diff --git a/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml b/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml
index db637c45..3fe2f698 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml
@@ -1115,25 +1115,20 @@ jobs:
           # governance jobs on every PR estate-wide. github.sha resolves to the
           # same merge commit but is always fetchable.
           ref: ${{ github.sha }}
-      - name: Checkout standards for the duplicate-key check
+      - name: Checkout the pinned Standards policy helpers
         uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
         with:
           repository: hyperpolymath/standards
-          ref: main
+          # Execute helper code from the same immutable Standards revision as
+          # this reusable workflow. A moving `main` checkout would let a caller
+          # pinned to workflow revision X execute implementation revision Y.
+          ref: ${{ job.workflow_sha }}
           path: .standards-dupkey
           sparse-checkout: |
             scripts/check-workflow-duplicate-keys.sh
             scripts/update-actions-lock.sh
             tools/policy/check-workflows-parse.sh
           sparse-checkout-cone-mode: false
-        # ⚠ Not fatal if the file is absent. This checkout is pinned to
-        # standards@main, so during a rename of the script the fetch finds
-        # nothing — the new name does not exist on main until the renaming pull
-        # request merges. Without this, the RENAME ITSELF fails the linter, on
-        # the one pull request that cannot possibly be at fault. See the
-        # fallback in the next step.
-        continue-on-error: true
-
       - name: Parse every tracked workflow
         run: |
           if [ "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" = hyperpolymath/standards ]; then
@@ -1143,7 +1138,7 @@ jobs:
             SCRIPT=".standards-dupkey/tools/policy/check-workflows-parse.sh"
           fi
           if [ ! -f "$SCRIPT" ]; then
-            echo "::error::workflow parser gate not found in standards@main or locally"
+            echo "::error::workflow parser gate not found in the pinned Standards revision or locally"
             exit 1
           fi
           bash "$SCRIPT"
@@ -1158,10 +1153,9 @@ jobs:
           # were dead this way, including a CodeQL workflow with zero
           # successful runs in its entire lifetime.
           set -euo pipefail
-          # Standards must exercise its pull-request scripts; every consumer
-          # must use the canonical scripts fetched from standards@main. A
-          # file-existence fallback is insufficient because the old script on
-          # main still exists while its replacement is being tested.
+          # Standards exercises its pull-request scripts; every consumer uses
+          # the canonical scripts fetched from this workflow's immutable
+          # Standards revision.
           if [ "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" = hyperpolymath/standards ]; then
             SCRIPT="scripts/check-workflow-duplicate-keys.sh"
             echo "Using this repository's own copy (standards self-lint)."
@@ -1170,7 +1164,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
           if [ ! -f "$SCRIPT" ]; then
             echo "::error::duplicate-key checker not found — neither fetched from" \
-                 "standards@main nor present locally."
+                 "the pinned Standards revision nor present locally."
             exit 1
           fi
           cp "$SCRIPT" "$RUNNER_TEMP/dupkeys.sh"
@@ -1185,7 +1179,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
           if [ ! -f "$LOCK_SCRIPT" ]; then
             echo "::error::actions-lock verifier not found — neither fetched from" \
-                 "standards@main nor present locally."
+                 "the pinned Standards revision nor present locally."
             exit 1
           fi
           cp "$LOCK_SCRIPT" "$RUNNER_TEMP/update-actions-lock.sh"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/self-test.yml b/.github/workflows/self-test.yml
index 29d3949c..af04436e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/self-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/self-test.yml
@@ -54,40 +54,4 @@ jobs:
           python3 -m pip install --user --quiet pyyaml
 
       - name: Run tests/*.sh and scripts/tests/*.sh
-        run: |
-          set -uo pipefail
-
-          mapfile -t TESTS < <(
-            {
-              find tests -maxdepth 1 -name '*.sh' -type f
-              find scripts/tests -maxdepth 1 -name '*.sh' -type f
-            } | sort
-          )
-
-          # Fail closed. If the suite is empty the discovery is broken, and a
-          # green tick here would assert something untrue.
-          if [ ${#TESTS[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
-            echo "::error::No tests found under tests/ or scripts/tests/ — discovery is broken."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          echo "Discovered ${#TESTS[@]} test file(s)."
-
-          failed=0
-          for t in "${TESTS[@]}"; do
-            echo "::group::$t"
-            if bash "$t"; then
-              echo "PASS $t"
-            else
-              rc=$?
-              echo "::error file=$t::$t failed (exit $rc)"
-              failed=$((failed+1))
-            fi
-            echo "::endgroup::"
-          done
-
-          echo
-          if [ "$failed" -gt 0 ]; then
-            echo "::error::$failed of ${#TESTS[@]} test file(s) failed."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          echo "All ${#TESTS[@]} test file(s) passed."
+        run: bash scripts/run-shell-test-suite.sh
diff --git a/Justfile b/Justfile
index 9991fec9..2360c4a2 100644
--- a/Justfile
+++ b/Justfile
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ build:
 
