diff --git a/epiphany-core/src/bin/epiphany_work/closure_contracts/external_governance_tests.rs b/epiphany-core/src/bin/epiphany_work/closure_contracts/external_governance_tests.rs
index c0908842..6b16db90 100644
--- a/epiphany-core/src/bin/epiphany_work/closure_contracts/external_governance_tests.rs
+++ b/epiphany-core/src/bin/epiphany_work/closure_contracts/external_governance_tests.rs
@@ -424,4 +424,54 @@ human_or_maintainer_response_required = true
             .expect("fixture is typed TOML");
         assert!(!request.has_authority_seals());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn verification_comment_cannot_counterfeit_soul_verdict_seal() {
+        let text = r#"
+schema_version = "epiphany.repo_verification_request.v0"
+safe_action_family = "repo.verification_request"
+summary = "summary"
+private_state_exposed = false
+[request]
+status = "awaiting-soul-review"
+requested_owner = "Soul"
+requested_effect = "verify-branch-local-hands-work"
+work_order_ref = "work-order"
+[antecedents]
+substrate_gate_required = true
+hands_intent_required = true
+hands_review_required = true
+hands_patch_required = true
+hands_command_required = true
+hands_commit_required = true
+work_order_required = true
+[required_receipts]
+hands_patch = "epiphany.hands.patch_receipt"
+hands_command = "epiphany.hands.command_receipt"
+hands_commit = "epiphany.hands.commit_receipt"
+soul_verdict = "epiphany.soul.verification_verdict"
+closure_review = "epiphany.repo_work_closure_review.v0"
+mind_review = "epiphany.mind.gateway_review"
+mind_commit = "epiphany.mind.state_commit_receipt"
+[checks]
+required = ["declared-paths-match-commit", "hands-receipts-present", "visible-diff-supports-summary", "no-private-state-exposure", "publication-remains-gated"]
+model_verdict_allowed = true
+failure_blocks_mind_admission = true
+[authority]
+branch_local_only = true
+# soul_verdict_authorized = false
+soul_verdict_authorized = true
+state_commit_authorized = false
+hands_action_authorized = false
+rerun_authorized = false
+publication_authorized = false
+merge_authorized = false
+service_lifecycle_authority = false
+cross_body_mutation_authorized = false
+private_verse_rummaging = false
+bifrost_publication_required = true
+"#;
+        let request = parse_repo_verification_request(text).expect("fixture is typed TOML");
+        assert!(!request.has_authority_seals());
+    }
 }
diff --git a/notes/conceptual-substitution-audit-2026-07-12.md b/notes/conceptual-substitution-audit-2026-07-12.md
index 6794ddc6..4f038a46 100644
--- a/notes/conceptual-substitution-audit-2026-07-12.md
+++ b/notes/conceptual-substitution-audit-2026-07-12.md
@@ -999,6 +999,8 @@ request grants no verdict, rerun, state commit, Hands, publication, lifecycle,
 or cross-body consequence. The class guard prevents substring fallback.
 
 Thirteen high-authority families are now typed; 543 substring assertions remain.
+A malicious typed fixture separately proves that commented
+`soul_verdict_authorized = false` cannot conceal an actual verdict grant.
 
 The same inspection found 33 consecutive duplicate `#[cfg(test)]` attributes
 on provider constructors/writers and their re-exports. One gate already makes
diff --git a/notes/fresh-workspace-handoff.md b/notes/fresh-workspace-handoff.md
index cd90ab3a..c50281b1 100644
--- a/notes/fresh-workspace-handoff.md
+++ b/notes/fresh-workspace-handoff.md
@@ -310,7 +310,7 @@ explicit malicious maintainer-approval fixture now passes as a negative proof.
 
 Verification-request closure is now typed and class-guarded. Current count:
 thirteen typed high-authority families and 543 remaining substring assertions.
-Add the explicit malicious Soul-verdict fixture next.
+The explicit malicious Soul-verdict fixture now passes as a negative proof.
 
