diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3ec5ff2..087ec89 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ All notable changes are documented here, following [Keep a Changelog](https://ke
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- Startup on hosts whose default authentication requires a token (OAuth2, Auth0): `produce()` read the settings singleton under a plain tokenless `QSession`, which failed session validation (`JWTDecodeException: The token is null`) and stopped the host. The startup read now runs as the core `QSystemUserSession`, still honoring the persisted schedules. `TokenRequiredHostTest` runs production under a token-required test authentication module.
+
 ### Added
 
 - Foreign keys (`worm-audit:11-12`), `ON DELETE RESTRICT` only: chain link -> core audit header, sealed export -> its first and last checkpoints, export verification -> its export, with their indexes. Link references (ranges, break link, purge anchor) stay unconstrained because the retention purge deletes the links they outlive. Pre-existing orphans are copied to `qqq_fk_quarantine` (`KEPT`), never modified, and leave that constraint `NOT VALID`. Re-apply the rendered DDL (idempotent).
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/WormAuditQBitProducer.java b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/WormAuditQBitProducer.java
index febbeba..9415674 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/WormAuditQBitProducer.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/WormAuditQBitProducer.java
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.qbits.QBitMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.qbits.QBitMetaDataProducer;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.scheduleing.quartz.QuartzSchedulerMetaData;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables.QTableMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSystemUserSession;
 
 
 /*******************************************************************************
@@ -192,9 +193,14 @@ public class WormAuditQBitProducer implements QBitMetaDataProducer<WormAuditQBit
       var previousTransaction = QContext.getQBackendTransaction();
       try
       {
-         // Production is still assembling the host metadata. Do not validate it mid-build.
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+         // Production is still assembling the host metadata. Do not validate it   //
+         // mid-build. The startup settings read is system work: run it as the     //
+         // core system user. A plain tokenless QSession fails session validation  //
+         // under token-based host authentication (OAuth2, Auth0).                 //
+         ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
          QContext.setQInstance(qInstance);
-         QContext.setQSession(new com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSession());
+         QContext.setQSession(new QSystemUserSession(qInstance));
          QContext.setTransaction(null);
          addProcesses(output, qBit);
       }
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/TokenRequiredAuthenticationModule.java b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/TokenRequiredAuthenticationModule.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d5965b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/TokenRequiredAuthenticationModule.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2025.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qbits.wormaudit;
+
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QAuthenticationException;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSession;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSystemUserSession;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.modules.authentication.QAuthenticationModuleInterface;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Test authentication module that behaves like the token-based core modules
+ ** (OAuth2, Auth0): a QSystemUserSession is always valid, a session it created
+ ** is valid, and any other session has no token and fails validation with the
+ ** same message the OAuth2 module produces (JWTDecodeException: The token is
+ ** null).
+ *******************************************************************************/
+public class TokenRequiredAuthenticationModule implements QAuthenticationModuleInterface
+{
+   private static final Set<String> ISSUED = ConcurrentHashMap.newKeySet();
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Issue a session that carries a token.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public QSession createSession(QInstance qInstance, Map<String, String> context) throws QAuthenticationException
+   {
+      QSession session = new QSession();
+      ISSUED.add(session.getUuid());
+      return (session);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Accept the system user and issued sessions; reject tokenless sessions.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public boolean isSessionValid(QInstance instance, QSession session)
+   {
+      if(session instanceof QSystemUserSession || ISSUED.contains(session.getUuid()))
+      {
+         return (true);
+      }
+      throw (new IllegalStateException("The token is null"));
+   }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/TokenRequiredHostTest.java b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/TokenRequiredHostTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..321cca2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qbits/wormaudit/TokenRequiredHostTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2025.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qbits.wormaudit;
+
+
+import java.util.List;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.wormaudit.chain.AuditStore;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.wormaudit.model.WormAuditTables;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.wormaudit.processes.ExportProcesses;
+import com.kingsrook.qbits.wormaudit.processes.WormAuditProcesses;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QAuthenticationType;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QBackendMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.authentication.QAuthenticationMetaData;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.code.QCodeReference;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.session.QSession;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.modules.backend.implementations.memory.MemoryBackendModule;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.modules.backend.implementations.memory.MemoryRecordStore;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
+import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThatThrownBy;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Regression: production must work on a host whose default authentication
+ ** rejects tokenless sessions (kof22 uses OAuth2). produce() reads the settings
+ ** singleton for the startup schedules; under a plain new QSession() that read
+ ** failed with "The token is null" and the host could not start.