 # Run all sub-project test suites
 test:
-    # K9 Rust binding tests now live in hyperpolymath/k9-ecosystem (rs/) — see #491
+    @bash scripts/run-shell-test-suite.sh
 
 # Regression test: test aggregation fails for missing prerequisites and test failures.
 test-runner-test:
diff --git a/rhodium-standard-repositories/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight.yml b/rhodium-standard-repositories/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight.yml
index 3b0432c4..99494c67 100644
--- a/rhodium-standard-repositories/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight.yml
+++ b/rhodium-standard-repositories/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
-# Allowlist Preflight — surfaces an Actions-allowlist gap as an ORDINARY red
-# check instead of an opaque, estate-wide `startup_failure` blackout.
+# Allowlist Preflight — thin, reproducible caller of the canonical focused
+# Standards implementation. It surfaces an Actions-allowlist gap as an
+# ordinary red check instead of an opaque `startup_failure` blackout.
 #
 # Under `allowed_actions: selected`, a workflow that `uses:` an un-allowlisted
 # action/reusable dies at STARTUP with no job and no log. This job uses ONLY
@@ -27,14 +28,4 @@ concurrency:
 jobs:
   allowlist:
     name: Actions allowlist coverage
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 5
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0  # v7.0.0
-
-      - name: Every workflow `uses:` must be on the canonical allowlist
-        run: |
-          # Fetch the estate detector; it fetches the canonical allowlist itself.
-          curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hyperpolymath/standards/main/scripts/check-allowed-actions.sh -o "${RUNNER_TEMP}/check-allowed-actions.sh"
-          bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/check-allowed-actions.sh"
+    uses: hyperpolymath/standards/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight-reusable.yml@f8cc276bb0add12debc9eddce79e2a842bac5d3e
diff --git a/scripts/run-shell-test-suite.sh b/scripts/run-shell-test-suite.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..f8282562
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/run-shell-test-suite.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# Canonical fail-closed shell test discovery used by CI and `just test`.
+set -uo pipefail
+
+mapfile -t TESTS < <(
+  {
+    find tests -maxdepth 1 -name '*.sh' -type f
+    find scripts/tests -maxdepth 1 -name '*.sh' -type f
+  } | sort
+)
+
+if [ "${#TESTS[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: no tests found under tests/ or scripts/tests/ — discovery is broken." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Discovered ${#TESTS[@]} test file(s)."
+failed=0
+
+for test_file in "${TESTS[@]}"; do
+  echo "::group::$test_file"
+
+  if bash "$test_file"; then
+    echo "PASS $test_file"
+  else
+    status=$?
+    echo "::error file=$test_file::$test_file failed (exit $status)"
+    failed=$((failed + 1))
+  fi
+
+  echo "::endgroup::"
+done
+
+echo
+if [ "$failed" -gt 0 ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: $failed of ${#TESTS[@]} test file(s) failed." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "All ${#TESTS[@]} test file(s) passed."
diff --git a/scripts/tests/actions-lock-update-test.sh b/scripts/tests/actions-lock-update-test.sh
index 0ceeb6ff..c4058d62 100755
--- a/scripts/tests/actions-lock-update-test.sh
+++ b/scripts/tests/actions-lock-update-test.sh
@@ -25,10 +25,9 @@ cat > "$WORK/bin/fake-gh" <<'EOF'
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -euo pipefail
 if [ "${2:-}" = "--verify-local" ]; then
-  grep -q "actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1" \
+  grep -q "actions/checkout@v7.0.1" \
     .github/workflows/actions.lock
-  sed -i 's#uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1#uses: actions/checkout@v7.0.1#' \
-    .github/workflows/ci.yml
+  sed -i '1i# verifier-only mutation' .github/workflows/ci.yml
   case "${FAKE_VERIFY_FINDING:-}" in
     reusable-exact)
       printf '%s\n' '{"valid":false,"findings":[{"workflow":".github/workflows/reusable.yml","category":"stale","dependency":"hyperpolymath/standards@abc123"}]}'
@@ -60,7 +59,8 @@ if [ "${2:-}" = "--verify-local" ]; then
       ;;
   esac
 fi
-sed -i '1i# This workflow is managed by gh actions-lock.' .github/workflows/ci.yml
+grep -q '^# This workflow is managed by gh actions-lock.$' .github/workflows/ci.yml ||
+  sed -i '1i# This workflow is managed by gh actions-lock.' .github/workflows/ci.yml
 sed -i 's#actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1#actions/checkout@v7.0.1#' \
   .github/workflows/ci.yml
 cat > .github/workflows/actions.lock <<'LOCK'
@@ -81,10 +81,10 @@ chmod +x "$WORK/bin/fake-gh"
 cd "$WORK"
 GH_BIN="$WORK/bin/fake-gh" bash "$UPDATE" .github/workflows >/dev/null
 
