diff --git a/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.test.ts b/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.test.ts
index 030466168..44531c8dd 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "@effect/vitest";
-import { Effect } from "effect";
-import { HttpServerRequest, HttpServerResponse } from "effect/unstable/http";
+import { Effect, Layer } from "effect";
+import {
+  HttpClient,
+  HttpClientRequest,
+  HttpClientResponse,
+  HttpServerRequest,
+  HttpServerResponse,
+} from "effect/unstable/http";
 
 import {
   AuthTemplateSlug,
@@ -318,6 +324,48 @@ describe("graphqlPlugin real protocol server", () => {
     }),
   );
 
+  it.effect("uses the executor HttpClient layer for connection-time introspection", () =>
+    Effect.gen(function* () {
+      const seen: string[] = [];
+      const httpClientLayer = Layer.succeed(HttpClient.HttpClient)(
+        HttpClient.make((request: HttpClientRequest.HttpClientRequest) => {
+          seen.push(request.url);
+          return Effect.succeed(
+            HttpClientResponse.fromWeb(
+              request,
+              new Response(JSON.stringify({ data: introspectionResult }), {
+                status: 200,
+                headers: { "content-type": "application/json" },
+              }),
+            ),
+          );
+        }),
+      );
+      const config = makeTestConfig({
+        plugins: [memoryCredentialsPlugin(), graphqlPlugin()] as const,
+      });
+      const executor = yield* createExecutor({ ...config, httpClientLayer });
+
+      yield* executor.graphql.addIntegration({
+        endpoint: "https://internal.example/graphql",
+        slug: "guarded_graph",
+        name: "Guarded Graph",
+      });
+      yield* createOrgConnection(executor, {
+        integration: "guarded_graph",
+        name: "default",
+        template: "none",
+        value: "unused",
+      });
+
+      const tools = yield* executor.tools.list();
+      expect(seen).toEqual(["https://internal.example/graphql"]);
+      expect(tools.map((tool) => String(tool.name))).toEqual(
+        expect.arrayContaining(["query.hello", "mutation.setGreeting"]),
+      );
+    }),
+  );
+
   it.effect("invokes a live query through an apiKey header template", () =>
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const server = yield* serveGreetingServer;
diff --git a/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.ts b/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.ts
index 0a2eb7d7d..31424b8f8 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/graphql/src/sdk/plugin.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { Effect, Match, Option, Schema } from "effect";
 import type { Layer } from "effect";
-import { FetchHttpClient, HttpClient } from "effect/unstable/http";
+import { HttpClient } from "effect/unstable/http";
 
 import {
   authToolFailure,
@@ -893,11 +893,13 @@ export const graphqlPlugin = definePlugin((options?: GraphqlPluginOptions) => {
       template,
       storage,
       getValues,
+      httpClientLayer,
     }: {
       readonly config: IntegrationConfig;
       readonly template: AuthTemplateSlug | null;
       readonly storage: GraphqlStore;
       readonly getValues: () => Effect.Effect<Record<string, string | null>, unknown>;
+      readonly httpClientLayer: Layer.Layer<HttpClient.HttpClient>;
     }) =>
       Effect.gen(function* () {
         const decoded = yield* decodeGraphqlIntegrationConfig(config).pipe(Effect.option);
@@ -917,7 +919,7 @@ export const graphqlPlugin = definePlugin((options?: GraphqlPluginOptions) => {
           introspectionJson,
           values,
           template,
-          options?.httpClientLayer ?? httpClientLayerFallback,
+          options?.httpClientLayer ?? httpClientLayer,
         ).pipe(Effect.option);
         if (Option.isNone(introspection)) return { tools: [] };
         const extracted = yield* extract(introspection.value).pipe(Effect.option);
@@ -1117,9 +1119,3 @@ export const graphqlPlugin = definePlugin((options?: GraphqlPluginOptions) => {
   // HTTP transport (routes/handlers/extensionService) is layered on by the
   // api-aware factory in `@executor-js/plugin-graphql/api`.
 });
-
-// The fallback HTTP layer for `resolveTools`. The hook input carries no `ctx`,
-// so when no explicit layer is passed to the plugin we use the same default the
-// executor wires into `ctx.httpClientLayer` (`FetchHttpClient.layer`). Hosts/
-// tests that need a custom transport pass `options.httpClientLayer`.
-const httpClientLayerFallback: Layer.Layer<HttpClient.HttpClient> = FetchHttpClient.layer;