diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index ebd242f..f19dbd2 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@ All notable changes to CmdForge will be documented in this file.
 - Auto-fetch registry version when opening publish dialog
 - Fork detection during publish workflow
 - Always refresh tools page after publish dialog closes
+- **Startup connection validation**: GUI validates registry token on startup
+  - Automatically clears invalid/revoked tokens
+  - Shows status bar message when connection is cleared
+  - Prevents confusing errors when trying to publish with stale credentials
+
+#### CLI Features
+- `cmdforge config disconnect` - Clear registry token from local configuration
 
 #### Admin Features
 - Maintenance section in admin dashboard
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/gui/main_window.py b/src/cmdforge/gui/main_window.py
index d45cab0..2b1ed03 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/gui/main_window.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/gui/main_window.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from PySide6.QtWidgets import (
     QListWidget, QListWidgetItem, QStackedWidget,
     QStatusBar, QLabel, QSplitter
 )
-from PySide6.QtCore import Qt, QSize, QSettings
+from PySide6.QtCore import Qt, QSize, QSettings, QTimer
 from PySide6.QtGui import QIcon, QFont, QShortcut, QKeySequence
 
 from .styles import STYLESHEET
@@ -68,6 +68,33 @@ class MainWindow(QMainWindow):
         # Restore window geometry
         self._restore_geometry()
 
+        # Validate registry connection after window shows
+        QTimer.singleShot(500, self._validate_registry_connection)
+
+    def _validate_registry_connection(self):
+        """Check if registry connection is valid on startup, clear if invalid."""
+        try:
+            from ..registry_client import RegistryClient
+            from ..config import set_registry_token, load_config
+
+            config = load_config()
+            if not config.registry.token:
+                return  # No connection configured, nothing to validate
+
+            client = RegistryClient()
+            is_valid, error = client.validate_token()
+
+            if not is_valid:
+                # Token is invalid, clear it
+                set_registry_token(None)
+                self.status_bar.showMessage(
+                    f"Registry connection cleared: {error}. Please reconnect.",
+                    10000  # Show for 10 seconds
+                )
+        except Exception as e:
+            # Don't crash on validation errors, just log to status
+            self.status_bar.showMessage(f"Could not validate registry connection: {e}", 5000)
+
     def _setup_sidebar(self):
         """Set up sidebar navigation items."""
         items = [
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py b/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py
index 185c5af..07876d8 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/registry_client.py
@@ -605,6 +605,33 @@ class RegistryClient:
 
         return response.json().get("data", {})
 
+    def validate_token(self) -> tuple[bool, str]:
+        """
+        Validate that the current token is valid.
+
+        Returns:
+            Tuple of (is_valid, error_message)
+            - (True, "") if token is valid
+            - (False, "reason") if token is invalid or missing
+        """
+        if not self.token:
+            return False, "No token configured"
+
+        try:
+            response = self._request("GET", "/me/tools", require_auth=True)
+            if response.status_code == 200:
+                return True, ""
+            elif response.status_code == 401:
+                return False, "Token is invalid or revoked"
+            else:
+                return False, f"Unexpected response: {response.status_code}"
+        except RegistryError as e:
+            if e.http_status == 401 or e.code == "UNAUTHORIZED":
+                return False, "Token is invalid or revoked"
+            return False, str(e.message)
+        except Exception as e:
+            return False, f"Connection error: {e}"
+
     def get_my_tools(self) -> List[ToolInfo]:
         """
         Get tools published by the authenticated user.