-grep -q 'uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1' \
+grep -q 'uses: actions/checkout@v7.0.1' \
   .github/workflows/ci.yml
 [ "$(grep -c '^# This workflow is managed by gh actions-lock.$' .github/workflows/ci.yml)" -eq 1 ]
-grep -q "'actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1':" \
+grep -q "'actions/checkout@v7.0.1':" \
   .github/workflows/actions.lock
 
 cp .github/workflows/ci.yml "$WORK/ci.before"
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ GH_BIN="$WORK/bin/fake-gh" bash "$UPDATE" .github/workflows >/dev/null
 cmp -s "$WORK/ci.before" .github/workflows/ci.yml
 cmp -s "$WORK/lock.before" .github/workflows/actions.lock
 
-echo "PASS: Actions lock refresh preserves inline SHA source and is idempotent"
+echo "PASS: Actions lock refresh keeps authoritative symbolic source and is idempotent"
 
 # Verification is mutating in released gh-actions-lock versions too. The safe
 # verification mode must restore workflow bytes while leaving the lock intact.
diff --git a/scripts/tests/governance-reusable-contract-test.sh b/scripts/tests/governance-reusable-contract-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..89f74662
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/tests/governance-reusable-contract-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# Static regression contract for the reusable governance boundaries.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)"
+GOVERNANCE="$ROOT/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml"
+FOCUSED="$ROOT/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight-reusable.yml"
+RSR_SEED="$ROOT/rhodium-standard-repositories/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight.yml"
+LOCK_HELPER="$ROOT/scripts/update-actions-lock.sh"
+
+fail() {
+  echo "FAIL: $*" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+helper_checkout="$(grep -F -A 18 -- '- name: Checkout the pinned Standards policy helpers' "$GOVERNANCE")"
+# GitHub expression is an asserted literal.
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016
+printf '%s\n' "$helper_checkout" | grep -Fq 'ref: ${{ job.workflow_sha }}' ||
+  fail "governance helpers are not fetched from job.workflow_sha"
+if printf '%s\n' "$helper_checkout" | grep -Eq '^[[:space:]]*ref:[[:space:]]*main[[:space:]]*$'; then
+  fail "governance helper execution still follows moving main"
+fi
+
+if grep -Fq 'bash scripts/update-actions-lock.sh --verify-local' "$GOVERNANCE"; then
+  fail "reusable governance still assumes a consumer-local Standards helper"
+fi
+# RUNNER_TEMP is an asserted workflow literal.
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016
+grep -Fq 'bash "$RUNNER_TEMP/update-actions-lock.sh" --verify-local' "$GOVERNANCE" ||
+  fail "reusable governance does not execute the staged pinned lock verifier"
+
+for workflow in "$GOVERNANCE" "$FOCUSED"; do
+  grep -Fq 'Live Actions policy (credentialed advisory)' "$workflow" ||
+    fail "$workflow lacks the distinct live-policy advisory job"
+  grep -Fq "if: \${{ env.GH_TOKEN == '' }}" "$workflow" ||
+    fail "$workflow does not report a missing optional credential"
+  grep -Fq "if: \${{ env.GH_TOKEN != '' }}" "$workflow" ||
+    fail "$workflow can run the live API without a credential guard"
+  # rc is an asserted workflow-script literal.
+  # shellcheck disable=SC2016
+  grep -Fq 'if [ "$rc" -eq 3 ]; then' "$workflow" ||
+    fail "$workflow conflates API unavailability with a policy verdict"
+done
+
+grep -Eq 'uses: hyperpolymath/standards/.github/workflows/allowlist-preflight-reusable.yml@[0-9a-f]{40}$' \
+  "$RSR_SEED" || fail "RSR allowlist seed is not a thin immutable reusable-workflow caller"
+if grep -Eq 'raw\.githubusercontent\.com/.*/main|curl[[:space:]]' "$RSR_SEED"; then
+  fail "RSR allowlist seed still downloads executable policy from moving main"
+fi
+
+grep -Fq 'when actions.lock is present, gh actions-lock is authoritative' "$LOCK_HELPER" ||
+  fail "lock helper does not state the authoritative-lock contract"
+if grep -Fq 'relock-sha-keys.sh' "$LOCK_HELPER"; then
+  fail "lock helper still rewrites generated lock keys around legacy inline SHAs"
+fi
+
+echo "PASS: reusable governance uses one pinned implementation with focused and suite entry points"
diff --git a/scripts/update-actions-lock.sh b/scripts/update-actions-lock.sh
index 54bd1419..380517bf 100755
--- a/scripts/update-actions-lock.sh
+++ b/scripts/update-actions-lock.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
 #
-# Refresh actions.lock without letting gh actions-lock rewrite the canonical
-# workflow source from inline SHA pins to tag references.
+# Refresh actions.lock under one unambiguous policy boundary:
+#
+# - when actions.lock is present, gh actions-lock is authoritative for direct
+#   and transitive commit resolution, so its symbolic workflow refs are kept;
+# - when actions.lock is absent, the separate workflow gate requires inline
+#   immutable SHAs.
+#
+# Verification is treated as observational even though released tool versions
+# can rewrite workflow bytes. Updates keep tool-authored workflow changes, but
+# any failed update rolls both workflows and the lock back atomically.
 set -euo pipefail
 
