diff --git a/src/commands/login.ts b/src/commands/login.ts
index 29af2e5..f0c444a 100644
--- a/src/commands/login.ts
+++ b/src/commands/login.ts
@@ -155,7 +155,12 @@ export default class Login extends BaseCommand {
     if (phones.length === 1) {
       fromPhone = phones[0].phoneNumber;
     } else if (phones.length > 1) {
-      if (accountLabel === 'Paid') {
+      // The picker runs only when there is a terminal to drive it. `--token` is
+      // the non-interactive entry point, and it is reached from agent shells and
+      // CI where stdin is not a TTY — prompting there hung the process before it
+      // ever got to saveProfile(), so the token was never persisted and every
+      // later command failed as unauthenticated.
+      if (accountLabel === 'Paid' && process.stdin.isTTY) {
         try {
           fromPhone = await select({
             message: 'Select a default Linq Number:',
@@ -169,6 +174,13 @@ export default class Login extends BaseCommand {
         }
       } else {
         fromPhone = phones[0].phoneNumber;
+        if (accountLabel === 'Paid') {
+          this.log(
+            `Defaulted to ${chalk.cyan(fromPhone)} of ${phones.length} Linq Numbers ` +
+              `${chalk.dim('(no terminal for the picker)')}.`
+          );
+          this.log(`Change it with ${chalk.cyan('linq phonenumbers set')}.\n`);
+        }
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/test/commands/login.test.ts b/test/commands/login.test.ts
index 56a180f..897c8d3 100644
--- a/test/commands/login.test.ts
+++ b/test/commands/login.test.ts
@@ -108,8 +108,8 @@ describe('login (token paste)', () => {
     expect(saved.profiles.default.fromPhone).toBe('+18005551111');
   });
 
-  it('paid user with multiple phones is prompted', async () => {
-    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(jsonResponse(200, {
+  function paidMultiPhoneResponse() {
+    return jsonResponse(200, {
       partnerId: 'partner-1',
       orgId: '999',
       name: 'Acme',
@@ -120,17 +120,49 @@ describe('login (token paste)', () => {
           { phoneNumber: '+18005552222' },
         ],
       },
-    }));
+    });
+  }
 
+  it('paid user with multiple phones is prompted when stdin is a TTY', async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(paidMultiPhoneResponse());
     mockSelect.mockResolvedValueOnce('+18005552222');
 
-    const config = await Config.load({ root: process.cwd() });
-    const cmd = new Login(['--token', 'linq_test', '--profile', 'default'], config);
-    await cmd.run();
+    const originalIsTTY = process.stdin.isTTY;
+    Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, 'isTTY', { value: true, configurable: true });
+    try {
+      const config = await Config.load({ root: process.cwd() });
+      const cmd = new Login(['--token', 'linq_test', '--profile', 'default'], config);
+      await cmd.run();
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, 'isTTY', { value: originalIsTTY, configurable: true });
+    }
 
     expect(mockSelect).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     const saved = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(configPath(), 'utf-8'));
     expect(saved.profiles.default.fromPhone).toBe('+18005552222');
     expect(saved.profiles.default.accountLabel).toBe('Paid');
   });
+
+  // Regression: the picker used to run unguarded, so `--token` from an agent
+  // shell or CI blocked on a prompt that could never be answered and exited
+  // before saveProfile() — leaving no credential behind at all.
+  it('paid user with multiple phones saves without prompting when stdin is not a TTY', async () => {
+    mockFetch.mockResolvedValueOnce(paidMultiPhoneResponse());
+
+    const originalIsTTY = process.stdin.isTTY;
+    Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, 'isTTY', { value: undefined, configurable: true });
+    try {
+      const config = await Config.load({ root: process.cwd() });
+      const cmd = new Login(['--token', 'linq_test', '--profile', 'default'], config);
+      await cmd.run();
+    } finally {
+      Object.defineProperty(process.stdin, 'isTTY', { value: originalIsTTY, configurable: true });
+    }
+
+    expect(mockSelect).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    const saved = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(configPath(), 'utf-8'));
+    expect(saved.profiles.default.token).toBe('linq_test');
+    expect(saved.profiles.default.fromPhone).toBe('+18005551111');
+    expect(saved.profiles.default.accountLabel).toBe('Paid');
+  });
 });