diff --git a/hermes_cli/cron.py b/hermes_cli/cron.py
index c0888fe387..5c4696c90c 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/cron.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/cron.py
@@ -404,7 +404,24 @@ def cron_status():
         return
 
     pids = find_gateway_pids()
-    if pids:
+    gateway_alive_via_lock = False
+    if not pids:
+        # Same false-alarm class the cronjob tool fixed (#95947): the pid scan
+        # can transiently miss a live gateway (just after a restart) while the
+        # runtime lock — held for exactly the gateway's lifetime — proves the
+        # ticker's process is alive. Only declare "not running" when both the
+        # scan AND the lock say so.
+        try:
+            from gateway.status import get_running_pid, is_gateway_runtime_lock_active
+
+            if is_gateway_runtime_lock_active():
+                gateway_alive_via_lock = True
+                lock_pid = get_running_pid()
+                if lock_pid:
+                    pids = [lock_pid]
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+    if pids or gateway_alive_via_lock:
         # The gateway PROCESS is alive — but the cron ticker THREAD inside it
         # can die silently, or stay alive while every tick fails. Check both
         # the liveness heartbeat and the last-successful-tick marker so we
@@ -432,7 +449,8 @@ def cron_status():
                 f"no heartbeat for {int(hb_age)}s (expected every ~60s).",
                 Colors.YELLOW,
             ))
-            print(f"  PID: {', '.join(map(str, pids))}")
+            if pids:
+                print(f"  PID: {', '.join(map(str, pids))}")
             print("  Cron jobs may NOT be firing. Restart: hermes gateway restart")
         elif hb_age is not None and ok_age is not None and ok_age > STALE_AFTER:
             # Loop is alive (fresh heartbeat) but no tick has SUCCEEDED in a
@@ -442,7 +460,8 @@ def cron_status():
                 f"succeeded in {int(ok_age)}s — ticks may be failing.",
                 Colors.YELLOW,
             ))
-            print(f"  PID: {', '.join(map(str, pids))}")
+            if pids:
+                print(f"  PID: {', '.join(map(str, pids))}")
             last_error = get_ticker_last_error()
             if last_error:
                 # Show WHY ticks fail — e.g. a root-rewritten jobs.json
@@ -470,7 +489,8 @@ def cron_status():
             print("  Check the gateway log for 'Cron tick error'.")
         else:
             print(color("✓ Gateway is running — cron jobs will fire automatically", Colors.GREEN))
-            print(f"  PID: {', '.join(map(str, pids))}")
+            if pids:
+                print(f"  PID: {', '.join(map(str, pids))}")
             if hb_age is not None:
                 print(f"  Ticker heartbeat: {int(hb_age)}s ago")
     else:
diff --git a/tests/cron/test_87033_cronjob_gateway_liveness.py b/tests/cron/test_87033_cronjob_gateway_liveness.py
index a4c6afc318..df882d8be0 100644
--- a/tests/cron/test_87033_cronjob_gateway_liveness.py
+++ b/tests/cron/test_87033_cronjob_gateway_liveness.py
@@ -278,3 +278,43 @@ class TestRuntimeLockFirstLiveness:
             patch("hermes_cli.gateway.find_gateway_pids", return_value=[424242]),
         ):
             assert cron_cli._builtin_gateway_liveness() is True
+
+
+class TestCronStatusLockFirst:
+    """`hermes cron status` shares the lock-first false-alarm fix (#95947).
+
+    Sibling site of `_builtin_gateway_liveness`: it previously declared
+    "Gateway is not running — cron jobs will NOT fire" from a bare
+    `find_gateway_pids()` miss even while the runtime lock proved the
+    gateway (and its ticker) alive.
+    """
+
+    def _run_status(self, *, pids, lock_active, lock_pid=None):
+        from unittest.mock import patch
+        import io
+        from contextlib import redirect_stdout
+
+        import hermes_cli.cron as cron_cli
+
+        out = io.StringIO()
+        with (
+            patch("hermes_cli.cron._active_cron_provider_name", return_value="builtin"),
+            patch("hermes_cli.gateway.find_gateway_pids", return_value=list(pids)),
+            patch(
+                "gateway.status.is_gateway_runtime_lock_active",
+                return_value=lock_active,
+            ),
+            patch("gateway.status.get_running_pid", return_value=lock_pid),
+            redirect_stdout(out),
+        ):
+            cron_cli.cron_status()
+        return out.getvalue()
+
+    def test_lock_active_suppresses_not_running_false_alarm(self, hermes_env):
+        text = self._run_status(pids=[], lock_active=True, lock_pid=4242)
+        assert "NOT fire" not in text
+        assert "Gateway is running" in text or "running" in text
+
+    def test_no_lock_no_pids_still_warns(self, hermes_env):
+        text = self._run_status(pids=[], lock_active=False)
+        assert "NOT fire" in text