diff --git a/src/commands/integrations.ts b/src/commands/integrations.ts
index 92cda4e20..bf68cf2a2 100644
--- a/src/commands/integrations.ts
+++ b/src/commands/integrations.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ import matter from 'gray-matter';
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync, readdirSync } from 'fs';
 import { join, basename } from 'path';
 import { homedir } from 'os';
-import { gbrainPath } from '../core/config.ts';
+import { gbrainPath, loadConfig } from '../core/config.ts';
+import { buildGatewayConfig } from '../core/ai/build-gateway-config.ts';
 import { execSync } from 'child_process';
 
 // --- Types ---
@@ -122,9 +123,28 @@ export function isUnsafeHealthCheck(check: string): boolean {
   return /[;&|`$(){}\\<>\n]/.test(check);
 }
 
-/** Expand $VAR references with process.env values */
+/**
+ * Env view for secret resolution (#2789): apply the same config.json→env
+ * folding the runtime applies via buildGatewayConfig, so a credential stored
+ * only in ~/.gbrain/config.json — which powers a perfectly healthy
+ * integration — is not reported [missing] by show/status. process.env still
+ * wins for non-empty values (buildGatewayConfig spreads it last, dropping
+ * only ''/undefined entries). Falls back to bare process.env before
+ * `gbrain init` (no config file yet). Mirrors the #2728 fix on the
+ * providers command.
+ */
+export function secretEnv(): Record<string, string | undefined> {
+  try {
+    const cfg = loadConfig();
+    if (cfg) return buildGatewayConfig(cfg).env;
+  } catch { /* integrations must keep working pre-init — fall through */ }
+  return process.env;
+}
+
+/** Expand $VAR references with gateway-env (config-folded) values */
 export function expandVars(s: string): string {
-  return s.replace(/\$([A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*)/g, (_, name) => process.env[name] || '');
+  const env = secretEnv();
+  return s.replace(/\$([A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*)/g, (_, name) => env[name] || '');
 }
 
 // --- SSRF Protection ---
@@ -249,7 +269,7 @@ export async function executeHealthCheck(
     }
 
     case 'env_exists': {
-      const val = process.env[check.name];
+      const val = secretEnv()[check.name];
       return {
         ...base,
         status: val ? 'ok' : 'fail',
@@ -457,11 +477,12 @@ function readHeartbeat(id: string): HeartbeatEntry[] {
 
 // --- Secret Checking ---
 
-function checkSecrets(secrets: RecipeSecret[]): { set: string[]; missing: RecipeSecret[] } {
+export function checkSecrets(secrets: RecipeSecret[]): { set: string[]; missing: RecipeSecret[] } {
   const set: string[] = [];
   const missing: RecipeSecret[] = [];
+  const env = secretEnv();
   for (const s of secrets) {
-    if (process.env[s.name]) {
+    if (env[s.name]) {
       set.push(s.name);
     } else {
       missing.push(s);
@@ -607,8 +628,9 @@ function cmdShow(args: string[]): void {
   if (f.requires.length > 0) console.log(`Requires:   ${f.requires.join(', ')}`);
 
   console.log('\nSecrets needed:');
+  const env = secretEnv();
   for (const s of f.secrets) {
-    const isSet = process.env[s.name] ? '  [set]' : '  [missing]';
+    const isSet = env[s.name] ? '  [set]' : '  [missing]';
     console.log(`  ${s.name}${isSet}`);
     console.log(`    ${s.description}`);
     console.log(`    Get it: ${s.where}`);
diff --git a/test/integrations.test.ts b/test/integrations.test.ts
index 0926d7c9d..1ac7e8f96 100644
--- a/test/integrations.test.ts
+++ b/test/integrations.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
-import { describe, test, expect, beforeAll } from 'bun:test';
+import { describe, test, expect, beforeAll, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'bun:test';
+import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync, rmSync } from 'fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'os';
+import { join } from 'path';
 import {
   parseRecipe,
   isUnsafeHealthCheck,
   expandVars,
   executeHealthCheck,
+  checkSecrets,
   parseOctet,
   hostnameToOctets,
   isPrivateIpv4,
@@ -679,3 +683,77 @@ describe('getRecipeDirs (B1 trust boundary)', () => {
     }
   });
 });
+
+// --- #2789: secret resolution folds the config plane (buildGatewayConfig seam) ---
+
+describe('secret resolution folds config plane (#2789)', () => {
+  let dir: string;
+  let savedHome: string | undefined;
+  let savedKey: string | undefined;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    savedHome = process.env.GBRAIN_HOME;
+    savedKey = process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
+    dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-integrations-2789-'));
+    mkdirSync(join(dir, '.gbrain'), { recursive: true });
+    process.env.GBRAIN_HOME = dir;
+    delete process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    if (savedHome === undefined) delete process.env.GBRAIN_HOME;
+    else process.env.GBRAIN_HOME = savedHome;
+    if (savedKey === undefined) delete process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
+    else process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY = savedKey;
+    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  function writeConfig(cfg: Record<string, unknown>) {
+    writeFileSync(join(dir, '.gbrain', 'config.json'), JSON.stringify(cfg));
+  }
+
+  const secret = { name: 'OPENAI_API_KEY', description: 'test key', where: 'https://example.com' };
+
+  test('checkSecrets sees a key stored only in config.json', () => {
+    writeConfig({ engine: 'pglite', openai_api_key: 'sk-test-config-only' });
+    const { set, missing } = checkSecrets([secret]);
+    expect(set).toEqual(['OPENAI_API_KEY']);
+    expect(missing).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  test('checkSecrets still reports missing when the key is nowhere', () => {
+    writeConfig({ engine: 'pglite' });
+    const { set, missing } = checkSecrets([secret]);
+    expect(set).toHaveLength(0);
+    expect(missing.map(m => m.name)).toEqual(['OPENAI_API_KEY']);
+  });
+
+  test('expandVars expands a config-folded key', () => {
+    writeConfig({ engine: 'pglite', openai_api_key: 'sk-from-config' });
+    expect(expandVars('Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY')).toBe('Bearer sk-from-config');
+  });
+
+  test('non-empty process.env still wins over the config plane', () => {
+    writeConfig({ engine: 'pglite', openai_api_key: 'sk-from-config' });
+    process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY = 'sk-from-env';
+    expect(expandVars('$OPENAI_API_KEY')).toBe('sk-from-env');
+  });
+
+  test('env_exists health check sees a config-folded key', async () => {
+    writeConfig({ engine: 'pglite', openai_api_key: 'sk-from-config' });
+    const result = await executeHealthCheck(
+      { type: 'env_exists', name: 'OPENAI_API_KEY', label: 'key present' },
+      'test-id',
+      true,
+    );
+    expect(result.status).toBe('ok');
+    expect(result.output).toContain('set');
+  });
+
+  test('falls back to process.env when no config file exists (pre-init)', () => {
+    // No config.json written — pre-`gbrain init` shape.
+    process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY = 'sk-env-only';
+    const { set } = checkSecrets([secret]);
+    expect(set).toEqual(['OPENAI_API_KEY']);
+  });
+});