diff --git a/docs/public/operate/provider-fallback.md b/docs/public/operate/provider-fallback.md
index 0372b2a..557d901 100644
--- a/docs/public/operate/provider-fallback.md
+++ b/docs/public/operate/provider-fallback.md
@@ -88,18 +88,14 @@ one more cost surface to monitor.
 4. The cooldown auto-expires at the reset timestamp. Next run uses the primary
    again.
 
-The cooldown file lives at `$CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR/provider-cooldowns.json` (default
-`$HOME/.clawdie/state/provider-cooldowns.json`). Expired entries are dropped
-on load.
+The cooldown file now resolves with the same project-local precedence used by
+other operator artifacts:
 
-> **Path convention note.** The cooldown file currently uses the legacy
-> `$CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR` / `$HOME/.clawdie/state/` resolution. The newer
-> [test/build status files](./structured-reports/#test-build-pipeline)
-> moved to repo-local `tmp/` to align with `AGENTS.md` § "Temporary File
-> Storage". A future code change should harmonize provider-fallback to the
-> same precedence (`AGENT_STATUS_DIR` → `CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR` → `tmp/state/`).
-> Until then, if you set `AGENT_STATUS_DIR`, also set `CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR` to
-> the same path so both subsystems agree.
+- `AGENT_STATUS_DIR/provider-cooldowns.json`
+- otherwise `CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR/provider-cooldowns.json` (legacy compatibility)
+- otherwise repo-local `tmp/state/provider-cooldowns.json`
+
+Expired entries are dropped on load.
 
 ## Inspecting State
 
diff --git a/src/provider-fallback.test.ts b/src/provider-fallback.test.ts
index 3b99c20..f56b0dc 100644
--- a/src/provider-fallback.test.ts
+++ b/src/provider-fallback.test.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,59 @@ beforeEach(() => {
   resetProviderCooldownsForTests();
 });
 
+describe('default persistence path', () => {
+  const previousAgentStatusDir = process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR;
+  const previousLegacyVarDir = process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    delete process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR;
+    delete process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR;
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    if (previousAgentStatusDir === undefined) delete process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR;
+    else process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR = previousAgentStatusDir;
+    if (previousLegacyVarDir === undefined) delete process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR;
+    else process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR = previousLegacyVarDir;
+  });
+
+  it('defaults to repo-local tmp/state when no env override is set', async () => {
+    const now = new Date('2026-04-25T18:00:00');
+    markProviderBlocked('zai', new Date('2026-04-25T19:00:00'), 'cap', now);
+    await persistProviderCooldowns();
+    const expected = path.resolve(
+      process.cwd(),
+      'tmp',
+      'state',
+      'provider-cooldowns.json',
+    );
+    const raw = await fs.readFile(expected, 'utf8');
+    expect(raw).toContain('"provider": "zai"');
+    await fs.rm(expected, { force: true });
+  });
+
+  it('prefers AGENT_STATUS_DIR over the legacy CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR', async () => {
+    process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR = path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'tmp', 'status-a');
+    process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR = path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'tmp', 'status-b');
+    const now = new Date('2026-04-25T18:00:00');
+    markProviderBlocked('zai', new Date('2026-04-25T19:00:00'), 'cap', now);
+    await persistProviderCooldowns();
+    const preferred = path.join(
+      process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR,
+      'provider-cooldowns.json',
+    );
+    const legacy = path.join(
+      process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR,
+      'provider-cooldowns.json',
+    );
+    await expect(fs.readFile(preferred, 'utf8')).resolves.toContain(
+      '"provider": "zai"',
+    );
+    await expect(fs.access(legacy)).rejects.toBeDefined();
+    await fs.rm(preferred, { force: true });
+  });
+});
+
 describe('parseProviderCapError', () => {
   it('extracts the reset timestamp from a zAI cap error', () => {
     const now = new Date('2026-04-25T18:00:00');
diff --git a/src/provider-fallback.ts b/src/provider-fallback.ts
index bf10801..55f356e 100644
--- a/src/provider-fallback.ts
+++ b/src/provider-fallback.ts
@@ -43,12 +43,11 @@ const ZAI_CAP_PATTERN_NO_RESET = /\b429\s+Usage limit reached\b/iu;
 const DEFAULT_COOLDOWN_SECONDS = 60 * 60; // 1 hour fallback when no reset stamp
 
 function defaultPersistencePath(): string {
-  const explicit = process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR;
+  const explicit = process.env.AGENT_STATUS_DIR || process.env.CLAWDIE_VAR_DIR;
   if (explicit && explicit.trim()) {
     return path.join(explicit.trim(), 'provider-cooldowns.json');
   }
-  const home = process.env.HOME || '/var/db/clawdie';
-  return path.join(home, '.clawdie', 'state', 'provider-cooldowns.json');
+  return path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'tmp', 'state', 'provider-cooldowns.json');
 }
 
 export function getFallbackPolicy(): FallbackPolicy {