  The inconsistency between the fixed-order (FO) and contour-improved (CI)
representation of the QCD corrections to the inclusive hadronic tau decay width
limits the precision to which the strong coupling can be determined from this
process. It has recently been shown that subtracting the infrared renormalon
divergence related to the gluon condensate resolves the discrepancy. Here we
suggest to employ the gradient flow to define gauge-invariant regularized
operators and to use the corresponding condensates in the operator product
expansion. The associated rearrangement of the perturbative series results in
automatic renormalon subtraction without the need to determine explicitly the
Stokes constants that normalize the divergent asymptotic series. Applying this
method to the gluon condensate, we find that the CI series is modified and now
agrees with the (unmodified) FO series. This conclusively demonstrates the
preference for the fixed-order approach, as has been advocated long ago.
