diff --git a/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/config.py b/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/config.py
index a26b105347..bd1acbce83 100644
--- a/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/config.py
+++ b/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/config.py
@@ -326,10 +326,10 @@ class ChatConfig(BaseSettings):
             v = os.getenv("CHAT_CLAUDE_AGENT_CLI_PATH")
             if not v:
                 v = os.getenv("CLAUDE_AGENT_CLI_PATH")
-        if v and not os.access(v, os.X_OK):
+        if v and os.path.exists(v) and not os.access(v, os.X_OK):
             raise ValueError(
-                f"claude_agent_cli_path '{v}' is not an executable file. "
-                "Check the path and file permissions."
+                f"claude_agent_cli_path '{v}' exists but is not executable. "
+                "Check file permissions."
             )
         return v
 
diff --git a/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/sdk/cli_openrouter_compat_test.py b/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/sdk/cli_openrouter_compat_test.py
index 3b20cd2b68..7605c39172 100644
--- a/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/sdk/cli_openrouter_compat_test.py
+++ b/autogpt_platform/backend/backend/copilot/sdk/cli_openrouter_compat_test.py
@@ -455,18 +455,20 @@ def _assert_no_forbidden_patterns(
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_cli_does_not_send_openrouter_incompatible_features():
-    """End-to-end OpenRouter compatibility reproduction (bare CLI path).
+@pytest.mark.xfail(
+    reason="CLI 2.1.97 (SDK 0.1.58) sends context-management beta without "
+    "CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS=1. This is expected — the env "
+    "var guard in test_disable_experimental_betas_env_var_strips_headers "
+    "is the real regression test.",
+    strict=False,
+)
+async def test_bare_cli_does_not_send_openrouter_incompatible_features():
+    """Bare CLI reproduction (no env var workaround).
 
-    Spawns the bundled (or overridden) Claude Code CLI against a fake
-    Anthropic API server, captures every request body it sends, and
-    asserts that none of them contain the two known OpenRouter-breaking
-    features.
-
-    On a clean SDK pin (0.1.45 or 0.1.47, bundled CLI 2.1.63 or 2.1.70)
-    this passes naturally.  On a broken pin (0.1.55+, bundled CLI 2.1.91+)
-    it fails — that failure IS the bisect signal we use to verify which
-    SDK versions need the workaround.
+    Documents whether the bundled CLI sends OpenRouter-incompatible
+    features without the CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_EXPERIMENTAL_BETAS env var.
+    On SDK 0.1.58 (CLI 2.1.97) this is expected to fail — the env var
+    test above is the actual regression guard.
     """
     returncode, _stdout, stderr, captured = await _run_reproduction()
     _assert_no_forbidden_patterns(captured, returncode, stderr)