diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/chat_files.go b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/chat_files.go
index f8d348e7..e152809e 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/chat_files.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/chat_files.go
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ package handlers
 
 import (
 	"context"
-	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"log"
@@ -41,7 +40,6 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/Molecule-AI/molecule-monorepo/platform/internal/db"
-	"github.com/Molecule-AI/molecule-monorepo/platform/internal/wsauth"
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 )
 
@@ -120,41 +118,28 @@ func resolveWorkspaceForwardCreds(c *gin.Context, ctx context.Context, workspace
 	// upstream gate rather than re-validating here. Tracked at #2316
 	// for follow-up: forward-time re-validation as defense-in-depth.
 
-	secret, err := wsauth.ReadPlatformInboundSecret(ctx, db.DB, workspaceID)
+	secret, healed, err := readOrLazyHealInboundSecret(ctx, workspaceID, "chat_files "+op)
 	if err != nil {
-		if errors.Is(err, wsauth.ErrNoInboundSecret) {
-			// Lazy-heal: mint the secret now so future requests
-			// succeed. Pre-2026-04-30 the SaaS provision path didn't
-			// mint — every prod workspace started life with NULL
-			// platform_inbound_secret. The shared-mint refactor closes
-			// the new-workspace gap; this lazy-heal closes the
-			// existing-workspace gap without requiring a destructive
-			// reprovision.
-			//
-			// Why the request still 503s: the workspace's local
-			// /configs/.platform_inbound_secret is also empty until the
-			// next /registry/register response (registry.go:344-362)
-			// propagates the freshly-minted secret. The user retries
-			// once the workspace's heartbeat picks up the new secret
-			// (typically <30s).
-			if _, mintErr := wsauth.IssuePlatformInboundSecret(ctx, db.DB, workspaceID); mintErr != nil {
-				log.Printf("chat_files %s: lazy-heal mint failed for %s: %v", op, workspaceID, mintErr)
-				c.JSON(http.StatusServiceUnavailable, gin.H{
-					"error":  "workspace not yet enrolled in v2 " + op + " (RFC #2312)",
-					"detail": "Failed to mint inbound secret. Reprovision the workspace if this persists.",
-				})
-				return "", "", false
-			}
-			log.Printf("chat_files %s: lazy-healed platform_inbound_secret for %s — retry once workspace re-registers (#2312 backfill)", op, workspaceID)
-			c.JSON(http.StatusServiceUnavailable, gin.H{
-				"error":               "workspace re-registering — please retry in 30 seconds",
-				"detail":              "Inbound secret was just minted. Workspace will pick it up on its next heartbeat.",
-				"retry_after_seconds": 30,
-			})
-			return "", "", false
-		}
-		log.Printf("chat_files %s: read platform_inbound_secret failed for %s: %v", op, workspaceID, err)
-		c.JSON(http.StatusInternalServerError, gin.H{"error": "failed to read workspace secret"})
+		// Either a non-NoInboundSecret read error (DB hiccup) or a mint
+		// failure during lazy-heal. The chat_files contract is to surface
+		// 503 with the RFC-#2312 reprovision hint in both cases — the user
+		// can't proceed and needs ops attention.
+		c.JSON(http.StatusServiceUnavailable, gin.H{
+			"error":  "workspace not yet enrolled in v2 " + op + " (RFC #2312)",
+			"detail": "Failed to mint inbound secret. Reprovision the workspace if this persists.",
+		})
+		return "", "", false
+	}
+	if healed {
+		// The platform now has the secret but the workspace's
+		// /configs/.platform_inbound_secret is still empty until the next
+		// /registry/register response propagates it. User retries after
+		// the workspace's next heartbeat picks up the new secret (~30s).
+		c.JSON(http.StatusServiceUnavailable, gin.H{
+			"error":               "workspace re-registering — please retry in 30 seconds",
+			"detail":              "Inbound secret was just minted. Workspace will pick it up on its next heartbeat.",
+			"retry_after_seconds": 30,
+		})
 		return "", "", false
 	}
 	return wsURL, secret, true
diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/registry.go b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/registry.go
index 6fd5ae10..cee868eb 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/registry.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/registry.go
@@ -451,29 +451,19 @@ func (h *RegistryHandler) Register(c *gin.Context) {
 	// has no volume to write into.
 	//
 	// Lazy-heal (2026-04-30): if the column is NULL (legacy workspace
-	// provisioned before the shared-mint refactor), mint it inline and
-	// include in the response. Without this, legacy workspaces would need
-	// two round-trips before chat upload works — chat_files lazy-heals
-	// platform-side on first attempt, then the workspace must heartbeat
-	// to receive the freshly-minted secret. Heal-on-register collapses
-	// that to one round-trip.
-	secret, secretErr := wsauth.ReadPlatformInboundSecret(ctx, db.DB, payload.ID)
-	if secretErr != nil && errors.Is(secretErr, wsauth.ErrNoInboundSecret) {
-		minted, mintErr := wsauth.IssuePlatformInboundSecret(ctx, db.DB, payload.ID)
-		if mintErr != nil {
-			log.Printf("Registry: lazy-heal mint of platform_inbound_secret failed for %s: %v — workspace will 503 on chat upload until next register", payload.ID, mintErr)
-		} else {
-			secret = minted
-			secretErr = nil
-			log.Printf("Registry: lazy-healed platform_inbound_secret for %s (#2312 backfill)", payload.ID)
-		}
-	}
-	if secretErr == nil {
+	// provisioned before the shared-mint refactor), mint inline and
+	// include in the response. Without this, legacy workspaces would
+	// need two round-trips before chat upload works — chat_files
+	// lazy-heals platform-side on first attempt, then the workspace
+	// must heartbeat to receive the freshly-minted secret.
+	// Heal-on-register collapses that to one round-trip.
+	if secret, _, healErr := readOrLazyHealInboundSecret(ctx, payload.ID, "Registry"); healErr == nil {
 		response["platform_inbound_secret"] = secret
-	} else if !errors.Is(secretErr, wsauth.ErrNoInboundSecret) {
-		// Non-NoInboundSecret read errors (DB hiccup, etc.) — log loud.
-		log.Printf("Registry: read platform_inbound_secret for %s failed: %v", payload.ID, secretErr)
 	}
+	// Errors are non-fatal here — the workspace is online and can serve
+	// non-/internal traffic. The lazy-heal helper has already logged
+	// whichever sub-step failed (read or mint). If the secret never lands,
+	// chat upload surfaces the issue loudly with the RFC-#2312 hint.
 