 The latest structural count is 32 closure family branches, 744 remaining
 substring assertions in the closure region, and 1,284 lines in
diff --git a/state/ledgers.msgpack b/state/ledgers.msgpack
index a97622ee..6715937b 100644
Binary files a/state/ledgers.msgpack and b/state/ledgers.msgpack differ
diff --git a/state/map.yaml b/state/map.yaml
index fccd00f8..3ca3d351 100644
--- a/state/map.yaml
+++ b/state/map.yaml
@@ -660,4 +660,4 @@ current_status:
   - Service lifecycle receipt history is now event-only: `load_epiphany_cultmesh_daemon_service_lifecycle_receipts` filters out the `epiphany-local/daemon-service-lifecycle-receipt/latest` mirror, while `load_latest_epiphany_cultmesh_daemon_service_lifecycle_receipt` remains the latest-state reader. Focused unit test `service_lifecycle_receipt_history_excludes_latest_mirror` proves two per-receipt writes return exactly two history records and latest points at the second. Fresh smoke `verse-query-lifecycle-history-filter-smoke` and live overview/triage `local-20260618-145632-497-efac6f0d` / `local-20260618-145632-321-867947af` prove compact swarm sights still expose service lifecycle attention plus the present elevated runbook artifact without daemon pokes or service mutation. Do not use a broad unscoped cargo test filter for this check on Windows; it fans out across bin harnesses and hit a broken pipe during this pass.
   - `epiphany-verse-query seed-compact` is the compact seed receipt for wrappers and read-only rites. The older `seed` command still prints the full local Verse context for explicit debugging, but compact wrapper modes now avoid full `seed`/final `query` readback after the combined overview proof exposed Windows debug stack overflow from full-context serialization pressure.
   last_completed_repo_swarm_cut: Huginn live-fire has crossed the first real repo Body from Persona pressure to branch-local Hands commit and Soul/Mind closure, and now has repeatable closure and redacted-public-proof mouths. On `E:\Projects\Huginn` branch `epiphany/huginn/first-awakening`, `tools/epiphany_local_run.ps1 -Mode repo-persona-intake` accepted item `huginn-inspection-readback-livefire`, Weksa/Persona intake remained sealed, and `epiphany-work derive-plan` lowered it to model-authored safe family `repo.status_section` for `README.md` only. `tools/epiphany_local_run.ps1 -Mode repo-swarm-run` advanced four bounded pulses: run-from-plan, adopt-from-plan, execute-from-plan, and close-from-execute. Huginn commit `e9b07c38fceabbdc89ea35c2156326c80c0393a2` updated only `README.md`; closure receipt `.epiphany\work\work-close-huginn-inspection-readback-livefire.json` records status `closed`, Soul verdict `passed`, Mind state commit `repo-work-close-huginn-inspection-readback-livefire-mind-commit`, safe family `repo.status_section`, path scope `README.md`, Bifrost publication gate, and `privateStateExposed=false`. Verification also ran Huginn's TypeScript compiler through concrete Node path: `C:\Program Files\nodejs\node.exe E:\Projects\Huginn\node_modules\typescript\bin\tsc -p tsconfig.json` passed. Native verifier `epiphany-repo-livefire-closure-smoke --workspace E:\Projects\Huginn --item huginn-inspection-readback-livefire --expected-path README.md --expected-family repo.status_section --expected-gate awaiting-publication --expected-blocker bifrost-publication-missing` checks closure receipt, Mind map entry, overview gate/blocker, authority seals, and `git show` changed paths, returning `status=ok`, `soulVerdict=passed`, `publicationGate=Bifrost`, and `privateStateExposed=false`. Wrapper `tools/epiphany_local_run.ps1 -Mode repo-livefire-closure -Workspace E:\Projects\Huginn -RepoWorkItem huginn-inspection-readback-livefire -SkipBuild` exposes the same read-only proof through the local operator mouth; artifact `local-20260621-190156-803-2f85ba15` printed commit, path, gate, blocker, Soul verdict, Mind commit receipt, and `privateStateExposed=False` without push, merge, publication, or target mutation. New wrapper `tools/epiphany_local_run.ps1 -Mode repo-work-public-proof -Workspace E:\Projects\Huginn -RepoWorkItem huginn-inspection-readback-livefire -SkipBuild` exports the redacted proof bundle and repo-local Verse index without publishing; artifact `local-20260621-190645-345-4555b1dc` wrote `.epiphany\public\proof-bundles\repo-work-public-proof-huginn-inspection-readback-livefire.json`, proof id `repo-work-public-proof-huginn-inspection-readback-livefire`, SHA-256 `857545b199f3e37eb06c2e757e5cfc201958e46667bb1f8403fd333a22620f63`, nine artifact rows, zero publication rows, and `privateStateExposed=False`. swarm overview readback `local-20260621-190701-140-b9519ec6` sees the `REPO-WORK-PUBLIC-PROOF` row and action row from Huginn's repo-local Verse with the same SHA-256 while Bifrost publication remains missing. Launcher compact modes are now named compact operator-context modes instead of read-only modes, and `bifrost-public-proof` summaries print item, target public Verse, room, proof SHA-256, review receipts, and credit receipts so publication receipts are auditable without claiming upstream sync.
-  next_action: Continue the conceptual-substitution pass. Thirteen high-authority closure families, now including verification request, are typed and guarded against regaining substring authority. The closure region still has 32 family branches and 543 substring assertions; closure contracts remain a parent-private lexical facade over external_governance and operations authority domains. Add the explicit malicious Soul-verdict fixture next, then prioritize remaining consequence-bearing request families without building a blind struct forest. Provider chronology is explicitly external and guarded as arrival order. Continue auditing evidence/security mirrors and adapters for borrowed authority.
+  next_action: Continue the conceptual-substitution pass. Thirteen high-authority closure families, now including verification request, are typed and guarded against regaining substring authority; verification has an explicit malicious Soul-verdict fixture. The closure region still has 32 family branches and 543 substring assertions; closure contracts remain a parent-private lexical facade over external_governance and operations authority domains. Prioritize remaining consequence-bearing request families without building a blind struct forest. Provider chronology is explicitly external and guarded as arrival order. Continue auditing evidence/security mirrors and adapters for borrowed authority.