diff --git a/gateway/run.py b/gateway/run.py
index 9496617bf483..25b99f768523 100644
--- a/gateway/run.py
+++ b/gateway/run.py
@@ -8302,7 +8302,7 @@ class GatewayRunner(GatewayAuthorizationMixin, GatewayKanbanWatchersMixin, Gatew
                 )
 
         if connected_count == 0:
-            if startup_nonretryable_errors:
+            if startup_nonretryable_errors and not startup_retryable_errors:
                 reason = "; ".join(startup_nonretryable_errors)
                 logger.error("Gateway hit a non-retryable startup conflict: %s", reason)
                 try:
@@ -8314,6 +8314,27 @@ class GatewayRunner(GatewayAuthorizationMixin, GatewayKanbanWatchersMixin, Gatew
                 self._request_clean_exit(reason)
                 self._startup_restore_in_progress = False
                 return True
+            if startup_nonretryable_errors:
+                # Mixed failure mode (NS-609): some platforms are fatally
+                # misconfigured (e.g. WhatsApp enabled but never paired) while
+                # others hit merely transient errors (e.g. Telegram TimedOut
+                # during polling startup).  Exiting with
+                # GATEWAY_FATAL_CONFIG_EXIT_CODE here is wrong in both
+                # supervision worlds: under supervisors that honor the
+                # exit-78 contract (systemd RestartPreventExitStatus, s6
+                # finish→125 since #51228) the gateway goes PERMANENTLY down
+                # over a network blip; under anything else it crash-loops.
+                # Either way the retryable platforms never get their retry.
+                # Log the fatal side loudly, then fall through to the
+                # degraded/retry path below: the reconnect watcher recovers
+                # the retryable platforms; the non-retryable ones remain
+                # fatal-parked and visible in runtime status.
+                logger.error(
+                    "%d platform(s) fatally misconfigured and parked: %s. "
+                    "Staying alive so retryable platforms can recover.",
+                    len(startup_nonretryable_errors),
+                    "; ".join(startup_nonretryable_errors),
+                )
             if enabled_platform_count > 0:
                 if startup_retryable_errors:
                     # All enabled platforms hit retryable failures (network
diff --git a/tests/gateway/test_runner_startup_failures.py b/tests/gateway/test_runner_startup_failures.py
index e8bb72b12e4d..93d81236bee2 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/test_runner_startup_failures.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/test_runner_startup_failures.py
@@ -512,6 +512,60 @@ async def test_runner_exits_with_ex_config_on_nonretryable_startup_error(monkeyp
     assert state["gateway_state"] == "startup_failed"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_runner_stays_alive_on_mixed_retryable_and_nonretryable_errors(
+    monkeypatch, tmp_path, caplog
+):
+    """Mixed startup failures — one platform fatally misconfigured, another
+    merely transiently failing — must NOT exit with EX_CONFIG (NS-609).
+
+    Real-world shape: WhatsApp enabled but never paired (non-retryable
+    ``whatsapp_not_paired``) while Telegram hits a startup TimedOut
+    (retryable). Exiting 78 here either takes the gateway permanently down
+    (supervisors honoring the exit-78 contract) or crash-loops it (anything
+    else) — and in both cases Telegram never gets its retry even though
+    nothing is wrong with its config. The gateway must stay alive in
+    degraded mode, park the fatal platform, and queue the retryable one."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path))
+    config = GatewayConfig(
+        platforms={
+            Platform.DISCORD: PlatformConfig(enabled=True, token="***"),
+            Platform.TELEGRAM: PlatformConfig(enabled=True, token="***"),
+        },
+        sessions_dir=tmp_path / "sessions",
+    )
+    runner = GatewayRunner(config)
+
+    def _make_adapter(platform, platform_config):
+        if platform == Platform.DISCORD:
+            return _NonRetryableFailureAdapter()
+        return _RetryableFailureAdapter()
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(runner, "_create_adapter", _make_adapter)
+
+    import logging
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR):
+        ok = await runner.start()
+
+    # Gateway stays alive — no clean-exit request, no EX_CONFIG.
+    assert ok is True
+    assert runner.should_exit_cleanly is False
+    assert runner.exit_code is None
+    state = read_runtime_status()
+    assert state["gateway_state"] in {"degraded", "running"}
+    # The retryable platform is queued for reconnection…
+    assert Platform.TELEGRAM in runner._failed_platforms
+    assert state["platforms"]["telegram"]["state"] == "retrying"
+    # …while the misconfigured one is parked as fatal, not retried.
+    assert Platform.DISCORD not in runner._failed_platforms
+    assert state["platforms"]["discord"]["state"] == "fatal"
+    # The fatal side is still surfaced loudly for the operator.
+    assert any(
+        "fatally misconfigured" in record.message
+        for record in caplog.records
+    ), "Expected an error log calling out the parked platform(s)"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_start_gateway_propagates_fatal_config_exit_code(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     """A clean exit carrying GATEWAY_FATAL_CONFIG_EXIT_CODE must surface as a