+ *******************************************************************************/
+class TokenRequiredHostTest
+{
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Clear the context and the memory store.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @AfterEach
+   void tearDown()
+   {
+      MemoryRecordStore.fullReset();
+      QContext.clear();
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** The test module really rejects a tokenless session, so the tests below
+    ** prove the qbit does not use one.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void moduleRejectsTokenlessSession() throws Exception
+   {
+      MemoryRecordStore.fullReset();
+      QInstance instance = tokenRequiredHost(new WormAuditQBitConfig());
+      QContext.init(instance, new QSession());
+      assertThatThrownBy(() -> new AuditStore(null).get(WormAuditTables.SETTINGS, 1))
+         .hasStackTraceContaining("The token is null");
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** produce() succeeds and still honors the persisted settings row for the
+    ** startup schedules, read as the system user.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void produceReadsPersistedSettingsAsSystemUser() throws Exception
+   {
+      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // first start: an anonymous host stores an edited settings row //
+      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      MemoryRecordStore.fullReset();
+      WormAuditQBitConfig seedConfig = new WormAuditQBitConfig();
+      QInstance seedHost = WormAuditTestSupport.core(memory());
+      new WormAuditQBitProducer().withQBitConfig(seedConfig.withBackendName("memory")).produce(seedHost);
+      QContext.init(seedHost, new QSession());
+      QRecord row = WormAuditSettings.defaults(seedConfig)
+         .withValue("chain_interval_seconds", 45)
+         .withValue("verify_cron", "0 15 4 * * ?")
+         .withValue("export_cron", "0 45 1 * * ?");
+      new AuditStore(null).insert(WormAuditTables.SETTINGS, List.of(row));
+      QContext.clear();
+
+      //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // restart on a token-required host, with no session in context, as //
+      // when a host builds its instance before any request arrives       //
+      //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      QInstance instance = tokenRequiredHost(new WormAuditQBitConfig());
+
+      assertThat(instance.getProcess(WormAuditProcesses.CHAIN).getSchedule().getRepeatSeconds()).isEqualTo(45);
+      assertThat(instance.getProcess(WormAuditProcesses.DAILY).getSchedule().getCronExpression()).isEqualTo("0 15 4 * * ?");
+      assertThat(instance.getProcess(ExportProcesses.DAILY).getSchedule().getCronExpression()).isEqualTo("0 45 1 * * ?");
+      assertThat(QContext.getQSession()).isNull();
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** With no settings row, production falls back to the configured values.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void produceFallsBackToConfigWithoutRow() throws Exception
+   {
+      MemoryRecordStore.fullReset();
+      QInstance instance = tokenRequiredHost(new WormAuditQBitConfig().withChainIntervalSeconds(17));
+      assertThat(instance.getProcess(WormAuditProcesses.CHAIN).getSchedule().getRepeatSeconds()).isEqualTo(17);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Build a host whose default authentication requires a token, and produce.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private static QInstance tokenRequiredHost(WormAuditQBitConfig config) throws Exception
+   {
+      QInstance instance = WormAuditTestSupport.core(memory());
+      instance.withInstanceDefaultAuthentication(new QAuthenticationMetaData()
+         .withName("token-required")
+         .withType(QAuthenticationType.MOCK)
+         .withModuleCodeReference(new QCodeReference(TokenRequiredAuthenticationModule.class)));
+      new WormAuditQBitProducer().withQBitConfig(config.withBackendName("memory")).produce(instance);
+      return (instance);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** The memory backend.
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   private static QBackendMetaData memory()
+   {
+      return (new QBackendMetaData().withName("memory").withBackendType(MemoryBackendModule.class));
+   }
+}