 	c.JSON(http.StatusOK, response)
 }
diff --git a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/workspace_provision_shared.go b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/workspace_provision_shared.go
index d0457121..72942178 100644
--- a/workspace-server/internal/handlers/workspace_provision_shared.go
+++ b/workspace-server/internal/handlers/workspace_provision_shared.go
@@ -36,14 +36,49 @@ package handlers
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"log"
 	"path/filepath"
 
 	"github.com/Molecule-AI/molecule-monorepo/platform/internal/db"
 	"github.com/Molecule-AI/molecule-monorepo/platform/internal/models"
 	"github.com/Molecule-AI/molecule-monorepo/platform/internal/provisioner"
+	"github.com/Molecule-AI/molecule-monorepo/platform/internal/wsauth"
 )
 
+// readOrLazyHealInboundSecret reads the workspace's
+// platform_inbound_secret. On ErrNoInboundSecret it mints inline
+// (lazy-heal — RFC #2312 backfill for workspaces provisioned before
+// the shared-mint refactor closed the gap).
+//
+// Returns:
+//   - (secret, false, nil) — secret was already present
+//   - (secret, true,  nil) — secret was missing; just minted
+//   - ("",     false, err) — read failed (non-NoInboundSecret) OR mint failed
+//
+// opLabel prefixes log lines so operators can tell which feature
+// triggered the heal (e.g. "Registry", "chat_files Upload"). Centralized
+// here so the next "what to do when the secret is missing" decision —
+// rotation, audit, alerting — goes in ONE place. Same drift-prevention
+// rationale as resolveWorkspaceForwardCreds and mintWorkspaceSecrets.
+func readOrLazyHealInboundSecret(ctx context.Context, workspaceID, opLabel string) (secret string, healed bool, err error) {
+	s, readErr := wsauth.ReadPlatformInboundSecret(ctx, db.DB, workspaceID)
+	if readErr == nil {
+		return s, false, nil
+	}
+	if !errors.Is(readErr, wsauth.ErrNoInboundSecret) {
+		log.Printf("%s: read platform_inbound_secret failed for %s: %v", opLabel, workspaceID, readErr)
+		return "", false, readErr
+	}
+	minted, mintErr := wsauth.IssuePlatformInboundSecret(ctx, db.DB, workspaceID)
+	if mintErr != nil {
+		log.Printf("%s: lazy-heal mint of platform_inbound_secret failed for %s: %v", opLabel, workspaceID, mintErr)
+		return "", false, mintErr
+	}
+	log.Printf("%s: lazy-healed platform_inbound_secret for %s (#2312 backfill)", opLabel, workspaceID)
+	return minted, true, nil
+}
+
 // preparedProvisionContext carries the computed env + cfg through
 // the per-mode provisioner-Start step. Returned from
 // prepareProvisionContext when the caller proceeds; nil + non-empty