 MODE=update
@@ -19,8 +27,20 @@ GH_BIN="${GH_BIN:-gh}"
 SNAPSHOT="$(mktemp -d)"
 COMPLETE=false
 
+snapshot_workflows() {
+  destination=$1
+  mkdir -p "$destination"
+
+  find "$WF_DIR" -maxdepth 1 -type f \( -name '*.yml' -o -name '*.yaml' \) -print0 |
+    while IFS= read -r -d '' file; do
+      cp "$file" "$destination/$(basename "$file")"
+    done
+}
+
 restore_workflows() {
-  find "$SNAPSHOT/workflows" -maxdepth 1 -type f -print0 2>/dev/null |
+  source=$1
+
+  find "$source" -maxdepth 1 -type f -print0 2>/dev/null |
     while IFS= read -r -d '' file; do
       cp "$file" "$WF_DIR/$(basename "$file")"
     done
@@ -73,10 +93,9 @@ verify_lock_coverage() {
   fi
   # The authoritative validity bit and the process exit are not equivalent.
   # gh-actions-lock v0.1.6 exits 1 for advisory findings such as `sha-as-ref`
-  # even while reporting `"valid": true`. Treating that advisory exit as an
-  # invalid lock makes every inline-SHA repository permanently red. Preserve
-  # the findings in the log, but accept the lock exactly when the tool says it
-  # is valid.
+  # even while reporting `"valid": true`. Preserve advisory findings in the
+  # log, but accept the lock exactly when the authoritative tool says it is
+  # valid.
   if printf '%s' "$result" | jq -e '.valid == true' >/dev/null; then
     if printf '%s' "$result" | jq -e '.findings | length > 0' >/dev/null; then
       printf '%s\n' "$result"
@@ -109,7 +128,7 @@ verify_lock_coverage() {
 cleanup() {
   status=$?
   if [ "$COMPLETE" != true ]; then
-    restore_workflows
+    restore_workflows "$SNAPSHOT/original-workflows"
     if [ -f "$SNAPSHOT/actions.lock" ]; then
       cp "$SNAPSHOT/actions.lock" "$WF_DIR/actions.lock"
     else
@@ -121,27 +140,17 @@ cleanup() {
 }
 trap cleanup EXIT
 
-mkdir -p "$SNAPSHOT/workflows"
+snapshot_workflows "$SNAPSHOT/original-workflows"
 [ ! -f "$WF_DIR/actions.lock" ] || cp "$WF_DIR/actions.lock" "$SNAPSHOT/actions.lock"
 
-# gh actions-lock currently inserts its managed marker and rewrites direct SHA
-# refs to their release tags. Those edits conflict with the estate's inline-SHA
-# gate. Preserve every authored workflow while allowing the generated lockfile
-# to change.
-find "$WF_DIR" -maxdepth 1 -type f \( -name '*.yml' -o -name '*.yaml' \) -print0 |
-  while IFS= read -r -d '' file; do
-    cp "$file" "$SNAPSHOT/workflows/$(basename "$file")"
-  done
-
 if [ "$MODE" = update ]; then
   "$GH_BIN" actions-lock
-  restore_workflows
-  bash "$(dirname "$0")/relock-sha-keys.sh" "$WF_DIR"
 fi
 
-# Despite its name, --verify-local can migrate local `./` action paths to an
-# invalid `$/` spelling. Treat verification as mutating and restore authored
-# workflow bytes afterward too.
+# Despite its name, --verify-local can mutate workflow bytes (including
+# migrating local `./` action paths to an invalid `$/` spelling). Preserve the
+# post-update state, run verification, then discard verifier-only mutations.
+snapshot_workflows "$SNAPSHOT/preverify-workflows"
 verify_lock_coverage
-restore_workflows
+restore_workflows "$SNAPSHOT/preverify-workflows"
 COMPLETE=true