).
+ * completes the Slack OAuth step in the browser. If the poll can't read
+ * integrations — a missing `integration:read` scope (403) or an
+ * invalid/expired token (401) — the screen stops polling and an
+ * already-connected project is nagged with the connect nudge. Both auth
+ * statuses are treated as an expected degradation (a benign analytics
+ * event, not a captured exception). Used by the default integration run
+ * (the step ends the run) and by the standalone `wizard slack` flow (the
+ * step is the whole program).
  */
 export const CONNECT_SLACK_SCOPE_ADDITIONS = ['integration:read'] as const;
 
diff --git a/src/ui/tui/screens/SlackConnectScreen.tsx b/src/ui/tui/screens/SlackConnectScreen.tsx
index 9db8f74d..ea78cc94 100644
--- a/src/ui/tui/screens/SlackConnectScreen.tsx
+++ b/src/ui/tui/screens/SlackConnectScreen.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ import { Colors, Icons } from '@ui/tui/styles';
 import { PickerMenu, LoadingBox } from '@ui/tui/primitives/index';
 import { useKeyBindings, KeyMatch } from '@ui/tui/hooks/useKeyBindings';
 import { getSlackAppCard } from '@lib/mcp-role-prompts';
-import { fetchSlackConnected } from '@lib/api';
+import { ApiError, fetchSlackConnected } from '@lib/api';
 import { Program } from '@lib/programs/program-registry';
 import { getOrAskForProjectData } from '@utils/setup-utils';
 import { analytics } from '@utils/analytics';
@@ -155,17 +155,29 @@ export const SlackConnectScreen = ({ store }: SlackConnectScreenProps) => {
         })
         .catch((err: unknown) => {
           if (cancelled) return;
-          // Capture once and stop polling — repeating a failing call
-          // every tick would spam error tracking. The nudge copy is
-          // the fallback either way; a failed check counts as not
-          // connected so the screen doesn't sit on the loading state.
+          // Stop polling — repeating a failing call every tick would spam
+          // error tracking. The nudge copy is the fallback either way; a
+          // failed check counts as not connected so the screen doesn't sit
+          // on the loading state.
           if (store.session.slackConnected === null) {
             store.setSlackConnected(false);
           }
-          analytics.captureException(
-            err instanceof Error ? err : new Error(String(err)),
-            { step: 'slack_connected_check' },
-          );
+          // An expired/invalid token (401) or a missing `integration:read`
+          // scope (403) is an expected degradation here, not a bug — record
+          // it as a benign analytics event so it doesn't create error
+          // tracking noise. Anything else is a real exception worth capturing.
+          const status = err instanceof ApiError ? err.statusCode : undefined;
+          if (status === 401 || status === 403) {
+            analytics.wizardCapture('slack connect check unauthorized', {
+              role,
+              status,
+            });
+          } else {
+            analytics.captureException(
+              err instanceof Error ? err : new Error(String(err)),
+              { step: 'slack_connected_check' },
+            );
+          }
         });
     };
     check();